Rector's Blog
April 13, 2010, Christianity (85), City & Commonwealth (63), Faith & Politics (33), In the News (Richmond) (74), Love (17)
Posted
by Wallace+
Last week I was away, getting a little post-Easter-Day sabbath time in
South Carolina, where I took this snapshot of this small wild iris,
which is native to the southeast. When I asked my uncle the name of the
flower, he said, smiling, "You should know; you work for him."
It's an Iris Christata. How fitting that I would "meet" this flower in
Easter Week, and, no less, in the place where my spiritual rebirth
began, my uncle's home in the country, south of Columbia, "Wavering
Place."
A friend pointed out the beauty of the symmetry within the dysymmetry.
There's an Easter message for you.
Also, after the jump are several links from the week that I'd like to pass along,
followed by a snapshot I took in the Fan over this past weekend; all of
which, in their own way, relate to the beauty and hope of Easter. (Of
course, in truth, if Easter relates to anything, it relates to
everything.)
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June 18, 2009, City & Commonwealth (63), Equality (12), Faith & Politics (33), In the News (Richmond) (74)
Posted by Wallace+
Yesterday, Governor Tim Kaine's Latino Liaison distributed an article about a disturbing rise in hate crimes against Latinos and individuals who are gay or lesbian:
Hate crimes targeting Hispanic Americans rose 40 percent from 2003 to
2007, the most recent year for which FBI statistics are available, from
426 to 595 incidents, marking the fourth consecutive year of increases.
The Leadership Conference on Civil Rights Education Fund issued a report
that faulted anti-immigrant rhetoric in the media and mobilization of
extremist groups on the Internet. The conference said that some groups
advocating for tighter immigration laws have invoked "the dehumanizing,
racist stereotypes and bigotry of hate groups."
... The FBI reported in October that the number of hate crimes dropped
in 2007 by about 1 percent, to 7,624. But violence against Latinos and
gay people bucked the trend. The number of hate crimes directed at gay
men and lesbians increased about 6 percent, the FBI reported.
This article saddens me for so many reasons. Yet, here at St. Paul's I see so many
instances of compassion and understanding that give me hope. For our
"Such Great Heights" movement, a number of you wrote that you'd like to
see even more of an open welcome to people who are gay or lesbian.
Also, this Saturday, we will host a "Concert for Caring" with the
Sonorous Brass Quartet, directed by Bartolo Vargas of Puerto Rico. We
have extended an enthusiastic and open invitation to all communities to
attend this event, including the Hispanic community, with the
announcement even being translated into Spanish and appearing the
publication Nuevas Raices.
All this got me to thinking.... In the face of the sad rise in hateful
speech and hate crimes in this country, I can't think of a better
response than our own rising tide of welcome, friendship, and, yes, love to all communities. Here at St. Paul's, we strive to set an example as Christians that, regardless of
our differences of opinion, on immigration or politics or any other
matter, we can agree that there is no place for the dehumanization of
God's children; no place for hatred in God's church on Grace Street, no
place nowhere.
Let us pray that, in the face of hate, we all would embody God's
love; in the face of fear, God's compassion; and, in the face of
ugliness, God's exquisite and unyielding grace.
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June 05, 2009, Faith & Politics (33), In the News (Nation, World) (80), Peace (18)
Posted by Wallace+
I hope everyone has seen the President's speech in Cairo. It was remarkable. As he said, "Blessed are the
peacemakers."
Following are a few passages:
"America
will align our policies with those who pursue peace."
"Violence is a dead end. It is a sign of neither
courage nor power to shoot rockets at sleeping children, or to blow up old
women on a bus. That is not how moral authority is claimed; that is how it is
surrendered."
And he quoted Thomas Jefferson, "I hope that our wisdom will
grow with our power, and teach us that the less we use our power the greater it
will be."
In addition to quoting the New Testament and the Torah, the
President quoted the Koran several times (five, I think), including this
passage, to much applause, "Whoever kills an innocent, it is as if he has
killed all mankind. Whoever saves a
person, it is as if he has saved all mankind."
Another Koran reference was to "the story of Isra, when
Moses, Jesus, and Mohammed, peace be upon them, joined in prayer."
Amen.
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