Peace be with each of you and you all:

Let me begin by thanking all of you who have expressed concern or who have been moved by the situation in Haiti. Hurricane Matthew over the last three days has taken a toll on my country as well as parts of Cuba, the Bahamas, and Florida. To those who have been directly affected by the storm, let me first repeat Saint Paul’s way of greeting his communities in times of tribulation. “Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ” (2 Cor 1: 2 RSV). Grace and Peace, or the grace of peace if you wish, is a prayer for all of us on our earthly pilgrimage as Christian believers.

As a Haitian, I am, like many of my neighbors back home, asking the question sa k pase? (Haitian Creole for “what are things doing?”) The answer is “N ap kenbe,” (which means we are OK in the sense we are holding life together either in the midst of trouble, trials, difficulties or during the days that we have to celebrate). Implicitly in this is a sense of relying on God’s providence, love and mercy. I choose to use these two greetings in light of Hurricane Matthew’s devastation to invite us to recognize that we are both blessed (we have been gifted with so many talents that we are able to perform great things) and simultaneously we are wholly dependent (we are too weak, too fragile or vulnerable in the face of the grandeur of God’s works).

These greetings also are a way, among many different ways, to show solidarity with Haiti. Speaking as the Haitians speak is a starting point for feeling what they feel. Knowing why they talk in a such particular and mixed way is so important in order to know what they feel. The Haitian Creole word “Ay” sounds quite similar to the way it is pronounced in English but this word has a very different meaning. This word which is an informal way to greet people in English is a way to express suffering in Haitian creole. I invite all people (Haitians and non-Haitians) to be in solidarity with the vulnerable ones, especially those who are affected by natural disaster.

Hurricane Matthew has reminded many of us (as Haitian people) of the difficult times we had in the past and that struggle remain. For instance, it reminded us what we experienced in January 12th 2010 with the devastating earthquake. My nation came together and in solidarity, as a specific way of collaborating with the Grace, summoned the strength to face that challenge.

As with the earthquake, the Haitian experience of the Hurricane Matthew has been a desolating one in the sense that it brought a lot of sadness, doubt and uncertainty. Many family members, including my own mother and father and nieces are in Grande-Anse, an area located in the southwestern part of the country that was particularly hit. We have had no news from them since last Monday. This happens also with some of my companions whose family is living in the southern part of Haiti. That is a terrible situation, living with such uncertainty and seeing through the Internet the images and videos of those people who had been carried by the flood. These images really felt like convey a sense of the deluge of the Old Testament. Hope to have news VERY SOON from all those who are surviving this deluge.

Last Monday I had time to say to my father “be confident in God because this particular storm will be so hard for all of you living in the Great Southern Area.” I knew the hurricane was instable, switching between category 4 and 5. And he said to me that “as it already started raining, n ap eseye kenbe gras Bondye (we try to hold life/keep living with God’s grace) pray for us, and we pray for you and for those with whom you are living in the community as well”. This was a message of hope that was consoling for me. I stood firmly on it.

However, my hope is that Canadians and many other fellow brothers from different countries will rally to the Haitians’ aid, supporting them spiritually and morally (through prayers, advice, positive thoughts) and materially (by providing clean water, food, medicine, shelter and human resources who are ready collaborate with them in doing so). Anything that can be provided (even if it is small) is welcomed, as there are thousands of victims in need. Judging from the images, the damage caused by the storm appears to go beyond our resources and the abilities of people to face them.

To sum up, please let me invite you to repeat Saint Paul’s message to the people of Haiti, “Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ” in a very real, very concrete the way. Together as God’s people and with faith in the God who continuously invites us to trust in his infinite love and mercy, we can work together to help those ravaged by the storm.