Memorial Day

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friendship, Memorial Day, Peace, The Sophia Center for Spirituality, veterans, war, wounded warriors

Last night I watched the Memorial Day Celebration from the grounds of the Capitol Building in Washington, D.C. I thought it was just going to be a patriotic concert in honor of the Veterans of War. It was that, but much more.  I found it difficult – as I hope everyone does – to watch the scenes of battle flashed on the big screens behind speakers that were paying tribute, but this year I was taken in by the stories of relationships forged in the shared experiences of real people who fought in those wars. Actors took on the characters of those who had written of their experiences, inviting hearers into the harsh realities that remained so vivid to this day. At the conclusion of each narrative, the actor(s) left the stage to embrace the real-life heroes of World War II, the Korean and Vietnam Wars who were present in the audience. There was a new emphasis as well on the women who have served our country from the early days to the present, stories of women who were not allowed to serve in combat so they found other ways by volunteering in various roles. Their stories spoke of valiant perseverance and love of country and were precursor to the experience of the first woman Silver Star recipient – in the audience with her parents- who had served and saved her comrades in the war in Afghanistan.

In addition to the proud and prayerful singing of God Bless America, there were many touching songs not usually heard in such a gathering, notably: He Ain’t Heavy; He’s My Brother, that culminated the story of life-long friendship of the two WW II prisoners of war. I thought then of my own father who never spoke of the battles but only of the comrades with whom he shared a depth of experience that can only truly be understood by those who were there. But the window that was opened by the the stories called for gratitude and compassion from those of us who have only experienced war by association.

Today, then, I pray for all veterans, especially those “Wounded Warriors” suffering from the physical or psychological effects of their service. May we all honor their service and pray for a day when war is eradicated from the world leaving peace to reign on earth.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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A Gift From God

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gift, God, Hafiz, harmony, love, Love Poems From God; Twelve Voices from the East and West, St. Thomas Aquinas, stars, The Sophia Center for Spirituality, theologian, war

Yesterday’s celebration was for me a great – and surely lasting – gift, a “love fest” of sorts where energy is high and everyone is happy for everyone else. Late in the day I opened a gift from a friend and found a book that I was thrilled to receive entitled Love Poems From God; Twelve Voices from the East and West. The book fell open to the poem I will type below that I assumed was written by the mystical poet, Hafiz, because of what it sounded like. This morning I was surprised to find the author to be St. Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274), the great (but in my acquaintance usually cerebral) theologian of the Roman Catholic Church. I have been softening to Thomas lately and will surely have a broader appreciation for his spirituality by the time I finish this book! Because it’s a book of poems, I suspect it will be a companion of mine for many years to come.

WE ARE FIELDS BEFORE EACH OTHER

  How is it that they live for eons in such harmony – the billions of stars – when most men can barely go a minute without declaring war in their mind against someone they know.

There are wars where no one marches with a flag, though that does not keep casualties from mounting.

Our hearts irrigate this earth. We are fields before each other.

How can we live in harmony?

First we need to know we are all madly in love with the same God.

Holy Innocents

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Aleppo, Barbara Abdeni Massaad, children, Christianity, disease, holy innocents, Soup For Syria, starvation, Syria, The Sophia Center for Spirituality, violence, war

Today in Western Christianity (and tomorrow in the East) we celebrate the feast of The Holy Innocents. Herod the Great, an insecure king of Judea, was fearful of any threat to his throne. When astrologers from the East who had come to pay homage to the “newborn king” Jesus and eluded him upon their departure without giving up his whereabouts to Herod, the king became furious and ordered all boys under the age of two years to be killed. This slaughter puts one in mind of children in war-torn countries today who, though innocent in every way, die each day from violence, starvation or disease.

I have rarely, if ever, been as distressed about the plight of the world’s children as I have been in the past year seeing newsfeed of the children who are attempting to flee tyranny and danger. Especially moving to me are the pictures from Syria, recently and most dramatically, those from Aleppo. I carry the images with me everywhere, lamenting my inability to effect any tiny change to the situation.

Miraculously, I saw on the news some days ago, the story of a woman – a Lebanese American photographer and chef – who has been taking soup to a refugee camp on the Lebanese-Syrian border. Her name is Barbara Abdeni Massaad and over the past year she had created a project called Soup For Syria. Garnering recipes from 80 famous chefs for soups from different cultures, she wrote a 208-page book in less than one year which includes the recipes and wonderful food photography as well as photographs of the refugees. One of the celebrity chefs, Roden, “hopes the book helps to keep the plight of Syrian refugees in peoples’ minds and that it will raise funds to alleviate their awful living conditions until their future is settled.”  (www.theguardian.com)

The wonderful thing about this for me is knowing that the Interlink Publishing Group has pledged that 100% of the proceeds from the book sold in the United States will go to fund the food relief efforts of the United Nations High Command on Refugees for Syria. There is a movement to get people involved in this project, found on the website soupforsyria.com. My hope is to organize a soup supper in my town – maybe many! – where the price of admission is the cost of the book that will be available at the event. I read this morning that the book is temporarily out of stock because of the great demand – which makes me happy and gives me time to get organized. A reprint is underway and new orders will be ready to ship in February, so I need to get busy.

I know that my efforts will not change the face of the refugee crisis in the world. But I will at least add my small piece to the solution, knowing that some of the Holy Innocents in our world will be fed!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Peace Work

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Assisi, ecumenical, interfaith, peace action, peacemaking, Pope Francis, pray for peace, prayer, The Sophia Center for Spirituality, violence, war

When I’m overwhelmed by the violence and war in the world my first reaction is probably that of many people, which is to ask, “What can one person do?” My answer, also a likely universal one, is “Pray for peace.” I do that and encourage others to do the same. This morning, however, I am reminded of all the efforts for peace – in addition to personal prayer – that are going on in the world. I just read an announcement from the Vatican that “Pope Francis will join dozens of religious leaders…and hundreds of their faithful in Assisi September 20th to pray for peace. This meeting, entitled ‘Thirst for Peace: Faiths and Cultures in Dialogue,’ marks the 30th anniversary of St. John Paul II’s Assisi interfaith peace gathering in 1986. In addition to Eastern Orthodox patriarchs and other Christian denominational leaders, Pope Francis will welcome leaders of Muslim, Jewish and Tendai Buddhist communities…Members of different religions will go to different locations around Assisi to offer prayers for peace in their own traditions. Pope Francis will participate in the Christian ecumenical service at the burial place of St. Francis. At the conclusion of the prayer services all the leaders will meet in the square outside the basilica to listen to testimony of a victim of war, to share their thoughts about peacemaking and to sign a common appeal.” (source: http://www.americancatholic.org)

After reading this announcement I was wishing I could be in Assisi to participate in such a meaningful event. That momentary flight of fancy was quickly followed, however, by remembrance of an e-mail I got on Thursday (and receive every month) of the many local efforts toward peace and justice that happen in my own local community – yes, “small town America” – Binghamton, New York, coordinated by a tireless, amazing woman (which she would dispute) named Amy Fleming. Amy has worked for Catholic Charities for as long as I can remember but her reach is into the lives of what has become an incredibly diverse population over the last 20 to 30 years. Efforts of the many committees and projects led by committed volunteers working against violence and war are partnered with programs seeking justice for every group or individual underserved in our locality, our state and our country. My prayer is often in gratitude for these people, some of whom I know and many of whom I have yet to meet – real flesh and blood people in my neighborhood – who are as committed as Pope Francis to the peace and justice agenda.

I am certain today that Binghamton is not the only city thus gifted. If you are a person whose main effort toward peace is prayer (a noble practice) I would encourage you to thank those doing “peace action” work on your behalf. Together, in lifting up both the active and contemplative arms of the Body of Christ, I cherish the hope that peace will be achieved in our world.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Of Hubris and Humility

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conflcit, cultivate peace, haughty, hearts, James, Jesus, life with God, Mark, Peace, psalm 54, righteousness, the first shall be last, The Sophia Center for Spirituality, war, wisdom

The readings today are all about attitudes that lead to wisdom and life with God. In the Book of Wisdom,((WIS 2:12,17-20) “the wicked” cannot bear the behavior of the “just one” so they plot to test his gentleness and patience in an effort to find fault enough to condemn him to death. The Psalmist prays to God to save his life from the haughty ones (PS 54:3-8) and in the gospel Jesus reproaches the disciples for their desire to be “the greatest” of his followers. He says to them: “If anyone wishes to be first, he shall be the last of all and the servant of all.” (MK 9:30-37)

It is, however, the message of James (JAS 3:16-4:3) that is the most helpful to me this morning. He puts two questions that speak directly to the issues of humility and haughtiness that lead to harmful actions. “Where do the wars and where do the conflicts among you come from? Is it not from your passions that make war within your members?” Both war and peace begin in the hearts of each of us; desire for more of what we do not have whether of possessions or status can be our undoing. James gives great advice for living into right action when he says: “Where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there is disorder and every foul practice. But the wisdom from above is first of all pure, then peaceable, gentle, compliant, full of mercy and good fruits, without inconstancy or insincerity. And the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace for those who cultivate peace.” What more do we need to learn?