Dear Passing the Peace Readers, 

As I type this letter, I am watching the livestream of the Global Sumud Flotilla, a fleet of boats made up of citizens from around the world, sailing to Gaza to bring much needed humanitarian aid. At this point, a handful of small boats have been intercepted by the Israeli army while others continue their attempt to break the blockade that has left Gaza without food, medical supplies, and other essentials. In the face of such a bleak and despairing situation, ordinary people have come together in the name of peaceful resistance. Whether or not the Global Sumud Flotilla is ultimately successful in their goal of delivering aid, I remain incredibly grateful for the symbol of hope and courage this movement has offered. 

As I learned this week about the Arabic word sumud which means ‘steadfast perseverance’ I thought of the woman clutching to Jesus’ robes to find healing (Matthew 9:20-22). In the Palestinian context, sumud refers to commitment to resist the hardship of oppression that comes from both a place of necessity and hope. This is the tension of resilience: at the site of hardship something beautiful emerges. How I wish this woman had not spent over a decade suffering and in pain, and yet, I celebrate with her the vulnerability and courage it took to seek healing and to believe that change was possible in her life. How I wish that the people of Palestine could live in peace, and yet, I remain humbled by the ways Palestinians continue to choose life. Or as poet Rafeef Ziadah says: “We teach life.” 

 

So I watch, unsure of what will happen in the night to the remaining crew of the Global Sumud Flotilla who have yet to be intercepted and arrested by Israel as I reflect on the realities that much closer to home, only 30 minutes down the road from our church, is the site of a former residential school. This week, on September 30 the Woodland Cultural Centre officially unveiled the former Mohawk Institute Residential School as an Interpretive Historic Site on the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. How I wish that hundreds of Indigenous children never had to face separation from their families and suffer so many horrors, and yet, I am grateful for the powerful opportunity for truth-telling and justice-seeking that has been created through the creation of the Woodland Cultural Centre. 

May our faith be nurtured by the examples of sumud, steadfast perseverance, in our midst. 

 

Yours in Christ, 

Rev Michiko