Dear
Friends,
Last week,
we were caught by the brutality of the murders at Charlie Hebdo and the
Hypermarket in Paris. Much talk has accompanied these events: facts shared,
analysis put forth.
The French have roared back, holding their pencils high,
proclaiming ”Je Suis Charlie.” i.e “.You
will not overcome us with your terrorist-inspired violence. We are free to
speak.” And of course, they are, and we are. The French have a long history of
producing and relishing satire as a way of critiquing political figures and movements
and alerting the public to potential dangers in the world.
Ken Paulson, writing
in the D&C on Sunday, lists courageous people in the US and Europe
who have withstood evil in their
writing, song-writing, film production, and reporting from the world’s hot
spots.Paulson says
“Free speech can lead to threats. And imprisonment. And death. “
Jesus practiced
free speech too, and we know what happened. Yet his free speech and action
called for acceptance of human dignity, showed the non- partiality of God for
all people and called for a kingdom where all would live in peace. When asked
by his disciples to teach them to pray, Jesus gave them the “Our Father.” Here
is one possible new translation of this prayer from the Aramaic. I offer it
here because the vision of Jesus and the nuances in the
text apply very much to shaping our minds and hearts as we ourselves consider
how to think about the French tragedy and how, following Christ, we can create
a culture of encounter rather than a culture of divisiveness and death.
O Birther! Father-Mother of the
Cosmos,
Focus
your light within us-make it useful:
Create
your reign of unity now –
Your
one desire then acts with ours,
as
in all light, so in all forms.
Grant
what we need each day in bread and insight.
Loosen
the cords of mistakes binding us,
As
we release the strands we hold
Of
each other’s guilt.
Don’t
let surface things delude us,
But
free us from what holds us back.
From
you is born all ruling will,
The
power and the life to do,
The
song that beautifies all,
From
age to age it renews.
Truly
– power to these statements –
May
they be the ground from which all
My
actions grow. Amen.
Fresh wind in Our Sails ,Wednesday,
January 14: Father Jim Schwartz offers us a pastoral perspective on
Suicide. We can say we are not
interested but maybe we should be in this time when so many people choose this
option for their lives. 7 to 8.30 pm at the SSJ Motherhouse, 150 French Road.
