Upper Room Liturgical Celebration: January 22, 2017

Presiders: Dennis McDonald, ARCWP and Lindy Sanford, ARCWP

Homily Reflection by Dennis McDonald, ARCWP

Excerpt from Pope Francis statement on economic justice: “Before all else, I would restate my conviction that a world economic system that discards men, women and children because they are no longer considered useful or productive according to criteria drawn from the world of business or other organizations, is unacceptable, because it is inhumane.  Those who cause or allow others to be discarded – whether refugees, children who are abused or enslaved, or the poor who die on our streets in cold weather – become themselves like soulless machines.”

The last two days I heard about/saw two very different gatherings.

The first was the inauguration and a message of doom and gloom, of carnage in the United States, a message of all that is wrong in our world and the changes that must be made to make it better. It is a continuing message of disavowing the dignity of people, of denying certain people of their rights and their freedom to be who they are.

The second was yesterday’s Women’s March throughout the world and in Albany. It was a message of hope, a message of all that is right with our world, and the need to stand up and protect what is right with the world for those who are women, people of color, the LGBTQ community. It was a message of justice and equality for those of different faiths other than Christian, for those who are in need of health insurance, for those who are differently abled. 

The first spoke from a position of darkness while the second spoke from a position of light.

Our readings today call us to be a people of light, to be followers of Jesus, who delivered a message of light, a message of hope, a message of love and compassion, of justice and equality. 

The Gospel reading reminds us of the words of Isaiah, “On those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned.”

The light that dawned was Jesus, and we are called to continue to be that light that shines on the darkness and dispels it.  We are called to stand up and speak out against oppression, injustice and inequality.  We cannot allow the darkness that suppressed and oppressed people to take hold again.  It is our responsibility to join with others who believe in the dignity of every person to speak truth to power nationally, regionally and locally.  We can make a difference and be light-bearers for our world. 

What did you hear in the readings?  What action can you take?  What will it cost you?

STATEMENT OF FAITHFULNESS  

I believe in one God, a divine mystery
beyond all definition and rational understanding,
the heart of all that has ever existed,
that exists now, or that ever will exist.

I believe in Jesus, messenger of God's Word,
bringer of God's healing, heart of God's compassion,
bright star in the firmament of God's
prophets, mystics, and saints.

I believe in the Holy Spirit,
the life of God that is our innermost life,
the breath of God moving in our being,
the depth of God living in each of us.

I believe that I am called to be Jesus' twin,
allowing myself to be a vehicle of God's love,
a source of God's wisdom and truth,
and an instrument of God's peace in the world.

I believe that God's reign is here and now,
stretched out all around us for those
with eyes to see it, hearts to receive it,
and hands to make it happen,

I believe in the community of God seekers
in all the religions, as well as outside of them,
the great prophets, mystics, and saints,
and those just beginning their spiritual journey.

I believe in a future on this earth when all
will be God-centered and God-conscious,
when we will learn to live in love and peace,
in the fellowship of brothers and sisters.

I believe that in death, life is changed,
not taken away, and that we will go
from step to step in God's life, God's love.
and God's glory for all eternity. Amen

CLOSING PRAYER:

Mother, Sophia, Divine One, You are within each of us.  Open our eyes, our ears, our hearts more each day to your Wisdom.  Bring your amazing Love to our community, our country, and our World through us.  Living lives of inclusivity, compassion and justice, we will become like yeast, changing our world from within.  You have nourished us today by this gathering.  May we go now and live justly, compassionately, and lovingly.  May every step we take bring closer women and men standing together, equals in our time.  

"Bishop Bridget Takes on the Vatican" in The Irish Sun, Dublin, Ireland,, Jan. 24, 2017

"Keep Your Inner Net Light On" Advice for Next Steps After Women's Marches by Caroline Myss

https://www.myss.com/keep-inner-net-light/

Women's March, Chicago

Let spiritual power that flows from our souls unite us and propel us toward action for justice for all.
Amen, Thanks Caroline, wise words that I intend to heed! 
Bridget Mary Meehan ARCWP, www.arcwp.org

..."What we do next matters – especially now – because we have discovered what we can do. We know we are linked through an “Inner-net”, that our souls are as in touch with each other as our Internet system. Once we are up and running on our Internet, we are never disconnected, right? In that same way, we cannot allow ourselves to detach from our Inner-net. We must each make a commitment to stay conscious, active and committed to see that our rights as women and as Americans are protected.

Let me suggest the following:

• Keep a beautiful image in your soul the reflects the power of your life: Women hold up half the sky and walk upon half the Earth.
• Keep ever hopeful and ever active. Learn from this event. Change requires positive action. Not only did our numbers impress the world but every one of our protest marches were peaceful. We radiated grace. I cannot tell you how many people – mostly men – have since spoken with me about how this march made them realize “something is going on here.” Had one violent, angry outburst occurred, the news media would have made that the story and ignored the millions – and I mean millions – of others who walked in integrity. We shook the darkness with the power of Light.
• As Michael Moore encouraged everyone, keep in contact with your local Congressman and Senator about health care, Planned Parenthood and any other issue that is personally significant to you.
• Get in contact with local and national organizations. Get on their mailing lists. Start blogging. Let your voice be heard. Become educated on your issues. Opinions are not as valuable as knowledge – remember that. Knowledge is power.
• Grow your network, grow your community.
• Personally, I believe a social activist network and a spiritual community are the perfect combination.       We are living not just in “changing times” but at a time that demands we participate in the changes that are happening around us. This is by far the most vital, alive, extraordinary time in the history of civilization. It is a privilege to be a part of it – a privilege. I traveled on the train to downtown Chicago yesterday seated next to an 83-year-old activist named Madonna. She said she had been a social activist since the 60’s but she did not think she would have to return to fight for women’s rights again. “I thought we did that already,” she laughed. What a grand elder. As we walked down the stairs from the El train to Jackson, I told Madonna that I hoped to see her around the neighborhood now that I knew who she was. She smiled and said, “Oh that would be lovely, dear, although you might have to remind me of where we met.” And off she went, cane in hand, to march for women of generations yet to come.
• You know me – I will always encourage you to reach out with heart and spirit to others. We have spoken about transformation for decades now. The moment is upon us. And we are the generation who history will speak about someday. How did we navigate this moment? How did we respond? Did we march once and go home? Or did we set the world on fire with our spirits and change the destiny of our planet? We are the people now gathering under the Liberty Tree once again, just as the Founding Fathers did. Now it’s our turn. It is the era of the Founding Mothers. It’s our turn to shape the next stage of our democracy and perhaps join with our global community of sisters, of fellow conscious human beings, and pave the way for a peaceful future for humanity.
• We are the new Founding Mothers and Daughters and Sons and Fathers. WE ARE THE NEW FOUNDING MOTHERS! And we will determine our rights. WE WILL. We will have health care and we will have Planned Parenthood (and we will not allow politicians to promote the lie that every woman who walks into a Planned Parenthood Clinic is seeking an abortion), and we will fight for Climate Change legislation and we will fight to protect our environment for us and for our children and the next generations. We will not be takers. We will be givers and protectors.
• Finally: We know the prayer that we should accept the things that we cannot change. Perhaps it is time to invoke the grace to “change the things we cannot accept.”
• Keep your Inner-net Light on. Your soul is connected to millions of others souls, all of whom care about the same issues you do. We owe each other the promise not to quit, not to be silent, and to never EVER utter the phrase: But what can I do?

Members of National Campaign for Nonviolent Resistance Not Arrested During Inauguration Protest and A Report on the Women’s March On Washington By Janice Sevre-Duszynska, ARCWP

Around noon on January 20^th, Inauguration Day, more than 25 activists from the National Campaign for Nonviolent Resistance gathered in Columbus Circle, just outside Union Station in Washington, D.C., in solidarity with up to 1,000 other protesters. We crossed Massachusetts 

Avenue and conducted a ceremony to memorialize drone victims on 1^st Street. We selected this area as several military vehicles were blocking the street leading to the US Capitol where the Inauguration was taking place.

  Various participants were holding banners and signs.  Max Obuszewski of the Baltimore Nonviolence Center and I held my banner: Stop the War Machine: Export Peace. Some members of the group handed out a petition to President Donald Trump for a redress of grievances—income inequality, climate chaos, racism, militarism and the effects of killer drone strikes.

 Nick Mottern of Know Drones brought his replica of a Predator drone that attracted a lot of attention by observers, including Trump supporters who were departing from the Inauguration. Also on display were large photos of children killed by the US assassination program. After a brief ceremony memorializing drone victims, especially the children, we moved to the street, and ten citizen activists did a die-in to symbolize the victims of a drone strike.  As the “victims” were covered in shrouds, I wailed over each body.  A police officer told us we could stay as long as we wanted: we would not be arrested.

  The Trump supporters, as expected, were not supportive of our re-enactment. Some mocked the demonstration and made hostile comments. Others looked surprised. After about thirty minutes the “victims” rose from the dead, and the group circled and heard some final comments. In closing, we sang a few songs, one of which was the classic, “Down By the Riverside,” led by Art Laffin of the Dorothy Day Catholic Worker. A number of us decided to show support for the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe, which was reportedly at an Inauguration entrance at 14^th and E Streets.

   This was a long walk, and by the time we arrived, we did not find any protesters.  So the group went to a restaurant to break bread and discuss today’s action.  We agreed that we would try to meet on Saturday at the Women’s March on Washington.

  The next day we were among the hundreds of thousands making their way to the Women’s March. We took the Metro to Metro Center with the idea to transfer to a train which would take us close to Independence Avenue.  However, the trains were packed. So we walked several miles to get to Independence Avenue where the rally was to take place. Along the way, we continued to hand out copies of the petition we used at the drone die-in. We were trying to make contact with friends, but there was no cell phone service during the rally.

   People from around the country seemed to be coming from every direction! It was magnificent! Many more women than men, and the participants were of all ages, colors and size. Diversity ruled! Grandmothers, mothers, daughters, aunts, sisters, friends! Plenty of youth and families with children, even some in strollers. It felt like Pentecost, this empowering Spirit of solidarity and community!

  When we reached the Department of Education, we unfurled our peace banner. Many people, especially seniors, gave us the thumbs up and nodded approvingly. Sometimes people came over to talk with us. Numerous people took a photograph.

After a few hours, we decided to switch over to a colorful banner by South African Dina Cormick of Phoebe and Eucharistic Community supporting the Association of Roman Catholic Women Priests: Reclaiming Our Ancient Heritage. It evoked wide-eyed smiles and an enthusiastic response. The banner initiated many conversations with protesters about our movement. As with the first banner, we again were the object of many photographers. It caught the eye of an Irish radio station reporter who interviewed me. I made sure to say women priests supported Tony Flannery’s public Mass in Ireland!

  Later, on our trek back, a television reporter from Channel 9/WUSA also interviewed us. Max addressed what he considers the most important issue facing us today – militarism, which was not a part of the agenda for the Women’s March On Washington.  He elaborated by pointing out that more than 50 percent of the Federal Discretionary Budget goes to the military. This in turn shortchanges much-needed social programs. A corollary to this military madness is that the Pentagon is committing ecocide.

  While it was so wonderful to be a part of the Women’s March, it was disappointing to note that militarism was not on Saturday’s agenda.  On Sunday, we attended the forum “Challenging Trumpism, Wars and Militarism” at American University. There CODEPINK’s Medea Benjamin informed us that the organizers refused to include militarism as an issue to be discussed during the rally.

"Role of Women a Priority for Irish Bishops During Vatican Talks" Now is the Time for Action and Women Deacons

http://www.patheos.com/blogs/catholicnews/2017/01/role-of-women-a-priority-for-irish-bishops-during-vatican-talks

Bridget Mary's Response: As my Irish mother, Bridie, often said,  "actions speak louder than words!"

 While it is important that the Vatican and Irish hierarchy agree that women's role in the decision making processes should be expanded, my question is where is the action plan? 

Let's address the elephant in the living room. Women are excluded from decision making positions because they are not ordained and they are not ordained because they are women. 

So the issue is ordination!

In our present model women must be ordained in order to be in the top decision-making roles in the church. So where is the action plan to ordain women deacons? 

As I have said many times the international Roman Catholic Women Priests Movement is leading the way  toward the full equality of women in the church by ordaining women now to serve inclusive vibrant communities of faith. 

The Irish bishops' meeting with Pope Francis and Vatican officials is sending a positive signal that women deacons are a real possibility, and something soon must be done for the church's well-being.  

Millions of Catholics would welcome women deacons. They'd bring women's voices and faith-filled experiences to the celebration of sacramental ministries. Women deacons could be a first step toward gender equality in our church. 

The Association of Roman Catholic Women Priests will continue its prophetic role of ordaining women priests and bishops to promote the full equality of women in the church. Bridget Mary Meehan ARCWP, www.arcwp.org

Role of women a priority for Irish bishops during Vatican talks

January 24, 2017 by CNA Daily News

Vatican City, Jan 24, 2017 / 06:02 am (CNA/EWTN News).- "The Irish bishops are just finishing up their first ad limina visit to Rome in 10 years – a time that’s been marked by a rapid increase in secularism, the legalization of same-sex marriage and the country's tragic clerical sex abuse crisis.

However, despite the vast array of challenges the Irish bishops currently face and the many hurdles they have already overcome, one topic stood out, and was mentioned in every single meeting they had with different Vatican departments: the role women in the Church today.

“I would say I don't think there was any congregation that we didn't mention it,” Bishop Brendan Leahy of Limerick told CNA Jan. 20.

He called the attention currently being given to women and their role “one of the signs of the times.”

The Holy Spirit “is saying something,” Leahy said, adding that while exactly what the Holy Spirit wants is “the big question for us all,” one area that keeps coming up is engaging women more in decision-making processes.

Bishop Leahy is just one of the many Irish prelates who gathered in Rome last week for their ad limina visit, which typically serves as a time of rest and prayer for bishops during which they meet with the Pope and have the opportunity to visit each of the Vatican departments.

He was one of four bishops who spoke to journalists after their Jan. 20 meeting with Pope Francis, which lasted just over two hours and covered a wide range of topics.

Other prelates who spoke were Archbishop Eamon Martin of Armagh in Northern Ireland and president of the Irish bishops' conference, Archbishop Diarmuid Martin of Dublin and Bishop Denis Nulty of Kildare and Leighlin.

In his comments to CNA, Bishop Leahy noted that “women are so much at the heart of the Church in Ireland, they are very, very involved in the Church.”

However, throughout the past 10 years of meetings, assemblies and, in his case, a diocesan synod, the bishops have been doing a lot of listening, and one thing they’ve consistently heard from women is they want their role to be “more greatly enhanced,” visible, appreciated and articulated.

This is a reflection they brought up with each of the Vatican dicasteries they visited, as well as with the Pope, who “recognizes that it is a serious issue.”

Leahy said that during their meeting with the Pope, led as a conversation with no prepared text, Francis pointed to Swiss theologian Hans von Balthasar, which has done in the past, offering reflections on two specific dimensions in the Church: the Petrine and the Marian.

“Peter, Mary…these two profiles. Because they are complimentary,” he said. “Women bring their way of seeing things, their way of understanding, their way of feeling about issues, their distinctiveness into the life of the Church.”

While the topic itself and what it means for the work and life of the Church requires more reflection, “we need to appreciate” the specific qualities that women bring, and “we need to see how we can articulate that more.”

However, referring to Pope Francis' advice, Leahy cautioned that while the enhancing the role of women must be pursued, it shouldn’t be approached from a “simply functionalistic perspective.”

“We can't just come up with simplistic solutions, and I think women themselves would be the first to say that,” he said, explaining that the next step is to explore together “how best to articulate the life of the Church in such a way that women will feel that their role is genuinely appreciated.”

The bishop said that after their meetings in the Vatican, he feels that their concern about the topic “has been heard,” and “to be fair, we’re not the only ones saying it.”

Pope Francis himself often says the role of women is something the entire Church needs to look into, he said, explaining that for he and his fellow bishops in Ireland, they will head back with plans for “a tremendous engagement” based on listening and dialogue.

Referring to Pope Francis’ constant emphasis on the importance of discernment, Leahy said there’s no quick solution, but it’s something that “needs time, it needs reflection, it needs exploration to discern together.”

Archbishop Diarmuid Martin of Dublin echoed Leahy’s sentiments, telling journalists that one of the “most alienated groups” in Ireland is “young women.”

He said that specifically in their meeting with the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, they discussed the areas in the Church where “a stronger position” of not only women, but laypeople in general, “is not only licit, but is desirable.”

Other issues touched on by the bishops in their meeting with the Pope were youth, vocations, the influx of refugees to the country, and of course the Pope’s upcoming visit to Ireland in 2018 for the World Meeting of Families

Although the bishops’ visit comes in wake of the abuse scandal that rocked the country and a rapid increase in secularization, Archbishop Eamon Martin said none of the bishops felt “under investigation” or interrogation during the ad limina.

It was “a very different atmosphere,” particularly in their meeting with the Pope, which he called a “fascinating encounter.”

“We haven’t received any raps on the knuckles,” but were rather assured that they are “not alone” in the challenges the face, many of which stem from the fact that the voice of the Church and her authority in society and in the lives of individuals has taken a drastic dip, in large part due to the abuse scandal.

Archbishop Diarmuid said the bishops “are realistic about the challenges we are facing in Ireland at the moment,” but are also hopeful that they are moving to “a new place of encounter and dialogue” in Irish society where the Church has an important voice.

“Not the dominating voice or domineering voice that perhaps some say we’ve had in the past – but we are contributing to important conversations” on topics such as life, marriage, family, poverty and education.

Discussion also focused at length on how to be a bishop, with the Pope comparing their role to a goalkeeper, “and the shots keep coming from everywhere, and you stand there ready to take them from wherever they come.”

While there was “a fair bit of laughing and joking,” the bishops all got very serious when talking about abuse.

Archbishop Martin said the number of abuses in Ireland “was small compared to society at large,” and noted that the Church has made significant progress since the scandals came out.

Referring to their meeting with the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors, Archbishop Eamon Martin pointed to a four-step model Benedict XVI recommended to them when the abuse scandal first broke out in the country: to establish the truth of what happened, put preventative procedures into place, to adhere to justice and to bring healing.

“We’ve been working in all four areas,” he said, noting that in the healing process for those abused, “to have their story told” makes a big difference.

Ireland is “now speaking from a sense of maturity” and can be a reference point to the rest of the Church from their position, he said, noting that as he was speaking a new report was published in Belfast by leaders of the Historical Institutional Abuse Inquiry in Northern Ireland on the abuse of children in residential institutions, some run by Catholic religious orders.

Overall there was a recognition that Ireland had gone “through a bad time – not for us, but particularly for children who were abused,” he said, adding that there was also an acknowledgment that “anything that we did would inevitably be inadequate in responding to the suffering they experienced.”

Homily by Annie Watson ARCWP at Pilgrim Congregational United Church of Christ in St. Louis

Annie Watson ARCWP at St. Stanislaus Polish Catholic Church, St. Louis

“In All Things Charity”

1 Corinthians 1:10-18

January 22, 2017

Rev. Annie Watson

A ship cruising far off the shipping lanes in the South Pacific notices a signal fire on an uncharted island. The captain puts a boat over the side and the crew goes to investigate. They find a shipwreck survivor alone on the tropic island. He is shaggy, unshaven, and nearly naked except for a scrap of cloth around his waist.

The survivor is overjoyed at seeing his rescuers. “I’ve prayed and prayed that someone would come but no one ever saw my signal fire before. I’ve been stranded alone on this island for seven years.” The captain asked, “How have you survived”?

The shipwrecked man told about eating berries and bananas and coconuts, about catching crabs in the lagoon, about rubbing sticks together to make fire. As the man showed the ship crew around his primitive camp, the Captain noticed three huts made of sticks woven together and thatched with palm fronds. “What are these?” he asked.

The shipwrecked man pointed to the larger grass hut and said, “I built this one to live in so I could be warm and dry during the tropical rains every afternoon.” “What about that one?” the captain asked. “O, I wanted a special place to worship and pray; that’s my church.”

“What’s the third hut for?” “Well, a couple of years ago there was a squabble and the church split.”

Today is Ecumenical Sunday. This is the Sunday in which Christians of different church traditions make an effort to develop closer relationships and better understandings of one another. Perhaps allowing a Catholic Woman Priest to speak to you today is going a little overboard, but I am thankful for this opportunity.

I don’t need to remind you all of the history of the ecumenical movement, yet I will say that it really has its roots in the words of the New Testament. One of the best ecumenical statements ever written came from the Apostle Paul in his first letter to the Corinthians.

He wrote, “Now I appeal to you, brothers and sisters, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you be in agreement and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be united in the same mind and the same purpose.

Fat chance of that happening, right? One would have to be a real Pollyanna to think that people who even claim the same religion will always agree about everything and be totally united. But you have to give the United Church of Christ an A for effort.

Historically, the UCC is the flagship denomination of the ecumenical movement. Its first and greatest motto is based on Jesus’ overly optimistic prayer for his disciples in John 17:21—“That they may all be one.”

As a denominational brochure states: “This motto reflects the spirit of unity on which the church is based and points toward future efforts to heal the divisions in the body of Christ. We are a uniting church as well as a united church.”

Is the UCC a uniting and united denomination? From where I stand (married to a UCC minister) the United Church of Christ might have more integrity if they called themselves “the Un-tied Church of Christ.” And yet in truth the UCC isn’t any more un-tied than anyone else. The church as a whole has never been united.

There are many reasons why this is so, but I simply chalk it up to human nature. As Ralph Waldo Emerson said, “The reason why the world lacks unity, and lies broken and in heaps, is because man is disunited with himself.”

If we observe almost any aspect of human life, we see disunity. We are divided politically, culturally, socially, economically, ethnically, etc. Religiously, we are divided beyond hope it seems. We are Protestant, Catholic, Evangelical, Pentecostal, Anglican, Orthodox, Mormon, Unitarian, Adventist, Baptist, Congregational, Lutheran, Methodist, Moravian, Presbyterian, Reformed . . . the list goes on and on, not to mention our divisions between Christian, Jewish, Muslim, Hindu, Buddhist, and other major traditions.

There is literally no way for all of humanity to unite under a single religious umbrella. If we tried to do that the umbrella would be in tatters before we could blink an eye. So in terms of how we should co-exist with one another, we really only have one valid choice.

This choice was first articulated by an obscure German Lutheran theologian of the early seventeenth century named Rupertus Meldenius. He said something that is often attributed to Augustine. It is, in my opinion, one of the most profound things ever uttered. He said, “In essentials unity, in nonessentials diversity, in all things charity.”

Let’s break that down. First of all, we should have some degree of unity in terms of what is “essential.” But what is essential? Obviously, it is easier to determine what is essential in the context of a particular religion, although the spirit of the saying can be used to apply to the relationships between wholly different religious traditions.

Many observers would argue that compassion is the one essential teaching or practice that we find among all the major world religions. Variations of the Golden Rule are also something that unites all faiths.

When it comes to our own particular religion, what are the essentials? Here, people of sincerity and good faith often disagree. Almost everyone agrees that there are essentials, and yet when people ask us to define them we often have a bit of trouble. There is a wide variety of interpretations and applications of our beliefs and practices.

For example, is belief in God essential? Most would say yes, and others would say, “Define what you mean by ‘God’”. Is the doctrine of the Trinity essential? How does one define the Trinity? If one is a Protestant, is justification through faith essential? If one is a Catholic, is the doctrine of transubstantiation essential?

While it may be true that there are essentials in the Christian faith, a close look at Christian history suggests that we are far from united on such things. We are much more likely to be open to diversity in nonessentials.

“Nonessentials” is a big category in Christianity. It ranges from the “not important” to “pure speculations.” Nonessentials include such things as the date of Christ’s birth, what kind of music to play at church, whether to use real wine or grape juice at communion, and whether to hold Saturday night services.

Nonessential questions include:

• Did Adam have a belly-button? (yes, he did. It would look funny otherwise)
• Do our pets go to heaven? (only those that are house trained)

Here’s our real problem: There are things that some Christians would say are essential and others would say are nonessential. We can’t even agree on what is essential, so the Apostle Paul’s wish that we all be in agreement, that there be no divisions among us, and that we be united in the same mind and the same purpose, is more like wishful thinking.

If Rupertus Meldenius had just said, “In essentials unity, in nonessentials diversity,” we would continue to feel justified in hating one another over our disagreements. But luckily he added a third point, one that supersedes the first two points: “in all things charity.”

This is why his saying can apply not just to Christians—it can apply to people of all religious faiths. We will never agree on what is essential, and to a lesser extent we may never agree on what is nonessential. And yet we can always—always—show charity toward those who agree and disagree with us.

This is where the ecumenical spirit begins. Not with councils that meet to determine what everyone should believe. The ecumenical spirit begins with charity, with love, and with compassion. There should never be a religious conversation that ends in any other outcome.

At the end of the day, there is never a good reason to build that “third hut.” Amen.