Kyiv Winter of ‘22
- Written by: Chris McDonnell
Kyiv Winter of ‘22
Far away in Eastern Europe
another country has turned to threaten peace
with the turmoil and high cost of full-blown war.
as speechless with fear we look on.
Remember the troops in the streets of Budapest
in the late November chill of Autumn of ‘56
and the sea-born standoff in the Western Atlantic,
ten days when youth faced age in mid-October of ’62.
The Prague Spring quickly faded in sunlit August of ‘68
for once again tank tracks rattled through city streets
now repeated all these years on in late Winter of ‘22
as the aftershock of gun fire stuttering in the skies
of the Western world and an obdurate Soviet
leader wags a defiant finger as his militia
roll through the suburban streets of Kyiv
and missiles end their flight in a ball of liquid flame.
The outcome is uncertain as countries
hover on the brink of indecision.
Touch this ravaged, tear-soaked earth as you walk
the Emmaus Road with gentle faith of healing.
A Cold War is being re-heated
- Written by: Chris McDonnell
Albert Einstein’s famous statement -"I know not with what weapons World War 3 will be fought but World War 4 will be fought with sticks and stones"- does indeed give food for thought.
With the fall of the Berlin Wall in ‘89 and the collapse of the Eastern block of countries in Europe, so closely aligned to the Soviet Union, the Iron Curtain that had been in place since the late 40s passed into memory. The break-up of the Soviet Union itself eased the threat of Communistic dictatorship and for a while we smiled again. The significance of the role played by John Paul II has yet to be determined but there can be little doubt that he played no small part.
Many other problems still faced us but the spirit of co-operation that was about at that time heralded new circumstances and a brighter prospect.
Two Lost Voices
- Written by: Chris McDonnell
Jim Forest November 1941 – January 2022
Thich Nhat Hanh October 1926 – January 2022
Two lost voices
Chris McDonnell January 28. 2022
Within a few days of each other two resonant voices have been lost, the Christian writer Jim Forest and the Buddhist monk Thich Nhat Hanh.
I first met Jim through a second-hand bookshop in Brighton.
Running back to the car late on a Saturday afternoon in a bitter cold January dusk, I came to the bookshop. Opening the door, I called out to the owner “Have you any books about the American monk, Thomas Merton?” His hand went to the bottom of a stack of books on a nearby table and pulled out a book. “Will this do?”
Seeking together a new way of being Church
- Written by: Andrew Hornsby-Smith
Seeking together a new way of being Church - 24th January 7.30 p.m.
Invitation to an online discussion
For the Zoom link please email: Andrew Hornsby-Smith
The Synodal Process - Joint Approach
- Written by: Frank Callus
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