Sunday, September 18, 2011

Colleagues List, September 17th, 2011

Vol. VII. No. 6

*****

Wayne A. Holst, Editor

*****

Colleagues List Blog:
http://colleagueslist.blogspot.com/

My E-Mail Address:
waholst@telusplanet.net

*****

In This Issue -

Special Item This Week:

Book Notice:

"The Messenger
Friendship, Faith and
Finding One's Way"

by author/colleague Douglas John Hall
___

Colleague Comment:

Susan Hutchinson

___

Colleague Contributions:

Faith and Spirituality Centre
Reginald Stackhouse
Margaret Somerville
Doug Shantz
Jim Taylor
Ron Rolheiser
___

Net Notes:

God is Not One
A State of Their Own
A Sibling's Strength
Dr. Williams' Dilemma
Anglican Delegation Visits China
The Limits of Self-Made Religion
Irish Bishop Calls for End to Celibacy
Islamists Emerge as New Force in Libya
Global Evangelicals Urge Unity re 9/11
Victims Say Charges Against Pope No Stunt

___

Global Faith Potpourri:
Fifteen ENI Geneva stories.
___

Quotes of the Week:

William Blake
Thomas Aquinas
Simone Weil
Wendell Berry
Marianne Williamson
Meister Eckhart
Madeleine L'Engle
Helen Prejean
___

On This Day:

Sept. 3, 1976 -
unmanned U.S. Viking 2 craft lands on Mars

Sept. 5, 1972 -
Palestinian terrorists attack Israeli Olympians

Sept. 7, 1940 -
Luftwaffe begins WWII blitz on London

Sept. 9, 1976 -
Chinese leader Mao Tse-tung dies in Beijing

Sept. 15, 1963 -
Four black girls killed by bomb in Birmingham
___

Closing Thought: Julian of Norwich

(end)

*****


Dear Friends:

Since the last issue of Colleagues List
appeared on Saturday, September 3rd, I
have completed the last step of a cancer
journey that began in January 2010.

I underwent laproscopic surgery at Foothills
Hospital, Calgary on September 6th and am
now running again on my own internal plumbing.
system for the first time in fifteen months!
It's great to be living with the degree of
independence not possible for some time.
Long waiting lists for such non-emergency
surgery was the reason for the time lag.

---

Last weekend, we presented our Celtic Tour
"report to the congregation" at St. David's,
Calgary and it was a great opportunity to be
together again, as well as to share our many
experiences, pictures, music and food!

Jock created a lovely 3,700 photo collection
of tour pictures from seventeen or our trip
photographers. He included music from five
of our choral performances at places like
Iona, Armagh, Dublin, St. David's and
Tintern Abbey, in Wales. This is a wonderful
memento that all tour members and a few
others received gratis and will treasure!

The tour group met one last time on Monday
evening and plans for new spiritual travel
destinations are in the works. Stay tuned!

---

Special Item:

My special offering this week is an introduction
to a new book by colleague Douglas John Hall of
Montreal. The book is entitled "The Messenger -
Friendship, Faith and Finding One's Way"

I looked forward to receiving and reading this
small volume after Doug informed me about it.
Now, I pass on my discoveries to you.

---

Colleague Comment:

Susan Hutchinson, a priest of the Anglican
Church in Canada, serving in Central BC, tells
us a bit about herself and about why she reads
Colleagues List.

---

Colleague Contributions:

A new "Faith and Spirituality Centre" was
officially opened at the U of C this week.
A number of our colleagues are chaplains on
staff there and I have been designated an
official 'liaison' to help as needs arise.

Reginald Stackhouse (Toronto) - writes
fond reflections of his relationship with
the late Canadian Cardinal Archbishop
Ambrozic who died several weeks ago.

Margaret Somerville (Montreal) - continues
to comment on ethical issues relating to
live and death.

Doug Shantz (Calgary) - announces two
upcoming Chair of Christian Thought lectures
on the 400th anniversary of the publication
of the King James Bible.

Jim Taylor (Okanagan) - takes up the theme
of punishment in our penitentiary system.

Ron Rolheiser (San Antonio) - considers the
value of personal creeds, as compared to the
formal creeds of the church.

---

Net Notes:

"God is Not One" - a review of a recent book
by Stephen Prothero on eight contemporary
world religions (National Catholic Reporter)

"A State of Their Own" - the Palestinian
people are requesting the UN to endorse their
desire for nationhood and Christians should
support them (America Magazine)

"A Sibling's Strength" - a heart-felt story
from the 9/11 disaster, ten years ago
(America Magazine)

"Dr. Williams' Dilemma" - the Archbishop
of Canterbury faces yet another challenge
in his upcoming visit to Zimbabwe
(The Tablet, UK)

"SAnglican Delegation Visits China" -
Anglicans from non-Western nations visit
China in a gesture of ecumenical solidarity
(Ucan News)

"The Limits of Self-Made Religion" - at
a time of cafeteria-style religious selection,
some reflection on inherent problems
(The Christian Century)

"Irish Bishop Calls for End to Celibacy" -
an acting Irish bishop calls on his church
to change a longstanding policy because of
what he sees went wrong in Ireland
(The Guardian, UK)

"Islamists Emerge as New Force in Libya" -
as freedoms emerge in Libya, a new form
of Islam is also emerging (New York Times)

"Global Evangelicals Urge Unity re 9/11" -
to mark a solemn moment in human history,
evangelical leaders from around the world
speak on the theme of 9/11 (Christian Week)

"Victims Say Charges Against Pope No Stunt"
- the pope will be named in a law suit that
is currently being proposed in international
courts of justice (Anglican Journal)

---

Global Faith Potpourri:

Sixteen stories from Ecumenical News
International, Geneva, appear this week.

---

Quotes of the Week:

Provided by Sojourners Online:

William Blake, Thomas Aquinas, Simone Weil,
Wendell Berry, Marianne Williamson,
Meister Eckhardt, Madeleine L'Engle, and
Helen Prejean share their wisdom.

---

On This Day:

Provided from archives of the New York Times:

Unmanned U.S. Viking 2 craft lands on Mars (1976)
Palestinian terrorists kill Israeli Athletes (1972)
Luftwaffe begins WWII blitz on London (1940)
Chinese leader Mao Tse-tung dies in Beijing (1976)
Four black girls killed by bomb in Birmingham (1963)

---

Closing Thought:

Julian of Norwich writes of sensuality and
godliness, with a comment by Matthew Fox.

---

A new season of learning awaits us. Join me!

Blessings,

Wayne


**************************


SPECIAL FALL STUDY ANNOUNCEMENTS
Introducing the Full Program

ST. DAVID'S MONDAY NIGHT STUDY 2011

"Living Ethically Amid Chaos"
Two Books by Richard Holloway

September 19th - November 28th
TM Room, St. David's United Church
7:00PM - 9:00PM

"Godless Morality"
Learning how to separate "God says"
from doing what is right

Information about the book from Amazon.ca
http://tinyurl.com/3d45x3t

---

"Between the Monster and the Saint"
Spiritual support for pursuing a life
that seeks above all to be good

Information on the book from Amazon.ca:
http://tinyurl.com/4369obx

---

Led by Jock McTavish and Wayne Holst

Registration: $50.00 for class fees,
the two books and special hospitality

Purchase only the books - $35.00

*****

UNIVERSITY TUESDAY AND WEDNESDAY NIGHTS

Two Study Programs Sponsored by:
The Department of Continuing Education
At the University of Calgary

Taught by: Wayne Holst

Recommended books:

"God, Atheism and Morality" (ten sessions)
Tuesday Nights, 7:00PM - 9:00 PM
September 27th - November 29th

Register:
http://tinyurl.com/2fc7xr4

---

"Paul the Apostle" (ten sessions)
Wednesday Nights, 7:00PM - 9:00PM
September 28th - November 30th

Register:
http://tinyurl.com/mh2dto

*****

ST. DAVID'S ACTS MINISTRY AND
THE FAITH AND SPIRITUALITY CENTRE
ON THE UNIVERSITY OF CALGARY CAMPUS

Welcome to our -

Noon Hour Book Discussions for Faculty,
Staff and Students Autumn and Winter Series
for 2011-12

Series One -

"A Public Faith:
How Followers of Christ Can Serve the Common Good"
by Miroslav Volf

Putting your personal faith to work for others.
October 21st - November 25th - six Friday noon sessions

---

Series Two -

"An Altar in the World" by Barbara Brown Taylor

Discovering God in the ordinary experiences of life
March 2nd - March 30th - five Friday noon sessions

Time and Location for all sessions:
12:00 to 1:00PM in the Native Centre Board Room
Located above the Dairy Queen, Mac Hall Student's
Centre

Led by: Wayne Holst,
Coordinator of the ACTS Ministry, St. David's United
and an official U of C Spirituality Centre Liaison

Cost of the books: $15.00 each

---

Join us this year for stiumlating campus discussions!

For more information: Adriana Tulissi 403-220-5451
Co-ordinator, Faith and Spirituality Centre, U. of C.
artuliss@ucalgary,ca

*****

SPECIAL ST. DAVID'S LINKS

Contact us at: asdm@sduc.ca (or)admin@sduc.ca
St. David's Web Address - http://sduc.ca/

Listen to audio recordings of Sunday services -
http://sduc.ca/services.htm

*****

STUDY ARCHIVES

A collection of twenty-five+ studies conducted
since 2000 can quickly be found at:
http://bookstudies.stdavidscalgary.net/

This collection of study resources represents
a decade of Monday Night Studies at St. David's,
plus extra courses too!

You are welcome to use our course outlines,
class notes and resource pages in your personal
and group reflections.

******************************************

Appearing this week:

SPECIAL ITEM

Book Notice -

THE MESSENGER
Friendship, Faith and
Finding One's Way,
by Douglas John Hall
Cascade Books, Wipf and Stock
Eugene, OR. 2011. 168 pages.
Paperback. $18.50
ISBN #978-1-61097-317-5.

Publisher's Promo:

This is a book about the importance of
mentors in the lives of the young. But
rather than developing the theme of
mentoring theoretically, Douglas John
Hall demonstrates its significance quite
personally, autobiographically. In his
twentieth year and hoping to study music
professionally, Hall met a young minister
whose "different" Christianity both
surprised and intrigued him.

In the end, this friendship altered the
course of his life.

The book traces the story of this friendship
of more than half a century, and the impact
of the times upon the lives of its two
principal figures.

---

Author's Words:

This is a book about a friend - but a friend
who was also more than a friend; a friend who
was a messenger...

Friends enhance one's life; messengers change
one's life. Or, more accurately, one's life
is changed by the messages they bring...

The messenger in some way embodies the message
(so that) even after more than sixty years, I
cannot quite separate the message from the one
who first conveyed it to me in a convincing way.

So this little book is about him - Bob Miller.

Messages are not only conveyed by someone,
they are intended for someone. The messenger -
is a wonderful metaphor, and one that shows up
in many cultures. Think of Mercury-Hermes! It
is prominent in the Bible. There, sometimes
messengers are called straightforwardly
messengers; but sometimes they are called
angels... usually, in biblical literature,
they are human beings...

But this little book is not just about the
messenger, who was also my friend, and me, the
receiver of the message, whose who life was
turned around because of it.

It is also about the times during which my
friend and I lived (it would be more accurate
to say during which he lived since he has died
and I am still alive.) To be quite specific,
that means between the years 1919 and 2003.

(These were the times following the Great War,
the Depression, World War II, its aftermath,
and the sixties.)

These then are the main points of focus in
this story: the life of the Messenger, the
life of the one receiving the message, and
the times in which this giving and receiving
occurred. "The Moment" as Kierkegaard might
have said.

But the hidden theme of the story is the
message itself.

- from the Preface

---

My Comments:

If you have read books or have in other ways
been influenced by Douglas John Hall, a
prolific writer and one of Canada's most
notable international theologians, this book
should do for you what it did for me.

It introduces you to the key personality who
appealed to the author as a young, impressionable
man in search of vocational direction. It also
traces a bit of the context from which Hall has
emerged as one of our leading theological
luminaries of the past half century.

The two most important Canadian theological
influences on my young life - growing up in
southern Ontario, studying and working
internationally, then moving permanently to
western Canada - were Lutheran churchman
William Hordern and United churchman Douglas
John Hall. Both have added much to my way
of interpreting the world as a Christian.

Interestingly, both men also gave me a healthy
and open-ended exposure to the theology of
Martin Luther. Both stripped Luther of the
idolatry with which I had been raised but
replaced that with some wonderful tools to
understand the Reformer in modern, ecumenical
clothing. And for this, I am very grateful.

---

As I read the pages of this book (and I have read
at least ten of Hall's titles over the years) I
continue to see how indebted I am to the author for
taking large themes and applying them to the context
of my own life and ministry.

This was no small feat, because I and most of my
contemporaries had always relied on the 'borrowed'
theologies of European and American theologians.
Taking that last step, and applying great truths
to my immediate Canadian situation was what Hall
offered us.

---

Here, we learn something of how Hall was himself
influenced to begin making Canaldian contextual
applications so that he could pass them on to us.

In addition to the personal theological application
I sense a second level of insight provided to us
here.

Hall provides us with a view of an era of Canadian
cultural and religious history when our emerging
visions were opening to the world. The times were
the mid-nineteen century, and much of the focus
of those times was admittedly Central Canada. In
the last fifty years, that too has changed.

He writes of SCM - the Student Christian Movement,
and the CTSA - the Canadian Theological Students
Association. I played a role in the latter
organization during the sixties. It was a time
when - as a group of theological student
representatives from schools in the Toronto area -
we planned conferences that became truly national,
ecumenical and bilingual in scope.

---

All of this is something that I bring to the book.
What Hall conveys in four chapters, is how he
came under the influence of a slightly older
and more-traveled Bob Miller. How that friendship
developed and fed his own spiritual and theological
development makes for intriguing reading.

The book helps any reader to recognize how all of us
are drawn to particular mentors at crucial stages of
our lives. Now, at a time of assessment and personal
stock-taking, it is possible to trace themes and
variations that could not possibly have been
understood at the time.

---

If you are interested in learning more about how 

an influential Canadian theologian was himself 
influenced at an impressionable period in his life, 
you will not be disappointed in this book.

Thanks for writing it, Doug!

*****

Buy the Book from Amazon.ca:
http://tinyurl.com/3p4euwf


*****

COLLEAGUE COMMENT

SUSAN HUTCHINSON
Central British Columbia

9/10/2011

Hi Wayne,

I'm an Anglican priest in the Anglican Parishes
of the Central Interior. This is a second career
for me -- the first was in politics and business.
I've been ordained coming up on 12 years. I spent
the first 8 years in the Diocese of Quebec,
serving in Gaspe and Quebec City/the Mauricie.

I moved to BC in 2008. When I started theological
school at Trinity College in Toronto in 1993, the
internet was beginning to come into its own. I got
involved with various church email discussion groups
and was an early supporter of Anglican's Online and
am a longtime subscriber to Midrash and Magdalen.

When I moved out to Gaspe at the time of my
ordination I found that the internet provided access
to lots of materials and ideas not available in our
little outpost -- 8 hours driving time from the
closest English language bookstore and 12 hours
from the closest church bookstore.

I enjoy your List because it gives lots of short
reviews and leads to information/material I can use.

blessings,
Susan

*****

COLLEAGUE CONTRIBUTIONS

NEW FAITH AND SPIRITUALITY CENTRE
OPENS ON THE U of CALGARY CAMPUS

With a number of our colleagues like
Klaus, Paul and Kelly on staff

September 15th, 2011

http://tinyurl.com/3q7golq

*****

REGINALD STACKHOUSE

"I Remember Cardinal Ambrozic"

Globe and Mail
September 9th, 2011

http://tinyurl.com/3lyj7w8

*****

MARGARET SOMERVILLE

"When Death Loses its Moral Context"

EFC Web News
September 7th, 2011

http://tinyurl.com/3zxyjzx

*****

DOUG SHANTZ

The Chair of Christian Thought
at the University of Calgary presents:

The Bentall Lectures in Christian Theology with
Professor Gordon Campbell, Leicester University (UK)
Monday, September 19, 2011 7:30pm

“The King James Bible Then and Now: How a 1611
Translation has impacted the English language”

Scarboro United Church, 134 Scarboro Ave SW, Calgary

---

Tuesday, September 20, 2011 12:30pm

“The History of the King James Bible as Literature and
Sacred Text”

CIBC Hub Room, Rozsa Centre, University of Calgary

Everyone is welcome to join us for these free events!

*****

JIM TAYLOR

"Irrevocable Acts -
A Reflection on Punishment"

http://tinyurl.com/3fbzpkv

*****

RON ROLHEISER

Personal Blog
September 11th, 2011

"Some Personal Mini-Creeds"

http://tinyurl.com/3cnm3k8

*****

NET NOTES

GOD IS NOT ONE
by Stephen Prothero

Review of a book on the Eight
Rival Religions of the World

National Catholic Reporter
September 13th, 2011

http://tinyurl.com/42gr2pf

*****

A STATE OF THEIR OWN
Palestine a Nation in Waiting

America Magazine Editoral
September 26th, 2011

http://tinyurl.com/3pek83z

*****

A SIBLING'S STRENGTH
Coping with 9/11

America Magazine
September 19th, 2011

http://tinyurl.com/3z2va9z

*****

DR. WILLIAMS' DILEMMA
Rowan and Zimbabwe

The Tablet, UK
September 17th, 2011

http://tinyurl.com/5ucm3a9

*****

ANGLICAN DELEGATION VISITS CHINA

Ucan News
September 7th, 2011

http://tinyurl.com/3kvlzo6


*****

THE LIMITS OF SELF-MADE RELIGION

The Christian Century
September 1st, 2011

http://tinyurl.com/3o6k9xl

*****

IRISH BISHOP CALLS FOR END TO CELIBACY

The Guardian, UK
September 13th, 2011

http://tinyurl.com/43x5tt5

*****

ISLAMISTS EMERGING AS
NEW FORCE IN LIBYA
Repressed under old regime

New York Times
September 15th, 2011

http://tinyurl.com/3bqve42

*****

GLOBAL EVANGELICALS URGE
UNITY AROUND 9/11

Christianweek.org
September 9th, 2011

http://tinyurl.com/3f9yamv

*****

VICTIMS SAY CRIMINAL CHARGES
AGAINST POPE ARE NOT A STUNT

Anglican Journal
September 14th, 2011

http://tinyurl.com/3lps2mm

*****

GLOBAL FAITH POTPOURRI

Ecumenical News International
News Highlights
6 September 2011

In a secular Europe, churches see need
to work together

Warsaw, Poland (ENI news) - Europe's churches
can withstand secularization and make progress
in mission work if they pool resources and co-
operate more closely, according to a top
ecumenist. "We haven't tried to plan long-term
objectives, just to be realistic and see what
needs to be done," said Viorel Ionita, interim
general secretary of the Conference of European
Churches (CEC). "But there's a strong feeling
real chances exist for effective mission, and
for winning back some of the ground lost by
churches in Europe." The Romanian theologian
was speaking after a consultation of CEC's
Churches in Dialogue Commission in Budapest
on 29-31 August.

_____

Faith leaders take HIV prevention message
to African sports tournament

Nairobi, Kenya (ENI news) - Faith leaders are
taking HIV and AIDS prevention messages to the
10th All-Africa Games, Africa's largest multi-
sports tournament, currently underway in Maputo,
Mozambique. The leaders arewarning of increased
vulnerability to HIV infections during the 3-18
September tournament.
_____

11 September marked crucial turn
in Vatican-Muslim relations

Vatican City (ENI news) - A few weeks after the
terrorist attacks of 11 September 2001, Pope John
Paul II invited Muslim leaders to an interfaith
prayer summit in Assisi, Italy, the site of a
dramatic interreligious peace gathering he had
hosted 15 years earlier. John Paul said the world
needed to hear that "religion must never be a
reason for conflict, hatred and violence,"
Religion News Service reports. Catholic-Muslim
dialogue took on a new intensity and sense of
urgency.

_____

In Indonesia, church runs afoul
of Islamic street name

Wellington, New Zealand (ENI news) -In a test case
of religious intolerance in the world's largest
Muslim-majority country, an Indonesian mayor is
defying court rulings by pushing for a decree to
block Christians from opening churches on streets
with Islamic names. Members of the Taman Yasmin
Indonesian Christian Church in the West Java town
of Bogor are, after three years, still forced to
worship on the sidewalk outside their building,
protected by police. The administration of Bogor
mayor Diani Budiarto revoked the church's building
permit and sealed the building as the street had
an Islamic name.

_____

7 September 2011

In U.S., interfaith worship doubled
since 11 September

Washington, D.C. (ENI news) - Interfaith worship
services have doubled in the decade since the 11
September attacks, according to a new study
released 7 September, even as more than seven in
10 U.S. congregations do not associate with other
faiths. The survey by an interfaith group of
researchers found that about 14 percent of U.S.
congregations surveyed in 2010 engaged in a joint
religious celebration with another faith tradition,
up from 6.8 percent in 2000, Religion News Service
reports.

*****

8 September 2011

In New Zealand, Anglican diocese sees
no bar to gay ordination

Auckland, New Zealand (ENI news) - Anglicans in
New Zealand's biggest city have declared that
people in same-sex relationships should not be
excluded from any church office, including
ordination. The motion, which passed by a two-
thirds majority on 3 September at the Diocese of
Auckland's synod, says that a current moratorium
by bishops on gay ordination should cease. Next
year, the Anglican Church in Aotearoa, New
Zealand and Polynesia is due to hear further
recommendations on the subject at its
General Synod in Fiji.
_____


In recession-hit Hungary,
churches take over state schools

Warsaw, Poland (ENI news) - Local government
officials in Hungary are handing state-owned
schools over to churches, unable to afford
their upkeep during the economic recession,
according to church sources. "Churches are
entitled to run schools in Hungary as public
service providers, receiving the same taxpayers'
money as public sponsors," said Balazs Odor,
ecumenical officer of Hungary's Reformed Church.

_____

After Fukushima, faith groups
ponder nuclear power

Tokyo (ENI news) - The disaster at Japan's
Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant following
the 11 March earthquake and tsunami is causing
a worldwide re-evaluation of nuclear power and
renewing debate within faith groups on the
subject. Participants at the World Council of
Churches' International Ecumenical Peace
Convocation in Kingston, Jamaica, last May
stated emphatically that "the nuclear catastrophe
of Fukushima has proved once again that we must
no longer rely on nuclear power as a source of
energy." However, opposition to nuclear power is
by no means a consistent theme even within a
denomination.

*****

9 September 2011

U.S. clergy denounce anti-Muslim bigotry

Washington, D.C. (ENI news) - Three days before
the tenth anniversary of the 11 September terrorist
attacks, religious leaders gathered to remember
the victims, foster interreligious unity and speak
out in defense of religious freedom. The event was
held on 8 September by Shoulder to Shoulder, a
national coalition of 26 faith groups formed a year
ago in response to a rise in anti-Muslim sentiment
following debates over an Islamic center near the
former site of the destroyed World Trade Center
in lower Manhattan and a Florida pastor's threats
to burn the Quran. "If we cower in the face of
fanatic minorities, we are lost. This is true
for Muslims and it is true for us all," said Rabbi
Eric Yoffie, the outgoing head of the Union for
Reform Judaism, Religion News Service reports.
_____


In Zimbabwe, Anglican mission seized
and bishop robbed

Harare, Zimbabwe (ENI news) - Turmoil in the
Anglican Diocese of Harare continued this week
as a renegade former bishop evicted staff from
a mission outpost in an ongoing dispute over
church property and the current bishop, Chad
Gandiya, was robbed of communications equipment.
A diocesan spokeswoman, Precious Shumba, told
ENInews that Nolbert Kunonga took control of
the Daramombe Mission about 180 km south of
Harare. In a separate incident, Gandiya and
his family were the victims of robbers who took
a cellphone, laptop computer and money.

_____


Book tells stories of
11 September transformations

New York (ENI news)- Among the most profound
effects of the 11 September terrorist attacks
in the United States were the spiritual changes
undergone by people who witnessed the disaster
or responded in the aftermath. Wendy Healy,
former director of communications for Lutheran
Disaster Response of New York, tells one dozen
of those stories in her new book Life is Too
Short: Stories of Transformation and Renewal
After 9/11. A slim volume and a fascinating read,
Healy's profiles gracefully capture the unique
qualities of each individual and what made 11
September a driving force for change in each
person's soul.
_____

12 September 2011

In New York, three faiths mark 11 September

New York (ENI news) - In a ceremony commemorating
the tenth anniversary of the 11 September terrorist
attacks, a minister, a rabbi, and an imam took part
in an interfaith bell-ringing ceremony at St. Paul's
Chapel in lower Manhattan. The 245-year-old Episcopal
church, located just one block from the destroyed
World Trade Center, in 2001 became for months a
respite center for rescue workers. The bell-ringing
took place on the evening of 11 September, after a
day marked by a ceremony at a new memorial plaza on
the site of the former twin towers, attended by
families of 11 September victims, President Barack
Obama and other leaders. Thousands of commemoration
services took place in the U.S. and around the world
to mark the day on which nearly 3,000 people lost
their lives in New York, Washington and Pennsylvania.

_____

Japan quake anniversary met with prayers, chanting

Tokyo (ENI news) - People of faith in Japan on 11
September marked the six-month anniversary of the
11 March earthquake and tsunami with prayer services,
bell ringing and chants, many at 2:46 p.m., the time
when the magnitude 9.0 earthquake struck. About
20,000 people are dead or missing, with an estimate
400,000 people displaced, according to the Japanese
Red Cross.

_____

15 September 2011

Raphael's twin Madonnas reunited for
pope's visit to Germany

Berlin (ENI news) - To mark Pope Benedict XVI's
visit to Germany later this month, an exhibition
in Dresden has reunited two of the Renaissance's
most important Madonna and Child paintings for
the first time in almost 500 years. Raphael, a
key figure in Renaissance art, completed the
Madonna di Foligno in 1512. The artist was
commissioned by Pope Julius II to create the
Sistine Madonna in the same year. The two
altarpieces are thought to have stood side-by
-side in Raphael's workshop but were separated
for centuries. They are now the centerpiece of
an exhibit in Dresden on representations of the
Madonna and Child.
_____

Lutherans seek greater unity
ahead of 2017 observance

Nairobi, Kenya (ENI news) - Lutherans are
exploring strengthening ties among member
churches of the Lutheran World Federation
(LWF) as the 500th anniversary of the
Protestant Reformation approaches in 2017,
theologians and leaders said. A six-day
international conference held in Nairobi
from 9 to 14 September on contemporary Bible
interpretation was the first in a series of
biblical consultations seeking to promote
unity in the 70 million-member worldwide
communion ahead of 2017. "For us now, the
challenge is to ask what we have in common
as the Lutheran community. Lutheranism is no
longer [only] a northern European Church,"
said the Rev. Craig Koester, a professor at
Luther Seminary in St. Paul, Minnesota.

*****

QUOTES OF THE WEEK

Selected from Sojourners Online:

September 6th, 2011

"Why stand we here trembling around/
Calling on God for help, and not ourselves,
in whom God dwells,/Stretching a hand to
save the falling [human]?"

- William Blake

---

September 7th, 2011

"Every truth without exception -- and whoever
may utter it -- is from the Holy Spirit."

- Thomas Aquinas

---

September 8th, 2011

"The love of our neighbor in all its fullness
simply means being able to say, 'What are you
going through?'"

- Simone Weil

---

September 9th, 2011

"One cannot be aware both of the history of
Christian war and of the contents of the gospels
without feeling that something is amiss."

- Wendell Berry, from his introduction to
"Blessed are the Peacemakers"

---

September 12th, 2011

"Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate.
Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond
measure. It is our light, not our darkness that
most frightens us. We ask ourselves, who am I to
be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous?

Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child
of God … It is not just in some of us; it is in
everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we
unconsciously give other people permission to do
the same."

- Marianne Williamson, from "A Return to Love:
Reflections on the Principles of
"A Course in Miracles"

---

September 13th, 2011

"Do not think that saintliness comes from occupation;
it depends rather on what one is. The kind of work we
do does not make us holy, but we may make it holy."

- Meister Eckhart

---

September 14th, 2011

"If you're going to care about the fall of the
sparrow you can't pick and choose who's going
to be the sparrow. It's everybody."

- Madeleine L'Engle

---

September 15th, 2011

"Allowing our government to kill citizens
compromises the deepest moral values upon
which this country was conceived: the
inviolable dignity of human persons."

- Helen Prejean C.S.J.

*****

ON THIS DAY

Sept. 3, 1976, the unmanned U.S.
spacecraft Viking 2 landed on Mars
to take the first close-up, color
photographs of the planet's surface.

http://tinyurl.com/3db83zr

*****

Sept. 5, 1972, Palestinian terrorists
attacked the Israeli Olympic team at
the summer games in Munich; 11 Israeli
athletes and coaches, five terrorists
and a police officer were killed.

http://tinyurl.com/43xsdkf

*****

Sept. 7, 1940, the German air force began
its blitz on London during World War II.

http://tinyurl.com/6gq3bbz

*****

Sept. 9, 1976, Communist Chinese leader Mao Tse-tung
died in Beijing at age 82.

http://tinyurl.com/3kuom3l

*****

Sept. 15, 1963, four black girls were killed when a
bomb went off during Sunday services at a Baptist
church in Birmingham, Alabama, in the deadliest
act of the civil rights era.

http://tinyurl.com/6huo7u9

*****

CLOSING THOUGHT

Our sensuality is the beautiful city in which our
Lord Jesus sits and in which he is enclosed...

In our sensuality, God is.

- Julian of Norwich

---

By honoring the nearness of God in our sensuality,
Julian takes on all those ascetic teachers who say
we must run from our senses to experience Divinity.

God is present in our sensuousness, and this
sensuousness ends the Platonic dualisms - the
body versus soul warfare - that have haunted
patriarchal religion and philosophy for more
than twenty-five hundred years.

- Matthew Fox

(end)

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