Community Stations of the Cross in Bloomfield & Glen Ridge

GOOD FRIDAY

"These fourteen steps that you are about to walk you do not take alone. I am with you. We are truly one. And therefore my way of the Cross two thousand years ago and your own "way" now are also one. Yet there is a difference, my life was incomplete until I crowned it with my death. Your fourteen steps will not complete until you crown them with your life."

CLARENCE ENZLER EVERYONE'S WAY OF THE CROSS

Today I had the privilege of accompanying folks from Christ Church in Bloomfield & Glen Ridge on their annual Community Stations of the Cross. This service is moving both emotionally and physically, as participants travel to 14 "stations" to remember milestones in the condemnation and death of Christ. The traditional locations of these events are marked in the old city of Jerusalem, concluding within the Church of the Holy Sepulcher at the site where it is believed Christ died and was buried

In a congregational setting, the service normally takes place around the perimeter of a church, but--in a tradition that began several years ago as a witness to gun violence--Christ Church transformed this into an outdoor experience. This year's quest was to visit places of sorrow as well as places of hope in the area surrounding the church, which includes the downtown areas of Bloomfield and Glen Ridge townships.

The service was created by Christ Church's Rector, the Rev. Diana Wilcox, with some elements from the Episcopal Book of Occasional Services and the Book of Common Prayer, and the text at each station is a blend of what she shared and my thoughts at the time.  At the conclusion of each station, we prayed together:

Holy God, Holy and Mighty,

Holy Immortal One,

Transform me
That I might transform the world.

We gathered in the church to prepare ourselves for the journey.  As part of the Maundy (Holy) Thursday service the night before, the altar is stripped of the trappings of liturgy: candles, fabric, books, etc., are removed, leaving wood and stone.

God you created me and call me to be in this world, part of your creative force. In Christ you teach me the way of salvation. Help me to be transformed, utterly and completely changed, that I may live radically to transform myself and this broken world. Send your Spirit upon me that I might be an instrument of your peace. Amen.

The First Station - Jesus is Condemned

Bloomfield & Park Avenues

As soon as it was morning, the chief priests, with the elders and scribes, and the whole council, held a consultation; and they bound Jesus and led him away and delivered him to Pilate. And they all condemned him and said, “He deserves to die.” When Pilate heard these words, he brought Jesus out and sat down on the judgment seat at a place called the Pavement, Hebrew, Gabbatha. Then he handed Jesus over to them to be crucified.

Christ Church sits at the busy corner of Park Ave & Bloomfield Ave on the Bloomfield-Glen Ridge border.  At that intersection, which is also a bus stop, pedestrians cross the street at their peril due to impatient and distracted drivers.  On Monday, a pedestrian was struck by a hit-and-run driver just feet from where we stood, and three others lost their lives in recent years.

Eternal One, open the minds and hearts of those who pass this way, that they may slow down and see their brother or sister who travels this same road, and stop as the Samaritan did, to offer help whenever it is needed. We pray for healing of the families of those who have died, and for the one still clinging to life. Amen.

The Second Station - Jesus Takes Up His Cross

Essex Animal Hospital  

Jesus went out, bearing his own cross, to the place called the place of a skull, which is called in Hebrew, Golgotha. Like a lamb he was led to the slaughter; and like a sheep that before its shearers is mute, so he opened not his mouth. Worthy is the Lamb who was slain, to receive power and riches and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and blessing.

Essex Animal Hospital has been serving the veterinary needs of Bloomfield and surrounding communities for more than 25 years. Every year, thousands of animals are abused or neglected. Animals bred to feed us are kept in harsh living conditions. This hospital served as a symbol of our need to care for all of God’s creation, especially those who cannot speak for themselves, and to respect the dignity of all life, including those animals we raise for food.

God our Creator, in giving us dominion over things on earth, you made us co-workers in your creation. Help us to love and nurture the animals, and care for their habitats, that in doing so, we may remember that it is all your handiwork. Amen.

 

We made our way, twelve of us or so, down Bloomfield Avenue, taking turns carrying the cross, helping each other. Drivers glanced over, perhaps confused by the sight. Several pedestrians unabashedly took pictures.

The Third Station - Jesus Falls the First Time

Vermeer Park

Christ Jesus, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped; but emptied himself, taking the form of a servant, and was born in human likeness. And being found in human form he humbled himself and became obedient unto death, even death on a cross. Therefore God has highly exalted him, and bestowed on him the name which is above every name. 

Our next stop was the small park at the corner of State Street.  Here we remembered the victims of violence, hatred and abuse. Although crime is reportedly down in Bloomfield, there is still so much work to be done.

Loving God, although we find ourselves in a broken world – a world in which hurting people hurt other people, it is no mystery that you are a God capable of healing us through justice and fairness. May we be empowered by your Spirit to reverse the conditions that produce young men and women who are driven to resort to violence and destructive behavior, that our towns and cities may one day be places of love and peace. Amen.

The Fourth Station - Jesus Meets His Mother

Farm Boy 

To what can I liken you, to what can I compare you, O daughter of Jerusalem? What likeness can I use to comfort you, O virgin daughter of Zion? For vast as the sea is your ruin. Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be days of mourning shall be ended. 

 Empty shops are a sign of despair and loss. This storefront was one we stopped at last year because it was empty, then was restored as the Farm Boy produce market, and is now empty again, representing a sign of loss for the neighborhood. We hope for renewal in the neighborhood, and that our eyes need to be open to the new life that can grow out of death.

O God, whose love knows no bounds, help us to love one another as Christ commanded. Give strength and courage to those who face difficult circumstances, knowing that there is no darkness which Your light cannot overcome. Amen.

The Fifth Station - Simon of Cyrene Helps Jesus

Block 243 Luxury Rental Development

As they led Jesus away, they came upon a man of Cyrene, Simon by name, who was coming in from the country, and laid on him the cross to carry it behind Jesus. “If anyone would come after me, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”

We stop here to remember embrace the diversity of life that is Bloomfield, and to bear witness to the importance of continuing to be a place where everyone is welcome – people of all cultures, races, languages, gender identities, faiths, and sexual orientations. It is this great diversity in all of creation that is God’s blessing to us all. In this most Holy Week, we look boldly at signs of death as well as new life. In this new building across the street, we are witness to the changing community. May it be that new life in this neighborhood is one that celebrates the diversity of this community, adding to the fabric of life here, and serving as a sign of the re-building of our neighborhoods as places of inclusion and peace.

As we walked, several people voiced concern that--with all the new high-end construction--the changed neighborhood would not become one where long-time residents, many of whom are economically vulnerable, are unable or unwelcome to remain.

Holy One, we move so quickly in life that we often rush past those who have been pushed aside by our own greed. Help us to not only see them in our midst, but seek them out on the margins, knowing that in the web of life, all of creation is connected, and what happens to the lost and the least of these is the concern of all of us. Amen.

The Sixth Station - A Woman Wipes the Face of Jesus

Presbyterian Church Bell

His appearance was so marred, beyond human semblance. He was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that made us whole, and with his stripes we are healed.

A bell from one of Bloomfield's first churches is on display at the southern end of The Green, a long rectangular park where Revolutionary War troops once drilled. Originally meeting on Liberty Street in in 1858, Christ Church spawned four mission congregations in Montclair and Bloomfield, two of which have now folded back into the mother parish. The diverse and welcoming community has grown by a third in the past few years.

We remembered our own church ancestors and the other Christians who brought the Gospel to our area, and prayed for faith leaders and a healing to divisions among them, as well as all those whose belief calls them to work in the wider world.

Most gracious God, Give us grace seriously to lay to heart the great dangers we are in by our unhappy divisions; take away all hatred and prejudice, and whatever else may hinder us from godly union and concord; that, as there is but one Body and one Spirit, one hope of our calling, one Lord, one Faith, one Baptism, one God and Creator of us all, so we may be all of one heart and of one soul, united in one holy bond of truth and peace, of faith and charity, and may with one mind and one mouth glorify you; through Jesus Christ our Lord.

The Seventh Station - Jesus Falls the Second Time

Bloomfield Green

Surely he has borne our grief and carried our sorrows. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to their own way; and God has laid on Jesus the iniquity of us all. He wasoppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth. For the transgression of my people was he stricken.

Continuing north on Broad Street, we passed a bus stop where a man stood respectfully when he saw the cross approaching, and wished us a happy Easter. Further along the Green, we paused in the shade of budding trees. Birds chirped, there is a break in the traffic, and for a moment we could take in the beauty of the spring day.

 

O God, in the course of this busy life, give us times of refreshment and peace; and grant that we may so use our time to renew or minds, that our spirits may be opened to the goodness of your creation. Help us God to see your Spirit alive in all of the earth, forgive us our neglect of creation, and enliven in us the will to protect and care for all you have entrusted to us. Amen.

The Eighth Station - Jesus Meets the Women of Jerusalem

Bloomfield Presbyterian Church on the Green & Food Pantry

There followed after Jesus a great multitude of the people, and among them were women who bewailed and lamented him. But Jesus turning to them said, “Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for me, but weep for yourselves and for your children.”

Bloomfield Presbyterian Church on the Green, which gave the town its name is named, for Joseph Bloomfield, Revolutionary War officer, governor, lawyer, judge and abolitionist. The Food Pantry has been providing food on an emergency basis to families in Bloomfield and surrounding communities in Essex County. They currently serve an average of 40 families per month, which ranges between 75 and 165 individuals. Assisting the food pantry is also a primary ministry of outreach at Christ Church.

God, we remember before you all poor and neglected persons whom it is easy for us to forget: the homeless and the destitute, the old and the sick, and all who have none to care for them. Help us to heal those who are broken in body or spirit, and to love them as you loved us. Amen.

The Ninth Station - Jesus Falls the Third Time

Bloomfield High School

I am the one who has seen affliction under the rod of his wrath; he has driven and brought me into darkness without any light. He has besieged me and enveloped me with bitterness and
tribulation; he has made me dwell in darkness like the dead of long ago. Though I call and cry for help, he shuts out my prayer. He has made my teeth grind on gravel, and made me cower ashes. “Remember, O Lord, my affliction and bitterness, the wormwood and the gall!”

Crossing Broad Street, we paused again in front of the High School. Mother Diana told us that--two years ago, the American Psychological Association's Stress in America survey found that millennials, aged 18-33, were the country's most-stressed generation. Now, the title belongs to an even younger demographic: American teenagers. I thought of PARCC testing and SATs, bullying and the relentless pressure to be cool, college acceptance and student loans.

Eternal God, bless all the students, staff and faculty of all schools, colleges and universities, especially Bloomfield High School, Glen Ridge High School, Bloomfield College, and Montclair State University. May they be lively centers for sound learning, new discovery, and the pursuit of wisdom, where all students are free of fear of bullying, drugs, and violence. Grant also that those who teach and those learn may find You to be the source of all truth. Amen.

The Tenth Station - Jesus is Stripped

Bloomfield Cemetery

When they came to a place called Golgotha (which means the place of a skull), they offered him wine to drink, mingled with gall; but when he tasted it, he would not drink it. And they divided his garments among them by casting lots. This was to fulfill the scripture divided my garments among them; they cast lots for my clothing.”

Bloomfield Cemetery, once called the Old Bloomfield Burying Ground, is the resting place of 32 Revolutionary War soldiers, as well as William Batchelder Bradbury, who wrote the popular hymns "Jesus Loves Me, This I Know" and "Just As I Am".

 

Most gracious God, we pray to you for those we love, but see no longer: Grant them your peace and let light perpetual shine upon them. Grant also to all who are bereaved the spirit of faith and courage, that they may have strength to meet the days to come with steadfastness and patience; not sorrowing as those without hope, but in remembrance of your great goodness, and the joyful expectation of eternal life with those they love. Amen.

The Eleventh Station - Jesus is Crucified

Glen Ridge War Memorial (at Ridgewood Avenue School)

When they came to the place which is called The Skull, there they crucified him; and with him they crucified two criminals, one on the right, the other on the left, and Jesus between them. And the scripture was fulfilled which says, “He was numbered with the transgressors.”

The Glen Ridge memorials to fallen veterans on either side of Ridgewood Avenue honor those who fought and died in WW I&II, Korea, and Vietnam. As a ship fan, I noticed the reference to the USS Leviathan, a German-built war prize that saw service as a troop carrier before becoming the flagship of the United States Lines.

 

Most Holy God, stand with those who bravely serve their country, protecting them from all harm, physical, emotional and spiritual, and granting them a sense of your abiding presence wherever they may be, including those whose whereabouts are no longer known to us. Guide those who lead them, and those who govern, that they may be wise in their decisions, and mindful of the lives that they hold in their hands. And we pray that you bring into your heavenly home all those lost to us. Let light perpetual shine upon them, and grant that we never forget their sacrifice, nor the pain and horror of war. Amen.

The Twelfth Station - Jesus Dies on the Cross

Glen Ridge Municipal Building

When Jesus saw his mother, and the disciple whom he loved standing near, he said to his mother, “Woman, behold your son!” Then he said to the disciple, “Behold your mother!” And when Jesus had received the vinegar, he said, “It is finished!” And then, crying with a loud voice, he said, “Father, into your hands I commend my spirit.” And he bowed his head, and handed over his spirit.


 

O God, send down upon those who hold office, or serve as first responders, in Glen Ridge and Bloomfield, the spirit of wisdom, charity, and justice; that with steadfast purpose they may faithfully serve in their roles to promote the well being of all people. And, teach us all to rely on your strength and to accept our own responsibility to our fellow citizens, that we may elect trustworthy leaders, and may step forward ourselves to serve our neighbors as you have taught us to do. Amen.

The Thirteenth Station - Mary Receives the Body of Jesus

Glen Ridge 9-11 Memorial (at Train Station)

All you who pass by, behold and see if there is any sorrow like my sorrow. My eyes are spent with weeping; my soul is in tumult; my heart is poured out in grief because of the downfall of my people. “Do not call me Naomi (which means Pleasant), call me Mara (which means Bitter); for the Almighty has dealt very bitterly with me.”

The men and women whose names adorn this marker likely began their day on September 11, 2001 by walking down the adjacent steps to the train station, thinking (or taking for granted) that they would return ten hours later via the ones across the bridge, weary perhaps, but safe.

We thought of our brothers and sisters in Bruxelles, Paris, the Cote D'Ivoire, Syria, Iraq, and everywhere that has been touched by terror and violence.

 

Most merciful God, let us hear the words of Jesus to love our enemies, to do good to those who hate us, to bless those who curse us, to pray for those who abuse us, expecting nothing in return. In a world torn apart by terror and violence, may we be merciful, just as You are merciful, that peace may be brought to a broken and hurting world. Amen.

The Fourteenth Station - Jesus is Buried

Nursery School at Christ Church

When it was evening, there came a rich man from Arimathea, named Joseph, who also was a disciple of Jesus. He went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. Then Pilate ordered it to be given to him. And Joseph took the body, and wrapped it in a clean linen shroud, and laid it in his own new tomb, which he had hewn in the rock; and he rolled a great stone to the door of the tomb.

In 1967, when most people thought a mother’s place was in the home, Christ Church chose to be forward-looking, providing innovative half- and full-day nursery school programs. The Nursery School now serves the needs of over 100 children. April is Child Abuse Awareness Month, and the Nursery School displays pinwheels in remembrance of child abuse victims everywhere.

 

O God, in little children we are given a glimpse of what is possible – of innocence and joy, of love and light, most especially when we are in our darkest moments. Grant that we may look upon the children as Christ did – the ones closest to Your heart, and see in them the new life that awaits us when we open our hearts to you; and, work through us to protect, educate, nurture, and love them. Amen.

Conclusion 

The service concluded in the church, with additional prayers, and the tolling of the bell, 33 times to mark the years of Jesus' life, and we departed in silence. I left profoundly moved and grateful for the experience to mark the death of Jesus in this very concrete way.

This is the altar in St. Mary's Chapel, where consecrated bread and wine were held in reserve for the evening's service. Good Friday is the only day of the church year when the Eucharist, the blessing of bread and wine, does not occur.

 

I told you at the start, My other self,
        My life was not complete
        Until I crowned it by My death.
        Your “way” is not complete
        Unless you crown it by your life.

        Accept each moment as it comes to you,
        With faith and trust
        That all that happens has My mark on it.
        A simple fiat, that is all it takes;
        A breathing in your heart,
        “I will it, Lord.”

        So seek Me not in far-off places.
        I am close at hand.
        Your workbench, office, kitchen,
        These are altars
        Where you offer love,
        And I am with you there.

        Go now!  Take up your cross
        And with your life
        Complete your way.

CLARENCE ENZLER EVERYONE'S WAY OF THE CROSS

Fear is Poison, and Someone's Left the Cap Off the Bottle

MAUNDY (HOLY) THURSDAY

Little children, I am with you only a little longer. You will look for me; and as I said to the Jews so now I say to you, “Where I am going, you cannot come.”  I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another.  By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.’

JOHN 13: 33-35

Holy week again and--much like our Gospel ancestors--we find ourselves gathering at the table in fear.

In the past week, a European city has been struck by terrorist violence, triggering the usual wave of "Will it happen here?" Our "leaders" have sprung into "action" with South Carolina's Senate passed a bill to create a "refugee registry" the contents of which will, of course, only be available to our trusty law enforcement friends, because that won't cause any problems.  Just like it didn't in 1930s Germany. One of the (God help us) presidential candidates stated that under his watch, we would "patrol Muslim neighborhoods" to stamp out any hint of suspicious activity.

But one bogeyman isn't enough, you know, so two adjoining states in the same part of the country (and one elsewhere lest we think there's something in the water), no doubt still smarting from the Supreme Court telling them "Yes you WILL let same-gender couples marry" are cobbling together what restrictions they can still impose on LGBT folk to make sure they still feel oppressed.  Georgia's governor is considering a "religious liberty" bill that allows one to discriminate based on one's so-called beliefs, and North Carolina up-ended non-discrimination bills in several cities by passing its own that specifically excludes orientation and gender identity, and also forbids lower jurisdictions from enacting broader protections. It ordered government buildings to assign a single gender to bathrooms and ensure the anatomy of those using them matches the sign. In the latter case, they clearly did exhaustive study first, since the entire thing went down--from proposal to signature by the governor--in under twelve hours.

Kansas went even further, encouraging vigilantism by offering a $2,500 reward to anyone who "catches" someone whose "plumbing doesn't match" using the "wrong" bathroom. Really? How is that not creepy and invasive? Who is going to check, and on what grounds? The sad irony is that this law, which states its purpose is to prevent violent, traumatic encounters, will pretty much require the same in order to be enforced.

Fear is at the root of all of this; fear we attempt to assuage with reactive window-dressing.  The truth none of us wants to face about violence is that it is--by definition--random. While vigilance and keen observation of our surroundings are doubtless important, the idea that we will plug all the holes is delusional. And following people around based on religion or identity will neither prevent violence nor do anything to de-escalate the tension that leads to it.  The vast majority of Muslim people in the world are horrified by the acts perpetrated by DAISH and other extremist groups, just (I hope) as most Christians would be horrified by the violence the church has perpetrated on Muslims and others throughout its history, and is perpetrating now on LGBT people in Russia, Africa, and the good old US of A.

Which brings it back to us, here in a crazy and uncertain world, where seemingly endless bad news and a 24-hour ticker of threats seems bent on making us a bunch of suspicious insomniacs peeking under bathroom stalls. The goal of "religious freedom" as described by people who would likely also describe our country (right or wrong) as a "Christian nation" should, one would assume, free us to act as our savior would.  The same savior, who--knowing one of those he called his friends would imminently perpetrate violence upon him--nonetheless greeted each of them with a kiss, and sat with them to eat and drink.

Plans for SS United States More Questions than Answers

On Thursday, February 4th, the SS United States Conservancy stunned the preservationist community by announcing that the much-ballyhooed plans for the ship were not to redevelop it as a static public attraction in New York as rumored, but in fact that a cruise line was interested in purchasing it for return to revenue service!

The liner, which holds the transatlantic speed record, was laid up in 1969 and has been idle ever since, her mid-century interiors long since stripped away and sold at auction.  For the past 20 years, she has been berthed in south Philadelphia, where drivers on I-95 and the Walt Whitman Bridge glimpse at her fading red-white-and blue smokestacks.

A a press conference held on Pier 88 in New York (long home of the storied Compagnie Générale Transatlantique (French Line)), Crystal Cruises, a luxury brand owned by Hong Kong-based Genting Group, announced they had agreed to front the ship’s $60,000-per-month dockage fees until the end of the year whilst they determine if renovating her further use is even feasible. A new propulsion system would have to be provided ( Crystal’s president asserted she would still be the fastest out there) and there is concern about contaminants lurking in her Cold-War-era bowels.

The renovated ship would carry about 800 passengers, far fewer than she was designed to accommodate. Her interiors are a veritable clean slate: all non-structural materials were gutted in the 1980s in the Ukraine.  Her designer’s preoccupation with fire meant asbestos and other hazardous substances were used in abundance.  A promotional video by the cruise line indicated her superstructure would be expanded to accommodate modern passenger expectations like stateroom balconies. Certain features like the enclosed promenade decks and the cozy Navajo Lounge would be maintained or recreated, and one would assume that a nod to her history would be evident throughout.

Screen shot of artist’s rendering of the SS United States as proposed Crystal Cruise Lines vessel from Feb. 2016 press conference

My feelings are mixed:  While of course a ship is built to go to sea, this vessel was designed and laid down for a specific route and market that was lost to the jet airplane many  years ago.  To make her “work” as a modern cruise vessel, she will have to be modified almost beyond recognition, and will still be a compromise at best.  There is precedent, the SS France, of similar vintage, enjoyed 20 additional years of life as the cruise ship Norway, but not without two additional decks and much updating.

Which brings up my second concern: Genting also owns Norwegian Cruise Line which operated the Norway. After a boiler explosion rendered her inoperable, her owners claimed she was being brought to Asia for repairs, but in fact were accused of duping the German government when their real intention was to scrap her.  Under the Basel Convention, she would not be permitted to leave the EU without a plan in place to remove the asbestos and other hazards present throughout her interiors.  NCL actually purchased the United States once before with very similar intentions to the ones being proposed now, but determined it was not feasible.  It remains to be explained what is different this time.

Even if they are successful, I and the others who paid to keep her alive these recent years are still likely to be short-changed.  As a hotel and museum, she would have been accessible to millions of people including those who appreciate her history.  Instead she will become a playground for the super-rich, and the rest of us will be left waving from the shore.

Memories from the Hringvegur

In June of 1998, my dad and I went to Iceland, just the two of us. We had absolutely no idea what we were doing. We rented a 4WD car and purchased a package from Icelandic Farm Holidays that allowed you to pick any participating property from a book for four nights' accommodation. The only catch was you couldn't book it more than 24 hours ahead. So we looked at the Hringvegur, the road that encircles the island, and broke it into near-equal pieces. Our first and last night were spent in hotels in Reykjavik.

So on day two, we set out, counter-clockwise along the coast. Everything seemed great, until about 100 miles from the city, when the pavement ended. After that, it was like driving up someone's farm driveway for the next ten hours. Where the volcano had come through, they graded the lava, put new reflectors up, and that was the road. Where there were hills, they salted the dirt in an attempt to keep it from freezing. Only problem with that was that sheep would come lick the road because they liked the salt. Sheep wander free throughout a district during growing season; and by law if you hit one it's on you to find the owner and compensate hir. I had no intention of hitting any sheep. That would be cruel, and messy. I had no idea what kind of insurance we had, but I suspected disentangling sheep innards from the radiator wasn't covered. Thus, slow going.

Plus, the landscape was profoundly beautiful in a way that no-place we'd been before could have prepared us for. My dad commented "I've never doubted that the space program was real, but--seeing this place--I understand how someone might think the moon footage was faked."

Periodically you would see a sign saying something like "Kirkjubæjarklaustur 249". That's a real place. I've been, but I can't pronounce it, and I don't know what it means. Kirk means "church" so it's least possible that it translates to "The Church of the Poison Mind," but I doubt it. However, knowing how many kilometers away it is doesn't help much when you don't what the road is going to be like. It would be better measured in hours. Or sheep.

It was quite late by the time we arrived at our first farm, outside a town called Höfn (but pronounced "hop"). Höfn means "harbor" ... one great thing about Iceland is that place names are generally descriptive. So anyplace that ends in "höfn" is likely to have boats. There is generally an adjective attached (i.e., Reykjavik means "smoky bay") but not so in this case. We later visited a lake called Myvatn that was invested with gnats, and I later found out the name means "gnat lake". See? Easy!

We slept well, and when we got up the next morning we headed into Höfn proper for some gas and snacks, only to hear a rhythmic thumping from the front right tire as soon as we hit the paved town streets. I pulled over to check it out, and discovered a hex bolt had embedded itself in the tire sometime the day before. Luckily, the tire had held, but we didn't want to chance driving on it any further.

Luckily, according to the map from the rental car company, they had an agent right in Höfn! We located it on the map and headed there, only to discover the address in question was a house on a residential street with nobody around. Not sure what else to do, we stopped at a business (a propane merchant as it happened) to ask for guidance.

Most people in Iceland know at least some English, but the further you get from Reykjavik, their fluency diminishes. And we knew about as much Icelandic as I shared above. Everybody whom we met was glad to communicate with us, though, and this woman was no exception. She listened to my sad tale and laughed when I got to the point about the deserted house.

"He is also police chief," she told me. "First you go to coffee shop. If he is not in coffee shop, try police station!" That sounded about right! She explained how to find it on a town map, which she handed me. I took out my wallet to pay for the map, and she said "Oh no, is free; you take!"

Grateful for her advice, I wanted to buy something. I saw she had a coffee machine, and asked if I could have a cup. She nodded and disappeared, and came back bearing a tray with a cloth napkin, china cup and saucer, matching pitcher of milk and bowl with sugar cubes wrapped in paper. It looked more like something you'd get from room service in a nice hotel (for $12 plus tip) than a gas station waiting room; I pictured the grungy Mr. Coffee with Styrofoam cups and can of powdered "milk" that a place like this would have at home.

I took my wallet out, ready to pay for the coffee, and she waved me away. "Is free; you take!" Seriously, lady? You're not making this easy on me. I wondered if I was going to head back to the car with one of the backyard grills they were selling and tell my dad, "Don't ask questions!"

We followed the propane lady's instructions and found the coffee shop. Our man wasn't there, so we tried the police station. He wasn't there, either, but they got him on the radio and told them our problem. We were directed to a nearby garage, where they quickly changed the tire. No money was exchanged there, either; apparently the chief was good for it.

All of this was in such stark contrast to what we were used to, and a pleasant surprise given some of our previous travel adventures. We returned eleven years later with my mom and a family friend and had a similarly positive experience. As Iceland gets "discovered" by Westerners, some of whom have already been causing problems in heavy tourist areas, I hope this is one aspect of it that doesn't change.

 
"Sunset on Höfn Harbor" by Emmanuel Milou
Used by Creative Commons License. Some Rights Reserved.

I Will Not Forget

Nicholas Ferrar - Deacon (1637)
[Charles de Foucauld - Hermit & Servant of the Poor (1916)]
World AIDS Day

“There's a sadness, written on her pretty face
A sadness all her own, 

from which no man can keep Candy safe”

- SPRINGSTEEN

Jimmy loved junk food.

He could put away whole boxes of Hostess cakes, although you wouldn't know it to look at him. I don't remember why I know that; he must have told me at some point.  I used to flirt with him at our local bar, where we were both regulars.  He was a cutey, after all, but he always had a little bit of a sad edge to his smile. I wish I had a picture of him. We had no interaction outside of the bar, and I just stopped seeing him there at some point.

Jimmy died 20 years ago. He couldn't have been more than 30 or so, maybe younger. I can't find any record of his funeral, but I see his parents and his only brother all died since then and his death is noted in their obituaries.  I know where they were buried so maybe I'll go sometime and see if he's there, too.

Gaston had no such sadness about him: he was full of energy.  A wrestler in high school, he still lifted weights and looked it. When he was not DJing at that same bar, he also helped renovate it.  My love affair with Jeep Wranglers began with him: he had a nice blue one with all kinds of mods. I got to ride in it once: he took me to a Marky Mark concert after I won the tickets on the radio. I was afraid to drive in the city then, and still don't like to.

Gaston disappeared, too, but that happens in a bar. I found out later through a friend that he was also gone. He did have a picture of him for me, though, in his graduation suit.   I still have it.

The bar used to have plaques on the wall for a bartender who kept working there long after he he'd been diagnosed with cancer, and one of the drag performers who also died a few years ago.  I asked if Gaston would ever get one, but it was so long ago, there are probably few people still there who would recognize him.

For years I have helped a dear friend of mine borrow and display some panels from the quilt.  Not enough people were coming to see it, though, and people in the place where we hung it said it made them sad to look at it, especially at Christmastime.  My friend bore the expense single-handedly, and it was a lot of work for us and another friend of his to go get the panels out of the chilly storage facility where they live most of the time, put them up and take them down, so we didn't do it this year. But we would still do it, somewhere, if people would come see.

Last year, I resolved to make, or--more accurately--commission, a quilt panel for Gaston. I know he doesn't have one, because you can check.  As it happens, a year later, I haven't gotten anywhere with that.  I feel bad about it, and I still want to do it.

I don't know enough about Jimmy to make one for him, really.  Not yet, but I'll keep trying to find someone who does. I don't think he wants to be remembered by a box of Ho-Hos, although I could always get to see that smile by teasing him about it.

A young guy told me today that World AIDS Day doesn't really speak to him "just because I'm gay" and pointed out that men like him are no longer the largest group of new infections. I know this is thanks in part to the drugs, but I wish the pharma companies didn't make it sound in their commercials like HIV was reduced to a minor inconvenience for those lucky enough to afford their products.

I didn't argue with my young friend. He didn't know guys like Gaston and Jimmy, and he didn't live with the fear that we did.  Because of them, we got tested.  Because of them, we stopped taking chances.  Because of them, we're here.

So because of them, I will not forget.

Holocaust Survivor Helen Paktor: "I Wanted to Live."

Twenty Fourth Sunday After Pentecost
Kristallnacht (1938)

This was a weekend of broken glass.

On Friday, one of my friends made us a wonderful dinner. Roast chicken, haricorts verts sauteed with garlic and lime, and a whole tray of yams baked over shredded coconut. He treats us to feasts like this quite often, as do many of the gifted cooks we know, probably because they know we are not that handy in the kitchen. 

As he was cleaning up, the pan, slick with sweet syrup, slipped from his hands and crashed to their new tile floor, exploding into a million pieces.  The floor survived, but I wasn't sure if I was sadder about: the pan or the loss of those leftover yams!  We hurried to clean it up before their dog accidentally stepped on some glass or--worse--tried to lick up the mess.

Yesterday, another celebration, other friends' son turned ten, and a houseful of people with more food and drink than we could safely consume. "I always have nightmares that there won't be enough," she once confided in me. Later in the evening, while a few of us were making some music, someone accidentally dropped a drink. CRASH! More shards everywhere, and a puddle to clean up.

Today, however, the broken glass existed only in the abstract.  My friends at St. Peter's Episcopal Church in Clifton, N.J. chose the 77th anniversary of Kristallnacht "the night of broken glass" to observe their annual remembrance of the victims of the Holocaust by inviting Helen Paktor, who survived that experience, to speak to us.

Helen Paktor (right) with her daughter
Jeanette Mahler and Dr. Jacob Lindenthal
PHOTO CREDIT: Dr. Jacob Lindenthal

The talk was introduced by Dr. Jacob Lindenthal, who serves a professor in the Department of Psychiatry at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School in Newark.  Dr. Lindenthal interpreted for us a series of photographs he took at Auschwitz.  Coming from a family who lost loved ones in the camps, he recalled shaking with emotion when seeing the railroad tracks leading into it, to the point where he dropped one of his cameras, a vintage Leica.  He described meeting Helen Paktor, the guest of honor, during the last year and developing a strong kinship based on their mutual experience of loss.

Helen Paktor was born in Tarnow, Poland, in 1925.  Her parents worked in the dressmaking industry for which the area was known. She was 14 when German troops invaded her town, rounding up her family among the other local Jews and herding them into the city's ghetto, where they were subjected to forced labor and unprovoked violence, while their homes were pillaged. Her father  was killed, and she and her mother were separated from her brother and sent to the first of three concentration camps.

Helen told us matter-of-factly about how the prisoners were treated. Brutality was a daily occurrence, and there was the constant white smoke from the crematoriums.  They were forced to work 10-12 hour days on just crumbs of bread and "soup" that was little more than hot water. Helen and her mother were lucky to be together, as they helped one another survive. She told us of sleeping top-to-toe so they could warm one another's frostbitten feet under their arms.  On their third encounter with "Doctor Death" Josef Mangele, who personally inspected prisoners' left arms to see if they retained enough muscle tone to be fit for work, Helen was worried her frail-looking mother would be singled out for execution, so--by prior arrangement--she "stumbled" forward and pushed her mother, creating a distraction. 

The ploy worked, and both women lived to see the day Soviet troops liberated the camp. The guards had actually abandoned it ahead of the advancing army, but electrified the gates to prevent the prisoners from escaping.

Helen and her mother returned to their hometown and she tried for years to locate her brother, traveling as far as Italy, only to discover that he, too, had been killed.  They emigrated to America in the 1950s, her mother first, then Helen a year later.  She married and had two children, and lives in Livingston today.

The range of questions people ask Helen is amazing, and unfortunately in some cases reveals the ignorance that many Americans have about this dark period in human history. She does not mince words in her replies.  When asked how she responds when she learns about Holocaust deniers, Helen pointed at the numbers tattooed on her arm and asked "Why would any sane person do this to herself?"  A young man once asked if that was to help her remember her address.  She said no, it was to help him remember what the Nazis had done.  She was also asked if she'd consider having the tattoo removed since it was a constant reminder of the horrors she had witnessed and endured. "As if I needed a visual to be reminded."  Someone else asked, "Did you ever consider suicide in the camps?" She looked us for a long moment before replying firmly, "No. I wanted to live."

Understandably, there is still much anger in Helen's voice when she talks about the Nazis. She testified at a trial in Munich for some camp officials, but said very little was done to punish them.  According to Lawrence Rees, author of Auschwitz, A New History (2005) only 12% of the camp's 7,500 staff were ever brought to justice, and many of the sentences were trivial.

Helen brightens when discussing the heritage and contributions of the Jewish people. She shared that--despite being about 1% of the world population--Jews have won 22% of all Nobel Prizes. It is important to her that this history and heritage is passed down.  She  spent time last year with a young man named Andy Antiles as part of his preparation for Bar Mitvah. Andy writes about his experience here.  

Helen's daughter Jeanette was with her at today's event, and they both expressed profound gratitude for the expression of humanity offered by the people of St. Peter's. They were  moved to tears by the choir chanting the ancient Hebrew prayer "Ani Ma-Amin" ("I Believe") during the morning's Eucharist, which was Helen's first time attending a worship service in other than a synagogue.

In conclusion, Helen read aloud from an essay "Concerning the Jews" written by Mark Twain and published in Harper's in 1897. Twain who--having just spent time in Austria--perhaps saw the signs of what was to come.

"The Egyptian, the Babylonian, and the Persian rose, filled the planet with sound and splendor, then faded to dream-stuff and passed away; the Greek and the Roman followed, and made a vast noise, and they are gone; other peoples have sprung up and held their torch high for a time, but it burned out, and they sit in twilight now, or have vanished. The Jew saw them all, beat them all, and is now what he always was, exhibiting no decadence, no infirmities of age, no weakening of his parts, no slowing of his energies, no dulling of his alert and aggressive mind. All things are mortal but the Jew; all other forces pass, but he remains. What is the secret of his immortality?"

At age 90, Helen's continued strength of spirit is a clue to that secret.

Abridged versions of this post were republished in the Voice of the Episcopal Diocese of Newark, and in the December 2015 edition of The Episcopal Journal.

Keeping Persecution in Perspective

Kristallnacht (1938)

This morning's groggy scan of the Face-space feed revealed that the annual "Keep-My-Christ-in-Your-Christmas" sanctimony has--like the onslaught of reminders to get out there and shop--crept yet earlier. I'm convinced that in my lifetime we will start seeing ads for next Christmas before this Christmas is over.  Of course the important season of Advent gets completely lost in the tide, but that's a rant for another day.

This time the outrage de l'année is because That Omnipresent Coffee Company -- having dispensed its last not-actually-pumpkin spice latte for the year--has gone with a plain red motif for its disposable cups during not-really-peppermint season.  That's right! No Santa Claus, no tree, and, shamefully, no Baby Jesus, surrounded by adoring animals.  So you must boycott, and you must tell everyone.  Because this is a Christian country, by golly, and we've got to make sure nobody forgets!

The irony that this is being held up as an example of "religious persecution" on the 77th anniversary of Kristallnacht simply cannot be overstated.  More on that later today.

The fact that this is getting any traction whatsoever suggests American Christians as a group have become so warped by privilege, that we confuse any thwarted attempt to impose our beliefs on the greater society as "persecution".  And let's be clear. It's not like Allyourbucks used to have Christian images on their cups and abruptly took them away.  If you want to be outraged at them, why not check out their resistance to label GMO ingredients on their products, or the fact that we're still using so many throw-away cups at all?

The Rev. Emily C. Heath summed up my reaction so well that I was hesitant to write about this topic at all:

"Do you think Jesus would rather we remember his birthday by putting it on a coffee cup that’s going in the trash? Or would he rather we remember it by no longer treating one another as disposable?"

I could not say that any better, and I commend her entire post to you. I actually lament the commercial bonanza that Christmas has become, and the fact that--to get us in the mood to spend--we're surrounded by saccharine schlock so early so that we're sick of it by the time the actually holiday  arrives. But any one of us could choose to walk away from all that and observe the season--or don't--however we please.

I did, however, resort to arcane sacristy-rat humor to further point out just how ridiculous this whole manufactured snub truly is:

A Proclamation to the Outraged:

The Feast of Christ the King not being for several weeks, and thusly the season of Advent to follow, any talk of red cups (other than for the movable feast of Beer Pong) is verily premature.

Ye are reminded that the acceptable and orthodox cup choice of the day remains consistent with the weeks After Pentecost, known by our Roman friends as Ordinary Time.

This message (was not) brought to you by the Homer Laughlin China Company, manufacturers of Fiestaware. With Fiestaware, there's no excuse for sloppy orthodoxy on your table!

Whoever has ears to hear, let them hear

I was struck this week by two passages we read in my Education for Ministry seminar, both quotes of Lloyd Steffen, Chaplain at Lehigh University in Philadelphia.

The first is to do with listening.  How often have we been speaking to someone and realized from their body language or their response that they were not so much listening as waiting for their turn to talk? How often have we realized someone has asked us something and we don't know what it was because our mind was somewhere else?  Steffen suggests there is more to this than laziness or narcissism:

“The ability to listen depends not in the first place on any particular skill or technique, but on a fundamental respect for one’s partner in conversation. Listening is thus a moral act. Listening is an act of attending to the other that discloses the strangeness of otherness, disrupting our comfortable self-images and threatening to undo our everyday experience of ourselves (and others) as familiar and basically unified personalities. Not listening becomes a way of securing ourselves from encounter with the mystery of otherness. Listening exposes us to our own desires not to want to share of ourselves. Listeners are required not only to welcome the strangeness of the other but to risk self-disclosure in the act of listening, for the listener must at some point recognize and then expose to the other his or her own strangeness—and not only to the other but to one’s own self.”

This can be damaging enough on the interpersonal level, but what about what is going on in the universal church? The recent discourse around what constitutes "religious freedom" in a pluralistic society demonstrates what happens when Christians can no longer count on the privilege of assuming the political and social norms are in line with their own... or even that their fellow Christians will agree with them on what those norms should be.  How do we find a way forward when we can't even hear one another above the noise in our own heads?

“We are in need of a theology of listening, for a willingness to listen ultimately expresses an attitude of love. Christians believe that Jesus listened to God and to those he encountered in his daily life. We do neither. If we listened to one another we should be inviting one another into new forms of relationship based on openness and respect and a willingness to share ourselves. If we listened for God, we should spend our time not praying for ourselves but listening to our prayers to see what we are saying not to God but to ourselves. The heart is a great mystery. Christians believe that God knows the human heart (and we do not), for that heart is where God’s omniscience lies. God does not need to be informed about our wants and needs. It is we who need to know what we want, what we fear, what we love.”

The bolded bits struck me particularly. We have all been the recipient of mass prayer requests for this or that cause, generally with a specific requested outcome. Pope Francis recently decried the notion of God as magician... how is one left to feel when one's request is not granted?

When you agree to pray for a third party, what are you really doing beyond repeating the obvious desired result (wellness, a job offer, etc.)? Is it like opening multiple trouble tickets for the same problem, where your wish might get granted because it seems to be popular?  If non-believers see our notion of God as a cosmic suggestion box, for which we'd have only ourselves to blame, it is small wonder that they don't take people of faith seriously; it would be a very simplistic, childish view of a god, and difficult to defend when things don't turn out according to the script.

So should we stop praying for those people?  Certainly not. We agreed that a more beneficial form of prayer is to reflect on the situation and our own response to it... how can we "be Christ" in the situation for the people affected?  Knowing that giant unseen cheering squad is out there certainly can have a positive effect on a person's state of mind, the impact of which in situations requiring confidence and healing should not be understated.

If nothing else, we can pray to become better listeners.