My Calendar
19/11/2024
International Men's Day
19/11/2024
Imagine a group of people whose members:
- suffer 70% of murders in the world;
- account for 85% of homeless people;
- serve 64% longer jail sentences than others in society;
- die 4-5 years earlier than a similar sized group;
- are twice as likely to die from heart disease or lung cancer than others.
They're shocking statistics, aren't they? By the way, the group in question is MEN!
WHAT'S IT ALL ABOUT? (1 mins 53 secs)
This is an INTERESTING TAKE ON WHAT IT IS TO BE A MAN (2 mins 58 secs)
A PRAYER FOR TODAY (available as a 1 minute video HERE)
Loving God,
we hold before you especially today - the men in our lives;
help all of us to deepen our understanding of gender roles and expectations;
that we might live life in all its fullness,
building families, communities, societies and a world of openness and acceptance.
Help us not to be bound by stereotypes
but to enjoy the diverse nature of every human being.
We pray this in the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. AMEN
World Toilet Day
19/11/2024
Did you know that:
- 4.2 billion people live without safely managed sanitation – more than half the global population. (WHO/UNICEF 2019)
- 673 million people still practise open defecation worldwide. (WHO/UNICEF 2019)
- Today, at least 2 billion people will have to use a drinking water source contaminated with faeces. (WHO 2019)
- Inadequate sanitation is estimated to cause 432,000 diarrhoeal deaths every year and is a major factor in diseases such as intestinal worms, trachoma and schistosomiasis. (WHO 2019)
- 297,000 children under five are estimated to die each year from diarrhoea as a result of unsafe drinking water, sanitation, and hand hygiene. (WHO 2019)
All of the above is not because we don't have the technology! After all, human beings went to the Moon over 50 years ago! Do we, and the governments who serve us, need to re-align some priorities?
Let's spend a few moments imagining what it must feel like not to have a toilet.
What might you have to do if there was no toilet available?
Why might this have a disproportionate effect on females?
What are the possible consequences of not having a toilet?
A PRAYER FOR TODAY (from CAFOD)
Loving God,
we pray for a world of justice
where everyone has access to
a toilet and clean water.
May all our sisters and brothers throughout the world
be able to live in the dignity they deserve
as children created in your image.
Amen