The Anglican bishops meeting for the Lambeth Conference are following a consultative process called Indaba. This is reminiscent of Benedictine and other styles of meeting.
July 25 1968 Pope Paul VI published his Encyclical letter Humanae Vitae. His commissions, set up in response to the development of oral contraceptives in…
Lambeth Bible Study with Joanna Clegg A famous poet representing the other party (Alexander Pope), once said ‘know thyself, presume not God to scan; the…
It was humbling to hear both of the clerics talk. but still, i felt that the elephant in the room was ignored: that 9/11 marked a colossal escalation of the attack by Radical Islam on the Western world, including westernised Muslims. For example, I think it’s ironic that today of all days Tommy Robinson, leader of the English Defence League, which opposes Islamism, is on hunger strike in prison (for breaking a ban on going on marches after he tried to stop Islamists from burning poppies), while BBC Radio 2’s Faith and 9/11 programme was presented by a bloke called Abdul-Rehman Malik. Gives you food for thought.
Thanks for remembering, Bosco… Here’s a piece I wrote for this year’s 10th anniversary:
A Reflection on 9/11: The Cross at Ground Zero
Amid the ashes and rubble of Ground Zero in New York City after the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on America, there appeared an astonishing sight: some battered, broken steel beams of a once mighty, imposing skyscraper survived the devastation and death all around, standing erect in the form of a cross.
That emblem was certainly apropos for a spot where so many innocent victims lost their lives at the hands of violently wayward religious and political agendas run amok: for on it, long ago, an innocent man humbly and courageously met his end, crucified and killed by the collusion of those very same forces.
If we are tempted to see the cross that appeared at Ground Zero as a sign that God is on “our side” — especially to the exclusion of others — it pays for us to pause and ponder it more deeply. Might it not hold a different message for us? Perhaps, instead, it stood as a poignant reminder of how God expects us to act, especially in the face of hate and violence, for us to be on *his* side, as told in the words of the one who hung on it and those of his earliest followers:
Love your enemies,
bless those who curse you,
do good to those who hate you,
pray for those who threaten and persecute you,
so that you may be children of your Father in heaven,
who makes the sun shine on both the evil and the good,
and lets rain fall on the just and the unjust alike.
[Matthew 5:44-45]
Bless those who persecute you;
bless them and do not curse them.
Rejoice with those who rejoice;
weep with those who weep.
Live in harmony with one another.
Do not have a high opinion of yourselves,
but associate with the humble.
Never think that you are wiser than you really are.
Never pay back evil with more evil;
think ahead of what is good in the sight of all people.
Do your best to be at peace with everybody.
Never try to get revenge, my friends;
leave it to God to punish, as Scripture says:
“‘Vengeance is mine — I will repay,’ says the Lord.”
And it adds:
“If your enemies are hungry, feed them;
if they are thirsty, give them something to drink.
By doing so, you will heap burning coals on their heads.”
Do not be overcome by evil,
but overcome evil with good.
[Romans 12:14-21]
Christ suffered for us,
leaving us an example
to follow in his footsteps.
He committed no sin;
no dishonesty was found on his lips.
When he was abused,
he did not abuse in return;
when he suffered,
he did not make threats.
Instead, he put himself
in the hands of God who judges justly.
[1 Peter 2:21-23]
In the spirit of these words, let us pray that the better angels of our human nature prevail over our inner demons — and that the worst life throws at us brings out only the best in us, by God’s grace, for the common good of this world we all share.
Holy God,
in the cross of Jesus
we see the cost of our sin
and the depth of your love:
give us the strength and daring
to heed his words,
to follow his way
and to live up to his example
by the power of your Spirit,
for the sake of this broken and hurting world.
It was humbling to hear both of the clerics talk. but still, i felt that the elephant in the room was ignored: that 9/11 marked a colossal escalation of the attack by Radical Islam on the Western world, including westernised Muslims. For example, I think it’s ironic that today of all days Tommy Robinson, leader of the English Defence League, which opposes Islamism, is on hunger strike in prison (for breaking a ban on going on marches after he tried to stop Islamists from burning poppies), while BBC Radio 2’s Faith and 9/11 programme was presented by a bloke called Abdul-Rehman Malik. Gives you food for thought.
Thanks for remembering, Bosco… Here’s a piece I wrote for this year’s 10th anniversary:
A Reflection on 9/11: The Cross at Ground Zero
Amid the ashes and rubble of Ground Zero in New York City after the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on America, there appeared an astonishing sight: some battered, broken steel beams of a once mighty, imposing skyscraper survived the devastation and death all around, standing erect in the form of a cross.
That emblem was certainly apropos for a spot where so many innocent victims lost their lives at the hands of violently wayward religious and political agendas run amok: for on it, long ago, an innocent man humbly and courageously met his end, crucified and killed by the collusion of those very same forces.
If we are tempted to see the cross that appeared at Ground Zero as a sign that God is on “our side” — especially to the exclusion of others — it pays for us to pause and ponder it more deeply. Might it not hold a different message for us? Perhaps, instead, it stood as a poignant reminder of how God expects us to act, especially in the face of hate and violence, for us to be on *his* side, as told in the words of the one who hung on it and those of his earliest followers:
Love your enemies,
bless those who curse you,
do good to those who hate you,
pray for those who threaten and persecute you,
so that you may be children of your Father in heaven,
who makes the sun shine on both the evil and the good,
and lets rain fall on the just and the unjust alike.
[Matthew 5:44-45]
Bless those who persecute you;
bless them and do not curse them.
Rejoice with those who rejoice;
weep with those who weep.
Live in harmony with one another.
Do not have a high opinion of yourselves,
but associate with the humble.
Never think that you are wiser than you really are.
Never pay back evil with more evil;
think ahead of what is good in the sight of all people.
Do your best to be at peace with everybody.
Never try to get revenge, my friends;
leave it to God to punish, as Scripture says:
“‘Vengeance is mine — I will repay,’ says the Lord.”
And it adds:
“If your enemies are hungry, feed them;
if they are thirsty, give them something to drink.
By doing so, you will heap burning coals on their heads.”
Do not be overcome by evil,
but overcome evil with good.
[Romans 12:14-21]
Christ suffered for us,
leaving us an example
to follow in his footsteps.
He committed no sin;
no dishonesty was found on his lips.
When he was abused,
he did not abuse in return;
when he suffered,
he did not make threats.
Instead, he put himself
in the hands of God who judges justly.
[1 Peter 2:21-23]
In the spirit of these words, let us pray that the better angels of our human nature prevail over our inner demons — and that the worst life throws at us brings out only the best in us, by God’s grace, for the common good of this world we all share.
Holy God,
in the cross of Jesus
we see the cost of our sin
and the depth of your love:
give us the strength and daring
to heed his words,
to follow his way
and to live up to his example
by the power of your Spirit,
for the sake of this broken and hurting world.
Thanks for this, Gregory. Blessings.