A hundred years on, the numbers remain chilling — more than 15 million dead, including 61,000 Canadians.

 Gruesome attack

As a Muslim, I categorically condemn the gruesome act of violence perpetrated at the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh, taking away the lives of 11 innocent worshipers. 

“I’m going down east to try to be reconciled with my father.” 

Recently I Googled the term “selfie” and determined quickly that no further research into the matter was needed. What I found were endless varieties of scantily clad self-representations, with very little analysis about why anyone would transmit these images about themselves, or what the images were meant to suggest other than an easily accessible sexuality occurring in epidemic proportions (79 million images on Instagram alone that fall into this category). 

As a caravan of some 7,000 weary migrants trudged across the poorest region of Mexico, heading for the U.S. border, they found sympathy and received donations of food, water and clothing from ordinary Mexicans who themselves had little. 

On rare occasions I get clear signals of what needs to be done in my life. When it comes, it arrives through people I respect. Each gives me the answer I need but I did not know I needed till I heard it. 

St. Francis of Assisi means a lot to me. Reading about him during the early days of my conversion really made Catholicism come alive. I even took the name Francis when I entered the Church.

My plan had been to write this week on the 25th anniversary of Pope John Paul’s encyclical The Splendour of Truth, the sainted pope’s most controversial document. However, as often happens, events intervened and I put off writing that reflection. Maybe next time.

The new Quebec government’s proposed assault on religious freedom by barring public wearing of overt faith markers is worrisome enough.

Rigid adherence

Re: D&P funding remains in limbo (Oct. 7):

It was reported that 12 Canadian bishops did not remit the annual Lenten collection for the Canadian Catholic Organization for Development and Peace in order to put pressure on the D&P organization to ensure that its overseas partners do not support abortion and contraception.