Brothers and sisters more than enemies

Another thought from Thich Nhat Hanh which is sort of on the theme of my last blog and also another book that I am currently reading. Hanh says something that I find very helpful:

When it is raining, we think that there is no sunshine. But if we fly high in an airplane and go through the clouds, we rediscover the sunshine again. We see that the sunshine is always there. In a time of anger or despair, our love is also still there. Our capacity to communicate, to forgive, to be compassionate is still there....You have to believe this. 
We are more than our anger; we are more than our suffering. We must recognize that we do have within us the capacity to love, to understand, to be compassionate. If you know this, then when it rains you won't be desperate. (Anger)

It is so hard when you are overcome by a really strong emotion like anger or grief or fear isn't it? That strong emotion seems to be all there is; nothing else seems possible. But I do think that what Jesus teaches us about trust and hope and seeing light at the end is going to help towards eventual healing and peace of heart too.


The other book that I am reading is by a man called David Ford and is called 'The Future of Christian Theology'. It is for me at least, not an easy book to get through but something I read this morning seemed to me to sort of fit in the whole theme of strong feelings and the temptation to see people and feelings as enemies. The chapter is called 'Inter-faith Blessing' and he is talking about a letter that 138 Muslim scholars and leaders sent to the leaders of Christian churches on the subject of love of God and love of neighbor. The letter is entitled: A Common Word between Us and You.

David Ford speaks about how unprecedented this letter is and how it focuses on  a common ground to begin dialogue. He also recommends especially, the response led by the Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams.

What speaks to me here is the courage of the Muslim leaders to reach out in the face of opposition from other Muslims and the willingness of some Christian leaders (alas, not all) to take what is offered and start there. There is so much anger and fear between our faiths, feelings that get carried well beyond religious actions . But somewhere, sometime don't we have to begin to see even those we think of as enemies as our sisters and brothers, other human beings who are more like us than unlike? I hope so.

You can find the original letter and many Christian responses at:http://www.acommonword.com/