Friday, April 6, 2012

Colleagues List, April 7th, 2012

Vol. VII. No. 34

EASTER EDITION

*****

Wayne A. Holst, Editor

*****

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

Canadian Anglican Google Groups:
http://tinyurl.com/7o899yg

My E-Mail Address:
waholst@telusplanet.net

New "Quicklinks" are now included 
with many items. Otherwise, scroll
down to find your selection in the 
body of the blog, as in the past.

*****

Dear friends:

Easter has come! 

We in the northern climes celebrate Spring
and Easter together, and each has something
special to contribute to the other.

After dark times - new life appears.
After uncertainties - new direction.
After dormancy - new virility.

However you may wish to describe Easter for
you and those you love, may your experience
this year be meaningful and hopeful!
___

My book notice this week comes courtesy
of Wood Lake Publishers and the author
Patricia Bays. They offer:

"This Anglican Church of Ours" - which
exists to inform Anglicans, and others
too. I hope you will enjoy it.

http://tinyurl.com/7hrwzlw

*****

Colleague Contributions:

Beth Porter (Richmond Hill, ON)
Learn about the art of L'Arche 
http://tinyurl.com/72we4vw

Michael Higgins (Fairfield, CT)
See a Catholic take on Rowan Williams 
http://tinyurl.com/6o7dn98

Jim Taylor (Okanagan, BC)
Read about the value of symbols
http://tinyurl.com/7rtk6o9

Martin Marty (Chicago, IL) 
Attend to an ecumenical veteran
http://tinyurl.com/6w2s7no

All four colleagues add their own unique 
perspectives to this edition. Enjoy them! 
___

Net Notes:

"Easter's Real Meaning" - a reflection
on what Easter can mean (Christian Week)
http://tinyurl.com/7qwatnb

"Artist Sculpts Gospels" - this story
attracted me as it comes from my home town, 
St. Jacobs, ON. (Christian Week)
http://tinyurl.com/7kx2gzr

"Where Was Jesus Buried?" - the author
suggests that the precise location is
not so important as its testimony to
faith (ENI, Anglican Journal)
http://tinyurl.com/72l8kez

"Will Jesus Save Newsweek?" - an
old news magazine tradition is to run
a "religious" cover story at Easter;
which continues today (Atlantic Wire)
http://tinyurl.com/6snw3pl

"'Three Cups' Author Censured" - two
stories update us on an inspiration
turned bad (Globe and Mail, Reuters)
http://tinyurl.com/3px5sfu
http://tinyurl.com/72j5j24

"Pope Denounces "Disobedience" - 
Benedict chose this season to lash
out at those Catholics he considers
heretical (Globe and Mail)
http://tinyurl.com/6o7dn98

"The Truth Shall Make You Upset" -
a Catholic commentator from Japan
writes on the virtues of a free 
religious press (Uca News)
http://tinyurl.com/72om5m8

"What Did Jesus Do Holy Saturday?" -
for those who ask such questions,
here are some possible answers
(Religious News Service)
http://tinyurl.com/84hea8t

"A Reflection on 'The Hunger Games'" -
more thoughts on the current popular 
movie (Sightings)
http://tinyurl.com/7qjm2nn

"Judge Orders KC Bishop to Trial"
- a sad but inevitable development
which may well set a precedent
(National Catholic Reporter)
http://tinyurl.com/6qcejve
___

Global Faith Potpourri:

Fourteen faith stories appear this week 
courtesyof Ecumenical News International, 
Geneva.
___

Wisdom of the Week:

Ralph Waldo Emerson, Desmond Tutu,
Jean Vanier, Rachel Naomi Remen and
G.A. Studdert Kennedy share with us.
___

On This Day:

The New York Times reports on stories 
as they were unfolding:

Truman signed Marshall Plan, allocating
more than $5 billion aid for 16 European 
countries (1948) 
http://tinyurl.com/87s3d78

Martin Luther King Jr., 39, was shot to 
death in Memphis, TN (1968)
http://tinyurl.com/7jplbrc

Peary and Henson became the first men to
reach the North Pole. Their claim was upheld 
in 1989 by the Navigation Foundation (1908)
http://tinyurl.com/7ofgtdz
___

Closing Thought: 

Mechtild of Magdeburg encourages us
to embrace, not avoid our wounds.

Blessings, and a meaningful Easter!

Wayne

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

St. David's and ACTS Ministry Announce:

OUR SPIRITUAL TRAVELERS TOUR FOR 2013
TURKEY AND THE EARLY CHRISTIAN CHURCH

April 22nd - May 8th, 2013

Tour sale begins with deposit starting June, 2012
Full payment due, January, 2013

More details such as costs to be made available 
in the Sunday worship guide and the St. David's 
Spiritual Travelers Discussion List Group as they
become available.

To join the list discussion contact:
Deb. Charnusaki - debcharnuski@hotmail.com

Your tour hosts: 

Marlene and Wayne Holst
waholst@telusplanet.net (or) 
marleneaholst@gmail.com
403-286-7416

---

NOTE: David Rostad will visit St. David's
for a Special Turkey Tour Information Night
Monday, September 10th, 2012

All are welcome!

*****

MARY JO LEDDY WEEKEND AT ST.DAVID'S
September 21st-23rd, 2012

Watch for new information as it 
becomes available.

*****

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/St_Davids_United_Church/Audio.html

*****

STUDY ARCHIVES

An accumulation of thirty-five books studied
since 2000 can quickly be found at:
http://tinyurl.com/6oxmyj4

This collection of study resources represents 
more than 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 ITEM

Book Notice:

THIS ANGLICAN CHURCH OF OURS
Revised and Updated Edition
(with study guide by Jim Taylor)
Patricia Bays, Author.
Wood Lake Publishing, Kelowna, BC
2012. $15.96 CAD. pp. 192.
ISBN 978-1-77064-439-7.

Publishers Promo:

This book is a guide to the Anglican church 
for those already travelling an Anglican path 
as well as for those who wish to explore it. 
Patricia Bays, who knows and loves her church, 
writes about all aspects of Anglicanism in an 
approachable style. She takes us from Celtic 
and Tudor England through the Reformation and 
Industrial Revolution to 21st century Canada 
and describes how the Anglican Church has met 
the challenges of change. Topics include: is 
there an Anglican theology? How do Anglicans 
make ethical decisions? What happens when we 
become ill or die? Who are the Anglicans?

This is a book that can be read cover to cover 
or simply opened up and referred to. The topics 
of the 18 short chapters are self-evident and 
a comprehensive glossary makes easy work of 
understanding unfamiliar church language. 

The book also contains a five-session study 
guide written by Jim Taylor for group use.

---

Author's Words:

I was born the only child of a Scottish
Presbyterian mother and an Irish Roman Catholic
father... religious customs were part of (my)
everyday life... in the RC church I felt a strong
sense of  belonging and security, and a deep
enjoyment of the mystery of worship...

My mother was refused Communion in the Roman
Catholic Church because she had sent (my sister
and me) to a Protestant school, so she decided
to attend an Anglican Church as a middle road.
I remember my terror at first entering an
Anglican church; I was sure the pope would
find out!

(Pat describes attending St. John's Anglican,
Port Whitby, ON and then Trinity College at
the University of Toronto.)

At Trinity, I found a different world. The
Prayer Book was the same. I learned new hymns
and still knew my way around the services.
But the liturgical practice was very different,
much more like the Roman tradition of my
childhood. The Eucharist was celebrated daily.

(Pat studied English Literature and Religious
Education at Trinity.)

At the end of my Arts course, I decided 
to enroll in the faculty of divinity. The 
ordination of women was not even thought of
in those days. There were only three women
in my divinity class.

The early 1960s were heady times. Vatican II
had opened up opportunities for discussion
between Anglicans and Catholics. The new
trends in liturgy, new understandings in
pastoral theology, and new approaches in 
education and lay training were exciting.

After graduation I worked in Winnipeg as a
parish director of Christian Education. I
was married there to Eric, who was a parish
priest. Our two children were born in 
Winnipeg and we learned what it meant to be
a clergy family.

We moved to Saskatoon where Eric and I both
taught at the seminary, the College of
Emmanuel and St. Chad. My husband became the
bishop of Qu'Appelle, a diocese in Southern
Saskatchewan.

I got involved in the life of the Anglican
Church of Canada on a national level and
represented the church at international
gatherings.

I enjoy opportunities to work and pray with
Christians of other denominations and am
committed to the search for unity. I can see
some of the shortcomings in the life of the
Anglican community. But I love the Anglican
Church and am committed to living and working
within this family.

I love the worship, with its ordered patterns
of prayer, the same from week to week and yet
varied according to the seasons. I love the
rhythm and music of the language of worship.
I appreciate also a certain "matter of
factness" about Anglican worship. We join
in common prayer. We join together in the
worship of God according to our accustomed
patterns.

The Anglican Church has a fine intellectual
tradition and values theological exploration.
So I appreciate the freedom to question and
explore what the church offers. I love also
the Anglican encouragement for the life of
the imagination. I want to be able to find
God through art and music and fiction and
poetry.

The growth of a very dark theology in some
denominations today puzzles me. This theology
says that the world is evil, that human beings
are sinful, that we need to separate ourselves
from this world. The Anglican position affirms
that the world and human beings are good
because they are God's creation. We must work
to bring all of humanity to its full potential
as God intended, and I rejoice that we do this
by being involved in our society.

I like the diversity that Anglicanism offers.
We try to balance order and flexibility by
not defining things too closely. Yet we
maintain a strong sense of family, of
connections, of links in worship and
structure.

Of course, many of these factors are to be
found in other denominations too, and we each
have our own reasons for membership.

I invite you to join with me in exploring what 
the Anglican Church and Anglicans are like.

- from the Introduction

---

My Thoughts:

Patricia Bays experienced her formative life
and training in essentially the same Ontario
context as I did. While my mainline church
background was different from her's, the
1950's and 60's ethos that shaped us was much
the same.

While both of us grew up in what might be
called a "protestant" environment, we were
drawn to some of the strong devotional,
theological and ecclesiastical values of
the Roman Catholic Church. As she says, it
was exciting to be living in an era so
strongly influenced by Vatican II and she 
had had the added benefit of spending some
of her formative years in Roman Catholicism.

Still, neither of us emerged as Catholics. 
We believed, it seems, that we could grow 
our ecumenical values in the non-Catholic 
churches we loved.

Patricia is also, like me, one who is deeply
interested and involved in continuing adult
education. Both of us appreciate the links
between the church and the university.

Recently, she appeared in the Anglican
Journal online (February 22nd, 2012) under
the heading: "Today's Church Needs a 
Theologically Literate Laity" and I encourage
you to come to know her better by reading
that article.

http://tinyurl.com/6rq6ekn

---

"This Anglican Church of Our's" - is a
new edition and modern update of a 
publication by Wood Lake Books of Kelowna.
More than a score of years ago, Wood Lake 
began a series introducing Canadians to 
many of the Christian denominations. It 
is good that the publisher is taking another 
look at this series after the generation it
was first written for has evolved into new 
spiritual times.

---

It is obvious that the author loves her
church and has experienced much satisfaction
as a contributing member. Like me, she grew
up in an era that did not recognize women 
priests and pastors. Still, she found a way
to serve her church - while supporting her
bishop-husband - but not allowing this to
define her own unique Christian identity.

She is comfortable in her feminine role
and does not write with the "edge" of
some of her feminist contemporaries. This 
is appreciated by many males of her generation
because - while we were all raised in a 
decidedly paternalistic era, our mutual 
commitments were for equality. We just 
needed female mentors that did not threaten 
us and whom we could trust!

---

As one who is not an Anglican, but who
shares with her a strong appreciation for 
the cultural, theological and liturgical 
traditions of Anglicanism, it was refreshing 
to read the author's basic, uncluttered way
of describing her faith tradition.

---

Another dimension of this book that appeals 
to me is the way she treats the challenges 
facing contemporary Anglicanism. While she
is quite aware of the problems, she is not 
consumed by them. Like me, I believe her
church will emerge the stronger because of
them.

---

Some readers may find they are drawn for
the first time into the Anglican family.
Others, like me, will be the better for
having read this book and applying it to
our relations with Anglicans and their
communities of faith.
___

Buy the book from Woodlake Press:
http://tinyurl.com/7hrwzlw

*****

COLLEAGUE CONTRIBUTIONS

BETH PORTER
Richmond Hill, ON

Our Human Future
Spring, 2012

"The Art of L’Arche Members"
Interview with Jacquie Boughner

http://tinyurl.com/72we4vw

*****

MICHAEL HIGGINS
Fairfield, CT

Globe and Mail
April 2nd, 2012

Anglican Rowan Williams Showed Wisdom

"An Enlightened Archbishop"

http://tinyurl.com/6o7dn98

*****

JIM TAYLOR
Okanagan, BC

Wednesday April 4, 2012

"Finding Symbols for Special Times"

http://tinyurl.com/7rtk6o9

*****

MARTIN MARTY
Chicago, IL

Sightings
April 2nd, 2012

"Ecumenical Realities"

http://tinyurl.com/6w2s7no


*****

GLOBAL FAITH POTPOURRI

EASTER'S REAL MEANING
Evangelical Fellowship of Canada
April 3rd, 2012

http://tinyurl.com/7qwatnb

*****

ARTIST SCULPTS GOSPELS
Comes from My Home Town

Christianweek.org
April 5th, 2012

http://tinyurl.com/7kx2gzr

*****

WHERE WAS JESUS BURIED?
How Important is this?

Ecumenical News International
April 5th, 2012

Jerusalem (ENI news) - During Holy Week, 
Christians remember the familiar story 
of Jesus' death and resurrection. But 
exactly where does that story take place? 
The Bible offers only a few clues. "The 
Gospels weren't really written to record 
a history," the Rev. Mark Morozowich, 
acting dean of the School of Theology 
and Religious Studies at the Catholic 
University of America, told the television 
program "Religion and Ethics NewsWeekly," 
broadcast on the U.S. Public Broadcasting 
System and reported by Religion News Service. 
"They were written to provide a testimony 
of faith," he said. 

---

Longer version of this story:

Anglican Journal
April 5th, 2012

LINK

*****

WILL JESUS SAVE NEWSWEEK?
Front Cover Story Strategy

The Atlantic Wire
April 2nd, 2012

http://tinyurl.com/6snw3pl

*****

'THREE CUPS OF TEA' AUTHOR
PROBED AND CENSORED OVER FUNDS

Globe and Mail
April 6th, 7th, 2012

http://tinyurl.com/3px5sfu

Reuters News Service
April 7th, 2012

http://tinyurl.com/72j5j24

*****

POPE DENOUNCES 'DISOBEDIENCE'
OF REFORMIST CATHOLIC CLERGY
He Opposes Women and Married Priests

Globe and Mail
April 6th, 2012

http://tinyurl.com/6o7dn98

*****

THE TRUTH SHALL MAKE YOU UPSET
What We Need, Not What We Like

Uca News
April 3rd, 2012


http://tinyurl.com/72om5m8

*****

WHAT DID JESUS DO ON HOLY SATURDAY?

Religious News Service
April 2nd, 2012

http://tinyurl.com/84hea8t

*****


A REFLECTION ON 'THE HUNGER GAMES'
Literature and Film Offer Insight

Sightings  
April 5th, 201 

"Reckoning Reality in The Hunger Games"
 by Emanuelle Burton

http://tinyurl.com/7qjm2nn

*****

JUDGE ORDERS KANSAS CITY BISHOP
TO STAND TRIAL IN ABUSE CASE
Historic Legal Decision

National Catholic Reporter
April 5th, 2012

Open with Mozilla Firefox:

http://tinyurl.com/6qcejve

*****

GLOBAL FAITH POTPOURRI

Ecumenical News International
News Highlights
2 April 2012

Catholic priest gives bird's eye 
tour of Jerusalem from rooftop

Jerusalem (ENI news) - With Holy Week 
approaching, pilgrims in Jerusalem 
interested in the city's numerous holy 
sites can see them from a unique vantage 
point: a rooftop where a Catholic priest 
mixes humor and Biblical history to bring
the city to life. From the terrace of the 
Notre Dame Guest House, run by the 
Legionnaires of Christ, Fr. Eamon Kelly 
helps visitors connect from above the 
sites they have visited on foot, letting 
them see the locations in relation to
one another. 
_____

Film about Argentinian 'tragic events' 
receives award

(ENI news) - The film "Verdades Verdaderas" 
or "True Truths," about the Grandmothers of 
the Plaza de Mayo in Buenos Aires, Argentina 
who sought answers when their children and 
grandchildren disappeared under military 
rule, was awarded on 2 April the SIGNIS-WACC 
Human Rights Award in Toronto. The Rev. Karin 
Achtelstetter, general secretary of the World
Association for Christian Communication (WACC), 
and Alvito De Souza, secretary general of 
SIGNIS-World, the World Catholic Association 
for Communication, announced the award at a 
joint meeting at WACC's headquarters. 

*****

3 April 2012

Passover traditions reflect 
ethnic, regional customs

(ENI news) - When most Jewish families sit 
down for the Passover seder on 6 April, it's 
a safe bet that they'll eat matzo, ask the 
traditional Four Questions and tell the 
biblical story of the Exodus from Egypt. 
It's less likely that they'll be hitting 
one another with scallions. Or saving a bit 
of matzo, the unleavened Passover bread, as 
a talisman for travels. Or averting their 
eyes as the seder leader recites the 10 
plagues that God inflicted upon the Egyptians. 
Most American Passover traditions come from 
the 80 percent of Jews who trace their roots 
to Eastern and Central Europe in the Ashkenazi 
branch of Judaism. But others from the far-
flung Jewish Diaspora incorporate traditions 
from their homelands, and they're often 
different from the traditional Passover 
fare. 
_____

Myanmar election results 
greeted with wary optimism

(ENI news)- Although Myanmar opposition 
leader Aung San Suu Kyi and her National 
League for Democracy (NLD) won most of 
the seats in parliamentary by-elections 
on 1 April, the results were greeted with
 wary optimism by Christian organizations. 
"This is just the beginning and there is 
still a very long way to go," said 
Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW), 
the London-based organization working 
for religious freedom through advocacy 
and human rights. CSW had earlier reported 
that the Myanmar army ransacked a village 
church and broke up a Christian conference.
The southeast Asian nation has been under
military control since 1962. Although an 
election was held last year, the military 
retains an overwhelming majority in the 
legislature. 
_____

British chocolate maker 
includes Easter story with treats

(ENI news) - As baskets of chocolate, 
stuffed bunnies and egg coloring appear 
in stores, it seems as though Easter is 
becoming more of a springtime festival 
than a solemn, though joyous, Christian 
observance. However, the Meaningful 
Chocolate Company, based in Manchester, 
England, believes that while candy is 
dandy, the real meaning of Easter should 
be part of the seasonal treats. Its four 
ounce (125 gram) milk chocolate Real 
Easter Egg includes the story of Jesus' 
resurrection on the package and part of 
the price (four British pounds) includes 
a charitable donation.

*****

4 April 2012

Sudanese bishop says peace depends 
on lifestyle change

(ENI news) - In South Sudan, clashes 
among nomadic cattle-raising tribes 
in Jonglei state have killed thousands, 
but an evangelical Christian leader says 
encouraging the communities' permanent 
settlement will end the bloody circle 
of conflicts. Bishop Elias Taban of the 
Evangelical Presbyterian Church of South 
Sudan said the state had enough natural 
resources to support a changed lifestyle, 
a development that will also increase 
security. "We can use the resources 
Jonglei has instead of having to wander 
anywhere for the sake of cattle ... 
[and] the police cannot police people 
if they are nomadic and do not have a 
permanent residence," Taban said while 
addressing a South Sudan Tribal Peace 
Conference held 1-3 April in the town 
of Yei. 

_____

Vatican praises Buddhism for 
the 'wisdom' it teaches its young

Rome (ENI news) - The Vatican this 
week reached out to Buddhists on 
the occasion of the feast of Vesak-
Hanamatsuri, or Buddha's birthday, 
with praise for the faith's outreach 
to the young. In a letter, the Holy 
See said that Buddhists and Catholics 
shared the goal of educating the young 
within the respective faiths. The letter 
is in line with increased visibility for 
the Vatican's relationship with other 
faiths in recent weeks.
_____

Orthodox patriarch hits at 
"unacceptable" attacks on ecumenism

(ENI news) - The spiritual leader of 
the world's Orthodox Christians has 
written to Greece's Orthodox state 
church, deploring anti-ecumenical 
statements by its leaders. "Critical 
voices about ecumenism, long heard in 
the bosom of the church of Greece, have 
hitherto been limited in scope - but 
what has occurred recently has reached 
unacceptable levels," said Ecumenical 
Patriarch Bartholomew I of Constantinople. 
In a late March letter, the patriarch said 
he was especially concerned by a recent 
statement by Metropolitan Seraphim 
(Mentzelopoulos) of Piraeus, invoking 
an "anathema" against the pope, 
Protestants, Jews, Muslims and 
ecumenists. 
_____

Lutheran groups explore common 
observances of Reformation anniversary

Geneva (ENI news) - Representatives of 
the Lutheran World Federation (LWF) and 
the International Lutheran Council (ILC) 
said they will continue discussing joint 
commemorations of the 500th anniversary 
in 2017 of the Protestant Reformation. 
In a communique following their annual 
meeting, 27-29 March in Geneva, the ILC 
and LWF stated they had discussed a number 
of positive developments that had taken 
place among their member churches since 
they last met in 2008. In view of the 
Reformation anniversary, they expressed 
the hope to work together through seminars, 
educational events and publications, and 
agreed to update each other on their 
continuing plans, according to a news 
release from the LWF. 

*****

5 April 2012

French Christians urged to mark 
Easter together on one date

Paris (ENI news) - The Council of 
Christian Churches in France (CECEF)
has urged Christians to "gather together 
locally" to celebrate Easter on 15 April, 
as a show of unity in a year when Easter 
is being observed on two Sundays, a week 
apart. "It's disappointing that each 
church will be doing its own services 
on different dates, but we're encouraging 
people to hold events together," said 
Carol Saba, a spokesman for the Assembly 
of the Orthodox Bishops of France. 
_____

Nigerian churches increase 
security for Easter weekend

Lagos, Nigeria (ENI news) - Ahead of Easter 
celebrations, churches in Northern Nigeria 
have beefed up their security to avert any 
possible attack by radical Islamist groups. 
"We are aware that they can choose to strike 
at a time like this, like they have done in 
the past. That is why churches in the North 
have taken the advice of the President of 
the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) 
to ensure that they are not caught unawares," 
Pastor Ladi Thompson, CAN special adviser on 
conflict resolution and terrorism, told 
ENInews. 
_____

New Zealand church sets up 
provocative Crucifixion billboard

(ENI news) - A New Zealand church's latest 
provocative billboard shows a picture of a 
crucified Jesus on a Facebook page, with 
the image "liked" by Judas Iscariot, the 
disciple who betrayed Jesus. "We decided 
to make a joke about the propensity of 
Christians to lay blame," said the Rev. 
Glynn Cardy, vicar of St. Matthew's-in-
the-City Anglican church in downtown 
Auckland. "Who was to blame for Jesus' 
death?" he said in a video interview on 
the www.stuff.co.nz media website. 
_____

Philippine church leaders say 
crucifixion reenactments are unnecessary

Baguio City, Philippines (ENI news) - On 
Good Friday each year in some areas of 
the Philippines, Christians reenact the 
crucifixion as a sign of repentance or 
thanks. But Roman Catholic and Protestant 
leaders say the practice is unnecessary. 
"Our identification with Christ should be 
internal…more about spiritual renewal," 
Cebu Archbishop Jose Palma of the Catholic 
Bishops Conference told the church-run 
Radio Veritas. 

*****

WISDOM OF THE WEEK

April 2nd, 2012

“It must be that when God speaketh God 
should communicate, not one thing, but 
all things; should fill the world with 
God’s voice; should scatter forth light, 
nature, time, souls, from the center of 
the present thought; and new date and 
new create the whole.”

- Ralph Waldo Emerson

---

April 3rd, 2012

“After the grueling work of the commission 
I came away with a deep sense – indeed an 
exhilarating realization – that, although 
there is undoubtedly much evil about, we 
humans have a wonderful capacity for good. 
We can be very good. That is what fills me 
with hope for even the most intractable
situations.”

- Desmond Tutu from his book 
  "No Future Without Forgiveness"

---

April 4th, 2012

“Those with whom Jesus identifies himself 
are regarded by society as misfits. And yet 
Jesus is that person who is hungry; Jesus 
is that woman who is confused and naked. 
Wouldn’t it be extraordinary if we all 
discovered that? The face of the world 
would be changed.”

- Jean Vanier from, 
  "From Brokenness to Community"

---

April 5th, 2012

“Helping, fixing, and serving represent 
three different ways of seeing life. When 
you help, you see life as weak. When you 
fix, you see life as broken. When you 
serve, you see life as whole. Fixing and 
helping may be the work of the ego, and 
service the work of the soul.”

- Rachel Naomi Remen from her book 
  "A Time for Listening and Caring"

---

April 6th, 2012

“[God] if he, the Christ, were Thy Reveler/
Truly the First Begotten of the Lord,/ 
Then must Thou be a Suff’rer and a Healer,/ 
Pierced to the heart by the sorrow of the sword./ 
Then must it mean, not only that thy sorrow/ 
Smote Thee that once upon the lonely tree,/ 
But that today, tonight, and on the morrow,/ 
Still will it come O Gallant God, to Thee.”

- G.A. Studdert Kennedy from his book
  "The Suffering God"

*****

ON THIS DAY

Provided from the archives of
the New York Times

On April 3, 1948, President Truman signed 
the Marshall Plan, which allocated more 
than $5 billion in aid for 16 European 
countries.

http://tinyurl.com/87s3d78

---

On April 4, 1968 -  civil rights leader 
Martin Luther King Jr., 39, was shot to 
death in Memphis, Tenn.

http://tinyurl.com/7jplbrc

---

On 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/73ed4mr

*****

CLOSING THUOGHT

"From suffering I have learned this:
That whoever is sore wounded by love
will never be made whole unless she
embrace the same love that wounded her.

- Mechtild of Magdeburg

This paradoxical teaching from Mechtild
is about loving our enemies and embracing
our wounds. It also reminds us that all
our deepest wounds come from love itself.
Betrayal, for example, only happens because
love and truth existed in the first place.
But her medicine is to embrace the love
that wounds us. This is harder, but more
effective than being in denial, taking a
pill, or burying our anger in bitterness,
wouldn't you say?

- Matthew Fox

(end)

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