I am going to a funeral this afternoon.
It is the circumstances that give me pause to reflect this morning. In brief. The Anglican Church in Zimbabwe is a house horribly divided with an excommunicated bishop who holds all the church property and a duly elected bishop with no physical homes for his congregations. Its a mess, and follows our political divisions. So a friend of mine, who is an ordained Anglican priest in South Africa, has been asked to lead the funeral service for his father in law and has no church from which to do so.
The Rector of my sons Jesuit College has made the Chapel available for this service, in the spirit of community. Offering generously of the schools resources to assist, and detailed me as "holiday sacristan" to make sure that he has everything he needs.
It is an honour, and a joy that doors that were once firmly closed are now open and hospitable.
It's always amazing to me that you write with such grace and hope about a country so fractured, and that you participate in create little pockets of hospitality and good will all over the place.
ReplyDeleteGiven the climate of division and rancor in our world today, this a very gracious offering of kindness. I love that you will be the sacristan for the occasion. I will pray for all of you in this sacred celebration of liife.
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