Vol. VI. No. 30
*****
Wayne A. Holst, Editor
*****
Colleagues List Blog:
http://colleagueslist.blogspot.com/
*****
In This Issue -
Special Items This Week
Book Notice:
"The Christian Mystics"
365 Readings and Meditations
That Celebrate the Mystical Path
Collected by Matthew Fox
---
"The Holy Land Conflict"
An Israeli Perspective
From Oren Steinitz
___
Colleague Contributions:
Jim Taylor
Marjorie Gibson
___
Net Notes:
Honor of Israel
Serious About the Scandal
The Importance of the Cross
Ivory Coast Archbishop in Hiding
British Scientist Wins Templeton
Vatican Nixes Assisi Prayer Service
Egyptian Political Situation Evolves
Early Christian Texts Found in Jordan
Brazilian Liberation Theologian is Dead
Recent Updates - the Koran Burning Fiasco
___
Global Faith Potpourri:
Nine ENI, Geneva stories appear this week.
___
Quotes of the Week:
Martin Luther King Jr.
Margaret Fuller
Elizabeth of the Trinity
Richard Rohr
Huston Smith
___
On This Day:
April 4, 1968 - MLK Jr. Shot in Memphis
April 6, 1909 - Peary/Henson reach North Pole
April 8, 1973 - Picasso dies near Mougins, France
___
Closing Thought - Meister Eckhart
(end)
************
Dear Friends:
We draw closer to Holy Week and Easter, and
my book introduction for this week marks the
time - an opportunity to begin a year-long
reading sojourn with many of the important
writers of the Christian mystical tradition:
"The Christian Mystics:
365 Readings and Meditations"
These have been assembled by Matthew Fox
and appear in "one page, one reading a day"
format. Each reading begins with a quote,
and is followed by reflective commentary.
---
"The Holy Land Conflict"
We completed our winter study this week at
St. David's and were privileged to hear
Israeli U of C graduate student and Jewish
chaplain, Oren Steinitz who offered his
views on the current situation in Israel
and its conflict with the Palestinians.
___
Colleague Contributions:
Jim Taylor - Okanagan, BC shares his column
with his 'non-scientific' views on the
chaos theory, using the snowflake as his
central image.
Marjorie Gibson - long-time fellow-member
of St. David's - shares an interview with
Dr. Izzeldin Abuelaish who calls upon the
Israeli government to apologize for the
deaths of family members.
___
Net Notes:
"Honor of Israel" - In spite of much bad
news, here is an outline of some of the
good things achieved by this nation in
the past 60 years (America Magazine)
"Serious About the Scandal" - the Catholic
archbishop of Dublin was at Marquette
University in the US this week giving good
evidence that he "gets it" concerning the
sexualabuse scandal plaguing his church.
Here are two descriptive articles (from
National Catholic Reporter)
"The Importance of the Cross" - Philip
Yancey challenges us this Lent with his
theology of the cross (Christianity Today)
"Ivory Coast Archbishop in Hiding" -
with terrible things happening in his
country, this prelate has been forced
to seek protection (Ucan News)
"British Scientist Wins Templeton" -
This year's prestigious prize goes to
a Cambridge professor who claims no
religious affiliation (Templeton website)
"Vatican Nixes Assisi Prayer Service" -
Rome is very open to inter-faith
gatherings but appears to draw the
line at events with common prayer
(Catholic News Service)
"Egyptian Political Situation Evolves"
- as Egypt moves from peaceful revolution
to some form of democracy, various groups
are developing political strategies --
including the Muslim Brotherhood
(New York Times)
"Early Christian Texts Found in Jordan" -
here is a story that may help to unlock
new meanings from ancient Christianity
(BBC News)
"Brazilian Liberation Theologian is Dead" -
word comes this week of the death of a man
who helped develop liberation theology 50
years ago (National Catholic Reporter)
"Recent Updates - the Koran Burning Fiasco"
- absurdity changed to tragedy this week as
a Florida Koran-burning triggered deaths in
Afghanistan (New York Times, Ucan News, ENI)
___
Global Faith Potpourri:
Nine Ecumenical News International news stories
from Geneva appear this week and we much appreciate
this service.
___
Quotes of the Week:
We also appreciate this service which is provided
by Sojourners.online:
Martin Luther King Jr., Margaret Fuller
Elizabeth of the Trinity, Richard Rohr
and Huston Smith offer their insights
for our enrichment.
___
On This Day:
The New York Times provides these stories
as they were happening:
(April 4th - April 8th)
Martin Luther Kind Jr. was shot in Memphis (1968)
Peary and Henson are first to the North Pole (1909)
Pablo Picasso died near Mougins, France (1973)
___
Closing Thought - Meister Eckhart
A comment on universal meaning that transcends
religious and cultural boundaries.
_____
We are preparing in earnest for our congregational
tour of the Celtic lands - Scotland, Ireland and
Wales - from April 26th - May 10th.
Following the tour, Marlene and I plan to spend
an additional two weeks in Devon/Cornwall, UK;
Normandy, France, and the city of London. We hope
to visit places we have not seen previously on
trips to Britain and the continent.
I will prepare two more issues of Colleagues
List (April 16th and 23rd) before we leave,
and will start up again at the end of May.
Blessings on your late-Lent, Holy Week and
Easter activities.
Wayne
************************
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
___
ST DAVID'S ACTS WEB PAGE
Created and maintained by Colleague
Jock McTavish
http://stdavidscalgary.net/
*****
REMINDER:
ST. DAVID'S 50th ANNIVERSARY
TOUR OF CELTIC LANDS - 2011
Airline tickets, a special travel booklet
with much good spiritual reflection material
and information about preparations to make
and places to be visited - have been provided
to all persons on the tour.
We are coming close to the departure date!
36 PEOPLE ARE BOOKED TO PARTICIPATE IN THIS
JOURNEY TO CELTIC LANDS FROM APRIL 26th-May 10th.
We have started an interest list for other,
future tours!
Let me know if you are interested in learning
more about exciting, spiritual tourism! This
is a cutting edge ministry at St. David's.
We hope to do many more of these tours in future!
Take a look at the St. David's, Wales Sacred Site:
http://tinyurl.com/4gbg35t
*****
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.
******************************************
SPECIAL ITEMS
CHRISTIAN MYSTICS:
365 Readings and Meditations
That Celebrate the Mystical Path
Prepared by Matthew Fox.
New World Library: Novato, CA.
February, 2011. 406 pp. $14.40 CAD
ISBN #978-1-57731-952-8.
Publisher's Promo:
As a member of the Catholic Dominican Order
for 34 years, Matthew Fox held closely to
the mystical teachings of Christianity,
teachings that embraced the feminine, the
natural world, and social justice in their
vision of the sacred. Fox's approach
continually put him at odds with the Vatican,
and in 1998, he was expelled from the Order
by Cardinal Ratzinger, now Pope Benedict XVI.
Fox believes that the Church's patriarchal
hierarchy and rigidity, what he calls its
“institutional churchiness,” obscures mystical
Christianity's most beneficial and essential
teachings, which inevitably arise out of
personal experiences of the divine.
In "Christian Mystics," he offers a wide-ranging
collection of quotations from Christianity's
greatest mystics over the past two thousand
years. Fox explores and celebrates this mystical
path with insightful commentary on the thoughts
and revelations of some of history's greatest
religious visionaries.
Many of these mystics, from Lutheran pastor
Dietrich Bonhoeffer to Russian philosopher
Nicolai Berdyaev to Rev. Martin Luther King,
challenged orthodoxy and, like Fox, paid a
political price for it. Others, such as 14th
-century hermitess Julian of Norwich, pursued
their mystical visions in solitude, leaving
behind their writings for later generations
to absorb. But all the mystical teachers Fox
included in this anthology stood outside the
mainstream religious institutions of their
day and thus tapped into a heterodox river
of mysticism flowing through history - what
Fox identifies as “the single universal truth
that all religions point to.”
This beautiful gift edition of mystical teachings
provides a touchstone to remind us of the powerful
religious experiences that are often lost amid
daily headlines about church politics and clerical
misdeeds. It also lays out a personal, creative,
spiritual path that leads toward truth and
understanding.
Matthew Fox is the author of 28 books including
"Original Blessing." He lives in Oakland, California.
His website is www.matthewfox.org.
___
Author-Compiler's Words:
"In the West the modern age - meaning the 16th-
mid-20th century - was not only ignorant, but
actually hostile to mysticism. (It was held up
for ridicule as the worst offence against science
and reason.)
Still today, education and religion are often
hostile to mysticism. Fundamentalism, by definition
is anti-mystical or distorts mysticism, and much
of liberal theology is so academic and left-brain
that it numbs and ignores the right brain, which
is our mystical brain. Seminaries teach very few
practices to access our mysticism.
This is why many find religion so boring. It
lacks the adventure and inner exploration that
our souls yearn for. But, as St. John of the
Cross said, "Launch out into the deep..."
Deep down, each one of us is a mystic. When we
tap into that energy, we become alive again and
we give birth. Getting in touch with the mystic
inside is the beginning of our deep service (to
those outside us.)
Today there is a genuine effort around the world
at "deep ecumenism" or "interfaith," - the coming
together of the spiritual wisdom traditions of
the world. But as the Dalai Lama points out,
"the number one obstacle to interfaith is a bad
relationship with one's own faith tradition."
It is pitiful how few Christian leaders and
Christian teachers (including in the seminaries)
know their own mystical lineage... it is very
important to pay attention to all that is true
and deep and beautiful in the work of our own
Christian ancestors.
The teachings recorded in this book are
Christian but at the same time universal,
as all wisdom is. When I share them with my
Buddhist and Jewish friends, for example,
they spark profound "aha" moments. Those who
have traveled deep into their own well, into
the living waters of wisdom, will find in the
sources I present a common language and a
common experience, and that is as it should be.
Hopefully, our generation will not suffer
the mystical illiteracy of the past centuries.
- from the Introduction
___
My Thoughts:
When I attended seminary in the 1960s, the
themes of "mysticism" - even "spirituality" -
were largely unknown to my teachers, except
as a "compartment" of Christian faith that
seemed vague and incidental. We were still
living in a time when church doctrine and
the defense of our "brand" (apologetics)
was still a strong part of our training.
That was true, I suspect, for most of the
Christian traditions.
My first exposure to Christian mysticism was
through Catholic sisters, during the 1980s
at the FCJ Christian Life Centre in Calgary.
I was well into my career as a pastor, but
very eager to become exposed to writers like
Julian of Norwich (b. 1342), Hildegaard of
Bingen (b. 1098) and Mechtild of Magdeburg
(b. 1210). They showed me, for the first
time, a "female" wisdom about which I
knew next to nothing. I began to realize
that a whole new way of "knowing" was there
for me to discover.
I was surprised to find that Martin Luther
had been strongly influenced by medieval
German mystics and that Dietrich Bonhoeffer,
a more recent hero of my church tradition,
had both been awakened to a large extent
by Christian mystical traditions. These
traditions helped to move their thinking
"outside the box" - or the confines of
tired, accepted thinking and practice.
In this day and age, we are being offered
a rich resource of inter-faith mysticism
- a great bridge between the various
religious traditions. That is true because
mysticism - while mindful - transcends the
confines of our respective, heavily
rationalized traditions.
At the same time, we are becoming exposed -
through books like this one prepared by
Matthew Fox - to many truths residing in
our own Christian teachings that we did
not know existed. I am comforted to read
in Fox's introduction that we cannot truly
appreciate the terms and the wisdom of
other faiths unless we have grown more
grounded in our own.
That truth, by the way, was what we learned
in the early days of the Christian ecumenical
movement, when ecumenism was more limited in
scope than it is today.
I cringe when Christian seekers borrow
generously from the riches of other faiths,
but seem unaware that similar truths lie
deep at the heart of our own faith.
When we tap the roots of what is true
to our own formation, we can more fully
value the truths we discover in others.
---
Usually, at the beginning of each year,
I try to suggest to you my readers a book
of daily readings for meditation and
reflection. I have not found one to use
this year until I discovered this book.
I highly recommend this collection and
commentary on Christian mysticism by
the famous (or infamous) Matthew Fox.
___
Buy the Book from Amazon.ca:
http://tinyurl.com/3n7e9ll
Publisher's Website:
http://tinyurl.com/3fqszkk
______________________
THE HOLY LAND CONFLICT
An Israeli Perspective
Presented by Oren Steinitz
This week, the final session of our Monday Night
Winter Study Series took place. We have engaged
two books - "An Altar in the World" by Barbara
Brown Taylor, and "I Shall Not Hate: A Gaza
Doctor's Journey" by Dr. Izzeldin Abuelaish.
Both books helped us to unpack the theme of
this year's adult ministry program at St. David's
United - "Living the Ordinary; Experiencing the
Extra-Ordinary" through which we seek to develop
spirituality as both an inward and an outward
adventure in our faith development. That means,
spiritual growth and service to others.
Because the media today seems to be so biased
against Israel, and because we had just completed
a book by a Palestinian author, we wanted to find
someone who could give us an Israeli peace and
justice perspective.
We know only too well how our media can shape our
views of reality without our realizing the biases
hidden in the messages we receive.
Fortunately for us, we found an ideal
representative from the Israeli community in
Calgary. He is a doctoral student in middle-
eastern studies at the University of Calgary,
the Jewish chaplain in the university's Multi-
Faith Centre, and a member of B'nai Tikva Temple
in this city. He has been here for four years,
but his roots and earlier education (two
previous degrees) are in Israel.
Mr. Oren Steinitz brought a message of truth,
complemented by good humour and grace.
Here are my notes of his informal presentation
given over a two hour period, and interspersed
with questions from fifty people who came to
hear him. He did not give us a formal lecture,
but engaged us in conversation.
---
I am an Orthodox Jew, but here in Calgary I attend
a Reform Temple because I like the community.
My views are shaped by my Israeli background, and
my commitment is peace and justice for all who live
in the Holy Land.
My basic message is that there is no "good guy" -
"bad guy" situation there. It is a highly complex
and nuanced political situation.
I believe that both Jews and Palestinians have the
right to live in peace and with justice there.
My understanding is that Zionism is a term that is
not well understood today. It is not the evil word
that many understand it to mean. It simply means
that "Israel has the right to exist as a nation -
no more and no less."
Many Israelis and their enemies have added a lot
more to the meaning of Zionism, but I do not.
I also believe that the Palestinians have the right
to exist in their own nation and on that soil as
well. Some Israelis and others disagree with that.
The truth is that if you talk to two Jews, you will
get three opinions. In our parliament, the Knesset,
there are 120 seats and representatives from 20
different political parties. Our democracy will
not work without party coalitions, but this
makes the political process extremely difficult.
When you hear the government speak, that is
rarely the view of even a simple majority of
Israelis.
---
Conservative politics shape our attitude as a
nation. Every time there is a crisis, the Israeli
population gets paranoid, believing that "if we
don't defend ourselves, no one else will."
Right now, I think the whole nation of Israel
suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder. We
are simply not thinking rationally as a people.
In situations like this, many ordinary Jews -
who would be very optimistic about a peaceful
settlement, and willing to compromise to have
one - are scared into thinking very defensively,
and this terrifies me. Still, I understand why
that happens.
---
I see a decline in democratic values in Israel
at this stage of our development. Earlier on,
that was not true. The founders had a good deal
of experience living in Western democracies
like Europe and North America. But we have
always been a nation of immigrants. Now, many
of those who have most recently arrived (like
Russian, Polish, and other East European Jews)
have no previous experience with democracy.
They tend to follow the "right-wingers" who
say - "Finally, we Jews are in charge here.
Nobody is ever going to tell us what to do."
This pits more "established" citizens against
more recent immigrants. The latter group is
growing in proportional size and their
influence is not always appreciated by
"my people."
Their thinking, coupled with religious
Orthodox policy, is a formula for general
disaster, especially when Palestine is
dominated by radical Islamic thinking.
---
It is a sad situation right now. Still, I
believe there is hope.
The Holocaust taught us two important things.
We need to remain "open to the world" but we
must also "look after ourselves." Between
those two realities, we need to sort out
our existence, our survival, our future with
others.
---
After the invasion of Lebanon, several decades
ago, some of the largest ever peace demonstrations
occurred in Israel - up to 400,000 people.
Then suicide bombers started to blow up our
public transit buses. The demonstrations for
peace stopped abruptly.
The Goldstone report of some time back
declared "a pox on both your houses" -
about what was happening. Now, however, the
judge who authored that document is reported
in the Washington Post to have "totally
changed his mind." He sides strongly
with Israel and against the Palestinians,
because of terrorist activities.
Under "normal" circumstances, both sides
say they want peace, and the "peace index"
shoots up dramatically in both groups.
Now, people are extremely emotional, and
the "peace index" takes a dive.
---
I see a few hopeful developments.
The American Jewish lobby is shifting
in its views. It is moving from "solidly
behind Israel" to "pro peace, pro Israel"
and this change is significant.
Keep in mind that American Jews have always
tended to be left leaning when it comes to
human rights. They are not blindly "pro
Israel." They will normally want to see
"justice for all in the Holy Land."
At the same time, American Jews are not as
influential in shaping their US government's
foreign policy as many might think.
Secondly, I agree with Dr. Abuelaish's
comment in his book that "Neither the
Jews nor the Palestinians are going to
disappear from the Holy Land."
We must find a workable solution for
the long term. Moving forward is necessary.
There has been too much focus on a bad past.
---
This presentation was well received by
his hearers, and Oren expressed much
appreciation for the openness of his
audience.
*****
COLLEAGUE CONTRIBUTIONS
JIM TAYLOR
Okanagan, BC
Web Log
BLIPS IN A LARGER PATTERN
Spring has finally come to the Okanagan Valley.
The peonies and rhubarb poke through the mulch.
Crocuses shine amid last autumn’s leaves. The
forsythia hovers on the brink of blossom.
But if I don’t write now about one of the final
snowfalls of winter, I’ll have to wait until next
December. It struck me as a visual illustration
of chaos theory. No one could predict the path
of any individual snowflake. But the general
direction of all those snowflakes was totally
predictable. They all fell, eventually...
http://edges.canadahomepage.net/2011/04/
_____
MARJORIE GIBSON
BBC Interview (Video)
"Israel Should Apologize"
http://tinyurl.com/6jveuo6
*****
NET NOTES
HONOR OF ISREAL
America Magazine
April 11th, 2011
Israeli History Since 1949
http://tinyurl.com/3lhxnmc
*****
SERIOUS ABOUT THE SCANDAL
Irish Church Seeks Root Causes
(Use Foxfire to Open NCR Articles)
National Catholic Reporter
April 5th, 2011
http://tinyurl.com/3w47z8q
---
"On Anger and Reform"
National Catholic Reporter
April 8th, 2011
by John L. Allen
http://tinyurl.com/3wpx7eh
*****
THE IMPORTANCE OF THE CROSS
Theology of the Cross Unpacked
Christianity Today
April 6th, 2011
http://tinyurl.com/yaxz7ov
*****
IVORY COAST ARCHBISHOP IN HIDING
Fighting Rocks Capital City
Ucan News
April 8th, 2011
http://tinyurl.com/5redwdq
*****
BRITISH SCIENTIST WINS TEMPLETON
2011 Prize Goes to Oxford Man
Does't Consider Himself a Believer
Templeton Website
April 6th, 2011
http://tinyurl.com/3e3hdlr
*****
VATICAN NIXES ASSISI PRAYER SERVICE
'Inter-Faith' Doesn't Mean Praying Together
Catholic News Service
April 6th, 2011
http://tinyurl.com/3taxuk6
*****
POLITICAL SITUATION IN EGYPT EVOLVES
New York Times
April 3rd, 2011
Video:
A New Tune for Egypt's Radical Muslims
Egypt's fundamentalist Muslims are
preaching at universities, advertising
on streets, and politicizing in five-
star hotels. Their goal: to influence
the Muslim content in Egypt's new
constitution.
http://tinyurl.com/3qk23nl
*****
EARLY CHRISTIAN TEXTS FOUND IN JORDAN
Could Be Some of the First Documents
BBC News
March 29th, 2011
http://tinyurl.com/4y7fqfu
*****
BRAZILIAN LIBERATION THEOLOGIAN DIES
Joseph Comblin Advised Cardinal Camera
National Catholic Reporter
April 2nd, 2011
http://tinyurl.com/3wx7zu8
*****
UPDATES ON KORAN BURNING FIASCO
New York Times
April 3rd, 2011
Afghans Avenge Florida Koran Burning,
Killing 12
Thousands of protesters overran the
United Nations compound in Mazar-i-
Sharif, killing at least 12 people,
Afghan and United Nations officials
said.
http://tinyurl.com/3cbldkz
---
Lahore Archbishop Says US Must Act
Against Pastor Who Burned Koran
Ucan News
April 5th, 2011
http://tinyurl.com/3wzg7f7
---
Ecumenical News International
Thursday, April 7th, 2011
Obama, Karzai blast Florida Quran burning
Washington, D.C. (ENI news) - U.S. President
Barack Obama and Afghan President Hamid Karzai
on 6 April blasted the recent burning of a Quran
at a Florida church and the deadly riots that
followed. Speaking during a video teleconference
meeting, both leaders "deplored" the desecration
of the Muslim holy book and condemned the
subsequent 1 April attack on a U.N. compound,
the White House said in a statement. Both men
also "expressed deep regret for the tragic
loss of life," Religion News Service reports.
*****
GLOBAL FAITH POTPOURRI
Ecumenical News International
News Highlights
4 April 2011
Australian bishop retires early, 'drained'
by abuse scandals
Vatican City, 4 April (ENI news) - Pope Benedict
XVI has accepted the early resignation of an
"emotionally drained" bishop in Australia whose
diocese has been the focus of several prominent
sex-abuse scandals. The Vatican announced on 4
April that Bishop Michael John Malone, 71, of
Maitland-Newcastle has resigned under a provision
that requires the resignation of a "bishop who
has become less able to fulfill his office
because of ill health or some other grave cause,"
Religion News Service reports.
*****
5 April 2011
Survey finds discontent among
Australian Catholic priests
Sydney (ENI news) - Many of Australia's 3000
active and retired Catholic priests are
critical of their bishops and admit they do
not believe crucial church teachings,
according to a survey to be released this
week. Dr. John O'Carroll, a communications
lecturer at Charles Sturt University
in Bathurst and colleague Chris McGillion,
who coordinates the university's journalism
program, sent the survey to 1550active and
160 retired priests, and 542, or about 32
percent, responded. They they conducted 50
face-to-face interviews and are publishing
the results in a book, "What Australian
Catholic Priests Really Think About Their
Lives and Their Church."
_____
Vatican announces details of
John Paul II's beatification
Vatican City (ENI news) The Vatican announced
on 5 April that the late Pope John Paul II will
lie in repose in St. Peter's Basilica during
ceremonies that will declare him "blessed" and
that a French nun whom John Paul is said to have
cured of Parkinson's disease will play a central
role. However, the Vatican did not provide an
estimate for how many people are expected to
attend the beatification events from 30 April
to 2 May and they said that John Paul's feast
day would only be announced during the
ceremonies.
_____
NCC, Church Women United together
will advocate for women
Washington, D.C. (ENI news) Church Women
United, Inc. (CWU) and the National Council
of the Churches of Christ in the USA (NCC)
announced on 5 April that they have entered
into an ecumenical partnership to provide
support for a new Washington-based
representative that will advocate for women
and girls. Marie Rietmann began work on 4
April as the CWU/NCC Advocacy Coordinator.
Her office will be in the NCC's space at
the United Methodist Building on Capitol
Hill from where she will educate, activate
and motivate the networks of both CWU and
NCC.
*****
7 April 2011
Kenya Christians and Muslims
debate hijab in schools
Nairobi, Kenya (ENI news) - Muslim leaders in
Kenya are calling for government action on
Christian schools that have banned students
from wearing hijab, the head covering
traditionally worn by Muslim girls and women.
Church leaders have defended the ban, saying
head teachers have the right to determine
dress code in the schools, according to a
denomination's religious traditions,
discipline and philosophies.
*****
8 April 2011
European churches debate response
to anti-Christian violence
Warsaw, Poland (ENI news) - When Shahbaz Bhatti,
Pakistan's only Christian cabinet minister, was
assassinated on 2 March, it was only the latest
act against Christians to provoke outrage
worldwide. Now, church leaders in Europe are
debating the best course of action to be urged
on governments to counter the wave of violence.
_____
Churches in India endorse protests
against corruption
Bangalore, India (ENI news) - Churches in India
have joined the growing support for social
activist Anna Hazare, who launched a hunger fast
on 5 April to call attention to the problem of
corruption in government and is urging the passage
of a strict anti-corruption law.
_____
Leaders highlight ecumenical challenges
Geneva (ENI news) - Five general secretaries of
international ecumenical organizations engaged
in lively conversation with leaders of the
Evangelical Church in Germany (EKD) on 8 April,
the final day of the EKD Council's visit to the
Ecumenical Centre in Geneva. "One of the most
pressing challenges we face is religious
intolerance," said John Nduna of ACT Alliance,
a coalition of churches and church-related
agencies working in human development and
emergency assistance.
*****
QUOTES OF THE WEEK
April 4th, 2011
"Every now and then I think about my own death,
and I think about my own funeral. ... Every now
and then I ask myself, 'What is it that I want
said?' I'd like somebody to mention that day,
that Martin Luther King Jr., tried to give his
life serving others. I'd like for somebody to
say that day, that Martin Luther King Jr.,
tried to love somebody."
- Martin Luther King Jr.,
from his sermon "The Drum Major Instinct"
---
April 5th, 2011
"Reverence the highest, have patience with
the lowest. Let this day's performance of
the meanest duty be thy religion. Are the
stars too distant, pick up the pebble that
lies at thy feet, and from it learn the all."
- Margaret Fuller
---
April 6th, 2011
"Let us ask God to make us true in our love,
to make us sacrificial beings, for it seems
to me that sacrifice is only love put into
action."
- Elizabeth of the Trinity
---
April 7th, 2011
"'Resurrected' people prayerfully bear witness
against injustice and evil -- but also agree
compassionately to hold their own complicity
in that same evil. It is not over there,
it is here."
- Richard Rohr
---
April 8th, 2011
"The community today can be no single tradition;
it is the planet. Daily the world grows smaller,
leaving understanding the only place where peace
can find a home."
- Huston Smith
*****
ON THIS DAY
April 4, 1968 - civil rights leader Martin Luther
King Jr., 39, was shot to death in Memphis, Tenn.
http://tinyurl.com/44sxgex
_____
April 6, 1909 - explorers Robert E. Peary and
Matthew A. Henson became the first men to reach
the North Pole. The claim, disputed by skeptics,
was upheld in 1989 by the Navigation Foundation.
http://tinyurl.com/3peccgg
_____
April 8, 1973, artist Pablo Picasso died at his
home near Mougins, France, at age 91.
http://tinyurl.com/3txa9xf
*****
CLOSING THOUGHT - Meister Eckhart
"All paths lead to God, for God is in
them evenly for the person who knows
with transformed knowledge."
("Christian Mystics" p. 128)
(end)
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment