NUDGINGS: a journey into the unknown

Christmas time is once again upon us. Before the Americans have had their Thanksgiving feast and, if we’re lucky, after the Jack-o’lanterns have been cleared away, the stores begin playing their seasonal music. December 25th, that day that surprises us every year with its approach and sends us into a seasonal tizzy of preparation is being hyped wherever we go. But what exactly is that the hype and the preparation is all about? And why, why, on December 25th, here in the northern hemisphere, when the weather can be so treacherous and inhospitable?  It certainly wasn’t the time of year portrayed in Luke’s story of the Nativity, when the author writes: ‘In that region there were shepherds living in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. ’ Luke 2: 8 According to both Sara Ruhin, chief of the Israeli weather service who said in a 1990 press release “The temperature in the area of Bethlehem in December averages around 44 degrees Fahrenheit but can drop to well below

“Paul F. Knitter, Paul Tillich Professor of Theology, World Religions and Culture at Union Theological Seminary since 2007, is a leading theologian of religious pluralism… Knitter’s journey into interfaith dialogue began in 1964 when he was a seminarian in Rome and experienced the Second Vatican Council firsthand, as the Roman Catholic Church declared its new attitude towards other religions. Most of Dr. Knitter’s research and publications have dealt with religious pluralism and interreligious dialogue...he has been exploring how the religious communities of the world can cooperate in promoting human and ecological well-being. © The Interfaith Observer, 2014” "The suchness of each moment is the infinite mercy of God."  --Paul Knitter This quote resonated with me, even before I had had a chance to think about what it meant. ‘The suchness of each moment’ , that phrase just felt right!  When I did a little digging and came up with Knitter’s background, it becam

‘Let us dedicate ourselves to what the Greeks wrote so many years  ago: to tame the savageness of man and make gentle the life of this world.’    - Robert F. Kennedy When I reread what I had written a year go about the importance of Remembrance Day, it still rang true to me, especially at this time because of the plight of the Syrian refugees, and so I would like to repeat some of it again. ‘ And so we gather: the young, the old, the school children and those not working. A minute of silence may be observed in the workplace for those not able to attend. But what are we remembering? There will be talk of the sacrifice made by many men & women, not just in World War 1 but in the many wars and conflicts since that time: all those  who gave their lives in service to their country, whatever country that might be.  But do we remember the 'whys'? The reasons that these conflicts occurred? The political, territorial, and economic conflicts between peoples

‘It is in pardoning that we are pardoned.’                             – SAINT FRANCIS OF ASSISI   Once upon a time, a long, long time ago now, I was deeply hurt by the way someone used me. Deeply hurt to the extent that I avoided her whenever and however possible for years. Angry words came out of nowhere at me, taking me absolutely by surprise and rendering me all but speechless. I managed a faltering “I’m sorry you feel that way” but nothing more. We haven’t spoken for almost 20 years. While I didn’t cause the rift, my reaction didn’t help. In retrospect I handled the above situations wrongly in every case. While the initial overt provocation wasn’t mine, my reaction to each was. What should I have done differently? Should I do anything about them today? We all have those dark times in the middle of the night, when past mistakes rise up to haunt us: what we should have done, what we should have said, what we should have left unsaid. And we are consume