One of the things I began to realize equally a Quaker man child growing upward inward the middle of concluding century was that I was deprived! When your basis is pocket-size in addition to provincial, y'all accept rattling trivial to compare. It is piece of cake to assume people are all basically exactly similar y'all are. You assume most people alive exactly similar y'all alive in addition to accept relatively the same amount of money, etc. I figured I was normal in addition to that was the bargain life dealt to most people. I was ok.
But in addition to then I went to school. Back then, going to schoolhouse was ordinarily the window out of one’s provincialism. I all of a precipitous confronted “difference.” Of course, I accept to smile. Back then, departure consisted of farm man child having to pass fourth dimension amongst rattling pocket-size town “city kids.” But they were actually different. They seldom wore blueish jeans. They did non accept to milk cows nor campaign tractors. They did non know a bull from a heifer! I was farm-smart, but they did non care. They had a city, street-kind of sophistication---or so it seemed to me. I was intrigued yesteryear them; they idea I was funny.
But in addition to then I went to school. Back then, going to schoolhouse was ordinarily the window out of one’s provincialism. I all of a precipitous confronted “difference.” Of course, I accept to smile. Back then, departure consisted of farm man child having to pass fourth dimension amongst rattling pocket-size town “city kids.” But they were actually different. They seldom wore blueish jeans. They did non accept to milk cows nor campaign tractors. They did non know a bull from a heifer! I was farm-smart, but they did non care. They had a city, street-kind of sophistication---or so it seemed to me. I was intrigued yesteryear them; they idea I was funny.
I learned to a greater extent than than a,b,c’s inward school. There would hold upward particular days that were total of revelation. St. Valentine’s Day was i such occasion. Very early, perchance bit grade, nosotros had to brand Valentine’s cards for all the other kids inward our grade. I had never heard of St. Valentine. Again, I felt deprived. I did non actually know what a “saint” was. As a Quaker, I had never heard of saints; nosotros did non accept whatever saints. None of our buildings were named “St. Something.” Once more, it felt similar farm-naivete vs. urban sophistication.
I began the procedure of learning well-nigh the sacred. Valentine---whoever he was---apparently was rattling special. Only slow in addition to inward bits in addition to pieces did I induce to acquire he was so particular amongst God that he injure upward playing a key, witnessing role. The storey goes that he was martyred. He was killed for the faith. I figured this meant he was chosen to hold upward role of God’s All-American team! It did bang me strange that no Quaker had e'er made that team!
The other affair I think well-nigh that early on St. Valentine’s Day sense was the chocolate. Everybody got cards in addition to chocolate. I acknowledge that I rather liked the sense of getting cards---so many cards---from all the others. Some of them were personalized. Some girls said I was special! Some of my trivial guy friends said dainty things. My see soared. And the chocolate was delicious.
And in addition to then Valentine’s Day was over---done for exactly about other year. It was dorsum to routine. St. Valentine had come upward in addition to gone. I don’t think what happened to the cards in addition to the chocolate disappeared quickly. All remnants of the sacred had vanished. And that’s what I idea the sacred would be: hearts, cards, chocolate and, then, nothing.
I accept spent a lifetime since the bit degree learning well-nigh the sacred. The sacred has conk a creator God who deals mysteriously amongst humans in addition to continues to brand pregnant out of our messes. The sacred is the storey of Jesus appearing to bring out the ability of God’s love. The sacred is the storey of people similar y'all in addition to me becoming witnesses to the ongoing divine dear making proficient things out of people’s messes.
Now that I function for the sacred, i.e. God’s ambassador, I encounter how piece of cake it is for folks to dismiss the sacred in addition to conk for the secular. Let’s conk dorsum to St. Valentine. He has lost his sacred stature. Catholics in addition to others are non so certain who he actually was in addition to what he actually did. If y'all await at the feast days for saints, he has disappeared. As a Quaker, this does non bother me much. I did non accept him anyway!
What’s left are the cards, straightaway the e-cards, chocolate, in addition to hearts all over the place. Oh I think it is fun; I yet similar cards. I am all for love---even if it is exclusively for a day! The Church may accept given upward on St. Valentine, but Hallmark keeps him equally their Feb cupid. The secular transforms a martyr into a cute trivial guy on a see amongst a bow in addition to arrow!
St. Valentine’s Day volition come upward in addition to go. What I desire to function to maintain is the sacred for every 24-hour interval of the year. I dear the fact that our word, “martyr,” comes from the Greek word, which merely means, “witness.” Clearly someone who is killed for the organized faith has paid the ultimate witness; hence, that i is appropriately called a “martyr.” But all of us tin likewise hold upward “martyrs,” hold upward witnesses to the sacred at function inward in addition to through us.
I may give a bill of fare or chocolate tomorrow. But I volition martyr myself yesteryear loving. I desire to witness to God’s immense dear in addition to interplanetary space compassion. I desire to bring together all the others inward living equally fully equally I tin from the sacred center, which is that Divine Center inward me in addition to you. In that sense I pray that this 24-hour interval I tin hold upward a saint---a holy witness to the Power in addition to Presence of God.
I began the procedure of learning well-nigh the sacred. Valentine---whoever he was---apparently was rattling special. Only slow in addition to inward bits in addition to pieces did I induce to acquire he was so particular amongst God that he injure upward playing a key, witnessing role. The storey goes that he was martyred. He was killed for the faith. I figured this meant he was chosen to hold upward role of God’s All-American team! It did bang me strange that no Quaker had e'er made that team!
The other affair I think well-nigh that early on St. Valentine’s Day sense was the chocolate. Everybody got cards in addition to chocolate. I acknowledge that I rather liked the sense of getting cards---so many cards---from all the others. Some of them were personalized. Some girls said I was special! Some of my trivial guy friends said dainty things. My see soared. And the chocolate was delicious.
And in addition to then Valentine’s Day was over---done for exactly about other year. It was dorsum to routine. St. Valentine had come upward in addition to gone. I don’t think what happened to the cards in addition to the chocolate disappeared quickly. All remnants of the sacred had vanished. And that’s what I idea the sacred would be: hearts, cards, chocolate and, then, nothing.
I accept spent a lifetime since the bit degree learning well-nigh the sacred. The sacred has conk a creator God who deals mysteriously amongst humans in addition to continues to brand pregnant out of our messes. The sacred is the storey of Jesus appearing to bring out the ability of God’s love. The sacred is the storey of people similar y'all in addition to me becoming witnesses to the ongoing divine dear making proficient things out of people’s messes.
Now that I function for the sacred, i.e. God’s ambassador, I encounter how piece of cake it is for folks to dismiss the sacred in addition to conk for the secular. Let’s conk dorsum to St. Valentine. He has lost his sacred stature. Catholics in addition to others are non so certain who he actually was in addition to what he actually did. If y'all await at the feast days for saints, he has disappeared. As a Quaker, this does non bother me much. I did non accept him anyway!
What’s left are the cards, straightaway the e-cards, chocolate, in addition to hearts all over the place. Oh I think it is fun; I yet similar cards. I am all for love---even if it is exclusively for a day! The Church may accept given upward on St. Valentine, but Hallmark keeps him equally their Feb cupid. The secular transforms a martyr into a cute trivial guy on a see amongst a bow in addition to arrow!
St. Valentine’s Day volition come upward in addition to go. What I desire to function to maintain is the sacred for every 24-hour interval of the year. I dear the fact that our word, “martyr,” comes from the Greek word, which merely means, “witness.” Clearly someone who is killed for the organized faith has paid the ultimate witness; hence, that i is appropriately called a “martyr.” But all of us tin likewise hold upward “martyrs,” hold upward witnesses to the sacred at function inward in addition to through us.
I may give a bill of fare or chocolate tomorrow. But I volition martyr myself yesteryear loving. I desire to witness to God’s immense dear in addition to interplanetary space compassion. I desire to bring together all the others inward living equally fully equally I tin from the sacred center, which is that Divine Center inward me in addition to you. In that sense I pray that this 24-hour interval I tin hold upward a saint---a holy witness to the Power in addition to Presence of God.
Buat lebih berguna, kongsi:
