Presented at St Mary's in Exile Community
Tony
Robertson 4 October 2014
October
4 this year is a sacred day celebrated by the three major Abrahamic Faiths.
It is the Jewish Feast of Yom
Kippur, a day of fasting, almsgiving and prayer atoning for failure of the past year.
It is the Muslim feast of Eid-al-Adha, the Festival of Sacrifice that commemorates Abraham’s submission to Allah.
And we gather as do many Christians to celebrate the
life and witness of St Francis of Assisi.
On January 24 2002 leaders of the world’s religions including Christians, Muslims and Jews gathered to approve the Assisi Decalogue of Peace which we read today. The words of the Decalogue echo the ancient cry of the prophet Micah to act justly, love tenderly and walk humbly with your God.
In March 2003 the Coalition of the
Willing led by nations with a Christian heritage and tradition began the
invasion of Iraq. Today our country is again engaging in another military intervention in Iraq. We continue to
read and proclaim the Decalogue of Assisi because the servants of peace will
not be silenced by the masters of war.
In 1219, almost 800 years before this document was
published Francis of Assisi accompanied by one other brother breached the
security of the camp of the Sultan of Egypt, Malik-al-Kamil in Damietta
. This was a bold act
of civil disobedience against explicit Papal directives that would be a
significant moment of conversion.
In the Icon Lentz has
the two men standing on common ground surrounded by flames. In Islamic and
Christian art flames of fire signify holiness. The text at
the bottom is from the beginning of the Koran: "Praise to God, Lord of the
worlds!"
The meeting of these
two men of diverse faiths and opposing cultures cut across the politics, and
religious disputes of their day for Francis and the Sultan became absorbed in each other’s grace and good will. They shared prayer, food and a desire to reflect
and understand each other outside the violent power play of their day.
What really happened
we may never know as the polemic and media of both sides claimed the upper
hand. What we do know is that both men defied the dominant culture of violence
and sought a path of peace for their communities.
They went their separate ways but both were changed forever. Francis abandoned a culture of heroic martyrdom for Christianity and wrote a radical set of norms for
relationships with non-Christians into his rule. The Sultan was renowned for his compassion for political prisoners and his respect for Christian and Jewish holy places
.
.
Again in this encounter we can see the threads of
that ancient call to act justly, love tenderly and walk humbly with your God.
A little aside re this story. I posted this item and
image on my Facebook page today. It was shared by Shane Howard who you will remember from
his visit to the community some years ago. Shane wrote: “I still have fond and vivid memories of
visiting the mediaeval fortress city of Assisi and the Basilica with Ian
Morrison in 1984. It was something of a pilgrimage.
We shot some Super 8
footage there that made its way into the Goanna film clip for 'Common Ground'.
St. Francis remains a hero for our times with his celebration of the divine in nature, his deep
empathy to all living creatures and his enlightened approach to people of other
faiths, in the Thirteenth Century.”
We continue to tell the remarkable story of Francis
and the Sultan because the servants of peace will not be silenced by the
masters of war
Our peacemaking begins in our hearts and
relationships with those around us. The story of Francis and the Sultan
challenges us to expand our circle of relationships to build a new community
that will collaborate across our cultural and religious diversity.
We have an opportunity to become part of a new model
of such relationships in the Queensland
Community Alliance.
The alliance brings faith groups, charities, unions,
community organisations and ethnic associations to work together for the common good.
This alliance is based around the personal relations
we will build across organisations in our local area. It identifies and trains
people to become leaders in community organising, who will decide priorities for action through a process of
listening to stories of pressures that members face and
witness.
The alliance draws on the community organising tradition of
the United States, and is linked with and based upon the model of the Sydney Alliance.
The Queensland Community Alliance offers a program
for acting justly in the local community. From the relationships formed across
the membership groups commit to action for a more civic and inclusive
community.
The Queensland Community Alliance invites partners
and participants to take up the challenge to love tenderly. We know the political culture of tough
love, which is radically different
to the relationships encouraged by the alliance.
Our faith community can bring to the alliance the commitment
to love tenderly. That practice is a universal way of love described by Paul in
his first letter to the
Corinthians. To love tenderly we are challenged to be patient, kind; to avoid envy, not to boast, to avoid pride. A commitment to love tenderly means we do not dishonor others, we arenot self-seeking, not easily angered. We keeps no record of wrongs. Tender love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
The Queensland
Community Alliance walks humbly with diversity. The opportunity to bring
unionists, community workers, Church representatives and people of good will
together calls for maturity and humility.
Today I invite you
to consider participating in the Queensland Community alliance with Micah Projects,
one of the founding partners.
On Wednesday
October 29 there will be a Queensland Community Alliance Assembly at St Mark’s in Inala. The
assembly will be an opportunity share
stories that demonstrate the common values that unite us, and make a commitment
to each other to work build the Queensland Community Alliance.
So, inspired by history, united in solidarity across
our religious diversity I invite you to celebrate the grace that comes when
people act justly, love tenderly and walk humbly together.
Tzom Kal, Eid Mubarak, and blessed Feast of St.
Francis!
Resources
- In the Spirit of St. Francis and the Sultan
- Muslims and Christians Working Together for the Common Good
- (Deacon) George Dardess, PhD JustFaith Ministries and Marvin L. Mich S.T.D.,
- The Friar and the Sultan: Francis of Assisi’s Mission to Egypt John Tolan
- Resource materials for Francis and the Sultan Study Guide Kathleen A Warren OSF
- Recent release of 'Francis and the Sultan' documentary is perfect timing
- Rich Man, Poor Man John Acocella (The New Yorker)
- Response to John Acocella’s Rich Man Poor Man Dan Horan OFM
- Embracing the Leper: Standing Against the Culture By Standing With Others
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