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Changed Days

30/3/2018

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This is Holy Week in the Christian tradition. It’s the week in which Christians remember the last days of Jesus, culminating in the memorial of his death and resurrection. I’ve been to two interesting interfaith encounters this week. The first was at the beginning of the week. Glasgow Museums had called together a small group of people from the Christian, Jewish and Muslim faith.  We were asked to look at a photograph of a 16thcy. tapestry which will hang in the Burrell Museum once it’s been refurbished. The tapestry has 35 scenes from the Bible – all of them, apart from 2, were from the Old Testament – or the Hebrew Bible as our Jewish friends reminded us.  Its origin and use are unknown but it seems to be based on the Nuremberg Chronicle which is actually an illustrated history of the world – but as the curator at the museum told us our tapestry follows the events and the order of the events depicted in the biblical part of the chronicle so there’s likely to be a connection. Our task will be to choose one of the stories and reflect on it from our various faith perspectives.  At this first meeting we had an opportunity just to look at the photograph (in the future we’ll see the real thing) and comment on it. 

The bit of the tapestry that stood out for me was a depiction of Moses striking the rock at Ka’desh. What’s significant about it is that Moses has horns- and as a Jewish participant said – we know who else has horns.  So what does this say about Moses and derivatively about Jews? It’s not unusual to have Moses depicted with horns in Christian art.  Perhaps the most famous is Michelangelo’s statue of Moses in The Church of St Peter in Chains in Rome.  Did Michelangelo really think Moses had horns? How on earth did this come about?  

It’s thought to have originated with Jerome who translated the Hebrew bible into Latin.  Exodus 34:29-30 says when Moses came down from Mt Sinai, having seen God face to face and having received the Ten Commandments ‘The skin of his face shone because he had been talking with God.  When Aaron and all the Israelites saw Moses, the skin of his face was shining, and they were afraid to come near him’. It’s the word for shining that’s caused the problem. It seems the word in the Hebrew text is qaran or keren and while it can refer to a ray of light it can also refer to a horn.  in Jerome’s latin translation he used the word ‘cornuta’ which certainly means a horn – of both the musical and animal kind. According to a commentary Jerome wrote to accompany his translation, he chose ‘horned’ as a metaphor for strength and authority which was not unusual as horns in the ancient world were often seen as symbols of power. However they did come to be associated with Satan and to the shame of Christianity contributed to the demonization of Jews for most of Christian history. In a visit to Poland a number of years ago there was often a horned figure on the periphery of nativity and crucifixion scenes.

So whether the translation of ‘keren’ was a mistake, a choice to show Moses’ authority, it had consequences which influenced people’s understanding of Jews for many centuries. Medieval Christendom abounded with stories and rumours about Jews, all of which we know were untrue.  Jews were often in danger for their lives, particularly at this time of year when the stories of the Passion of Jesus led many to see Jews as God-killers. Often Jews would be advised to stay off the streets over the Easter weekend for their own safety.

It’s because of this memory that the second interfaith event was so meaningful. This afternoon, Good Friday, Interfaith Glasgow had invited interested people to attend the Catholic commemoration of the Passion and Death of Jesus. Part of the service is a reading of the Passion from the Gospel of St John. In this account there‘s a lot of talk about the Jews and the High Priests who were conspirators in sentencing Jesus to death. In the past when the scriptures were taken at face value this was taken as further evidence of the Jews as Christ – killers.  Things have changed so much so that here I was this afternoon sitting with Jewish friends listening to this reading in a Catholic church with the opportunity to talk about it and ask questions afterwards. It was good to explain how scriptures are religious writings and not to be taken literally – that they reflect a theological position and in John’s case represent growing tensions between the synagogue and the Church. The Church acknowledges that Jesus was put to death by Roman authority and even though some Jewish leaders may have conspired in his death, it’s wrong to blame all Jews for this.
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If ever there was a sign that things had changed this was it.  Afterwards our Jewish friends were going off to celebrate the first day of Pesach, the foundational feast of their faith and one which gives meaning and interpretation to the life of Jesus.  Thank God we Catholics now appreciate and acknowledge our family relationship with Judaism. We rejoice in our friendships. And at this Easter period remember our Jewish brothers and sisters in the faith as we celebrate our own Passover with deeper meaning.

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Reach for the Stars

18/3/2018

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This week Stephen Hawking, perhaps the most well know physicist of our time died.  There was a sense of sadness about this true to say he was a prisoner in his body.  Although he could only move one finger and a muscle in his cheek, these were transformed into mechanical speech so that the world had an insight into the workings of his mind which was not at all limited but soared to the stars and considered what he called ‘A Brief History of Time. In the 1980s his book of this title became a best seller. It was advertised as a book for non-specialist readers with no prior knowledge of science but even Hawking himself admitted it was unlikely that too many people ever finished it. Those who did understand him within the scientific community lauded him for his contribution to science which was immense.

Hawking is an example of how important it is not to judge people by outward appearances or cast them aside because of apparent disability. What would have happened if Hawking had been aborted, though it’s true that there was no sign of this illness at his birth or before it? But it does bring up short anyone who thinks that people with disabling illnesses can make no contribution to society or that there’s not a great and wonderful imagination alive and active in an otherwise inactive body.  I know of someone who was also confined by motor neuron disease and who wrote the most wonderful poetry.  Like Hawking she had the mechanical means to communicate her thoughts, something that might not be available to all sufferers as I suspect there was quite a cost involved.  For those who have it though this shows what technology at its best can do and how important it could be for the future well-being of our race. 

From all reports Hawking was difficult to live with and it’s obvious how much looking after he would need. He was married three times and it’s easy to imagine how difficult it would be to live with someone who was such a genius and would have lived a lot in his head even if not confined to a wheel chair. He himself admitted that being a theoretical physicist was probably the best occupation for someone with his condition.  What we do know though is that he had a great sense of humour. He appeared in programmes such as the Simpsons and Star Trek, not what one would expect of an eminent scientist.  He met Sheldon Cooper in one episode of ‘The Big Bang Theory’ and told him he had made a mistake in his mathematical calculations much to Sheldon’s consternation but he did allow Sheldon to win at Scrabble another time.  A sense of humour is a great thing. It can show, I think, an energy and enjoyment for life. One of Hawking’s obituaries talked of this energy and sense of purpose and how as a young man he declared:  ‘Although there was a cloud hanging over my future, I found, to my surprise, that I was enjoying life in the present more than before. I began to make progress with my research’.   

Like many scientists he was not religious and considered himself an atheist.  He was not, however, anti-religious or held religious people in disregard. He was a member of the Pontifical Academy of Science and was aware of the contribution religious people, such as the Belgian priest George le Maitre, had made to science. He said of himself:  ‘We are each free to believe what we want, and it’s my view that the simplest explanation is; there is no God. No one created our universe, and no one directs our fate. This leads me to a profound realization that there probably is no heaven and no afterlife either. We have this one life to appreciate the grand design of the universe and for that, I am extremely grateful.’
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 I often think that when scientists like Hawking reject God they are rejecting ideas of God as an agent interfering and controlling reality - which even some religious people question now- a- days. Many would describe God more in terms of the Ground of Our Being which might make more sense to science and at least open possibilities for dialogue.  However, no matter what Hawking thought of God I would consider him as something of a mystic. He was struck by the wonder of life and the cosmos, he was led to seek for truth and explore the mystery of it all, he sought to express this in the best language possible, always open to the possibility of new understandings. To me this is not too far from the journey that serious  religious and spiritual seekers are on .

Above all Stephen Hawking loved this universe and felt keenly its destruction and contamination, its abuse by those of us who depend on it for life and existence.  He felt our world was in danger and that escaping from it to other planets might be the only way to preserve our species. This might well be the case and time will tell but he also had good advice on how to live in the present - advice that we would be wise to take seriously :
               ‘Remember to look up at the stars and not down at your feet.
               Never give up work. Work gives you meaning and purpose and life is empty without it.
               If you are lucky enough to find love, remember it is there and don't throw it away.’

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A Way of Peace

4/3/2018

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International Women’s Day takes place this week. There’ll be many events celebrating women’s role in society but also recognising that equality between the genders is not yet a reality. Organisations often keep the day but put their own slant on it. So Pax Christi, an international Catholic organisation committed to peace usually uses the day to highlight women peacemakers. There are many of them around the world - women living and working in war torn countries, women struggling for peace quietly in their own homes and neighbourhoods, women activists resisting violent regimes, attending to those who have been the victims of violence, speaking out against unjust regimes.
 
This year Pax Christi has changed tack and is encouraging women all over the world to write to Pope Francis. The reason for this is to “affirm his leadership of peace, nonviolence, nuclear disarmament and an end to the arms trade”.  Pat Gaffney, the Director of Pax Christi UK explained the thinking behind it: "We feel it is important to acknowledge the role that Pope Francis plays in encouraging a culture of peace and nonviolence - through his own personal witness but also in the way he uses his voice and position to engage internationally in advocacy to challenge the causes of war and violence. His message is for the whole world and is respected and acknowledged way beyond our own Church".
 
All this is true and Pope Francis is indeed a great advocate for peace. This should be acknowledged and applauded as a sign of hope not just in a world that is racked by violence but also in a Church that often seems more concerned with its own inner workings and teachings than it does with the world at large. But what struck me in reading the list of how Pope Francis is challenging the causes of war and violence is the omission of interreligious dialogue as a positive peace-making activity.  It’s quite difficult to convince people of this and to place interfaith encounters within the context of peace and justice. For some face to face encounter is seen as focussing on theological dialogue which doesn’t make much impact on people’s lives – a toothless tiger I’ve heard it described as. This is the kind of encounter Lord Jonathan Sacks describes as face to face. Then there’s the other kind of encounter – the side by side which focusses on some kind of social justice or community concern. Peacemakers would recognise this and be open to working with all faiths in campaigning against, for example nuclear weapons, an end to the arms trade. This is seen as interfaith peace-making and indeed it is.  However I am not so sure that we should distinguish between these two kinds of engagement and I see them as two sides of the same coin. It’s not ‘either or’ but ‘both and’. In fact the two are so interrelated they are really one.  It’s important, I think, never to underestimate the significance of face to face encounter and how transformative it can be. It can be a powerful witness to the fact that reconciliation is possible. 
 
Almost a year ago Pope Francis met with the grand imam al-Azhar University in Cairo.  This is one of the most prestigious centres of learning in the Sunni world and it had discontinued dialogue with the Catholic Church after Pope Benedict’s famous Regensburg address which had been interpreted as the Pope suggesting Islam was linked to violence. Five years later Imam Ahmed el-Tayeb was willing to meet with Pope Francis and as they embraced inside the door of the papal library the Pope told his visitor “the meeting is the message”.  This is a profound statement. It shows that the very act of encounter has a message. And what is that message?  That strained relations between different faiths, different factions can be overcome. That friendship can be established as a basis for mutual understanding and respect. That reconciliation is always possible if there is openness and honesty. There is no conflict in the world that can be overcome by anything other than dialogue. The way to peace is the way of peace says Tich Nhat Hanh and dialogue shows a willingness to listen to the other and to walk in the way of reconciliation, friendship and peace in spite of the difficulties and setbacks which inevitably arise.  While Northern Ireland does not yet have a settled peace it was only able to move beyond the Troubles because ministers such as Tony Blair and Mo Mowlem refused to give up talking.  They were able to draw in the opposing sides to work together for a lasting peace and it was something like a miracle that old enemies such as Martin McGuinness and Ian Paisley were working together. When Martin McGuinness died recently Bill Clinton said that he had been able to extend the ‘us’ and shrink the ‘them’.

There couldn’t be a better way of expressing what dialogue can do and how it can relate to peace. Pope Francis has been as prophetic in witnessing to and encouraging interreligious dialogue as he has been prophetic in denouncing the arms trade.  And like his predecessors he sees it as a contribution to peace. There are calls for a future encyclical on non-violence. It’s possible there will be one and if so I do hope that interreligious dialogue will be included as a non-violent way of walking the way of peace.  
 

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    I am  a Catholic nun, involved in interfaith relations for many decades.  For me this has been an exciting and sacred journey which I would like to share with others.

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