A Simcoe County KAIROS member lobbied RBC to reduce funding of fossil fuel companies and is organizing a nature walk at a local Conservation area near Barrie at the end of June. The walk will focus on ecological responsibility through a lens of Celtic spirituality.

KAIROS Guelph representatives participated in a newly formed group, Basic Income Guelph, part of the national Basic Income Now campaign. Basic Income Guelph has successfully advocated for a City Council motion supporting the concept and hosted a very well attended film and panel (including Kathleen Wynne) public event in June.  Members sent letters of support for Senate Bill S-233 advocating a basic income.  KAIROS Guelph representatives on a local Social Justice Coalition donate to and serve a monthly meal to downtown guests as does a London congregation in the South-West Ontario KAIROS Network.

York Region KAIROS Group and the Religious Order of Friends met at the Quaker Meetinghouse on Thursday evening May 23 for a Gaza Ceasefire Pilgrimage. The gathering opened with devotions including the reading of the Quaker peace testimony of 1660. After walking to the regional building on Yonge Street, participants met in the tranquil 1812 Meetinghouse to discuss conditions in Israel, the West Bank and Gaza.

Photo: Some participants in the Newmarket Gaza Ceasefire Pilgrimage

Several groups meet via Zoom. Simcoe County KAIROS crafted a mission statement and is expanding their membership through speakers at area churches.

South-West Ontario KAIROS is a network of social justice groups rather than a separate entity. Activities beyond SW Ontario activities noted above include refugee sponsorship, affordable housing construction, fundraising for overseas projects, and support for Indigenous groups who are protecting the environment.

by Janyce Elser-Ethier

If peace is more than the absence of war, and, I think it is, the text at Isaiah 11: 1 – 9 tells about God’s plans for a future where peace, justice, and righteousness reign with the coming of a new, just ruler descended through King David’s line.

The images from verse 6 to verse 9 illustrate a time of peace so complete that traditional animal enemies coexist in peace. Predator and prey lay down together without violence.  Such a peace reflects the coming Messiah’s influence. 

In verses 6 – 7. We see a number of predators living in harmony with their prey in a new world order created by the righteousness of the new Messiah. This new ruler at Isaiah 11 remakes the lions, bears, oxen, and snakes, eliminating predatory aggression among them. God’s holy mountain, Zion, where His Holy Throne stands, is the centre of this new peaceful order of Creation. 

If the typically violent beasts of the animal kingdom can be made to live in peace, the question must be asked, why can’t we? 

As with all Scriptural text, we have to strive to understand the sociohistorical context within which it was written to fully appreciate its meaning. Isaiah 11:1 – 9 is thought by Scripture scholars to have been written circa 735 – 715 BCE (https://enterthebible.,org/period/722-bce-586-bce). In 721 BCE Assyria captured the northern kingdom of Israel, taking great numbers of Israelites prisoner to Assyria and killing many more. During this time of bondage in exile, Isaiah, one of the foremost prophets of ancient Israel, sought to offer his people hope for a future without fear. 

Exploring the images of peaceful harmony in this text makes it clear that Isaiah is offering his people not only a righteous, humble, and loving ruler, but also a new world order where even predators and prey live in peaceful harmony. Here, then, is an example of how we might seek peaceful coexistence during this time of conflict.