Iwo Jima

I have now seen both of Clint Eastwood's excellent movies - Flags of our Fathers and Letters from Iwo Jima. The latter tells the story of the battle for Iwo Jima from the pov of the Japanese. It is heart rending, personal and very human. The sterotypes are opened up so we see the flesh and bones and souls (and honour and suicide and nationalism) of the soldiers.

Just the idea of the two films - seeing both sides, telling both stories - is so hopeful. If only more of that would happen we'd find peace a little easier !

Mothers and Nuns

Last week I raed about Sister Alicia Domon, a religious sister who was "disappeared" by the Argentine military. Her death, and that of others who stood beside the Madres ( that is the mothers) of the disappeared, gave rise to jokes about flying nuns. They used to drop them out of aeroplanes.

Slowly I am getting through the big yellow book that is Naomi Klein's The Shock Doctrine. It chronicles the rise of Friedman economics, the neo-liberal and how such economic "liberalisation" needs social repression. Around 14,000 civilians were killed or disappeared in Argentina between 1976 and 1983. The mothers and a few brave nuns stood against the brutality.
The picture of one of these brave women is from their website.

Spe Salvi

Spe salvi facti sumus says St Paul to the Roman, - "in hope we were saved" and I have been glancing at the new Encyclical from Pope Benedict with this title.

The first thing I notice is that is readable. It is not too dense but written in an almost conversational style.

Christian hope is surely what we are about. If we don't have it then what are we about and what are we for. Yet hope cannot be manufactured, it has to be believed, experienced. It comes as a gift.

There are some good articles this week on climate change and the talks in Bali. George Monbiot wrote a powerful piece in the Guardian yesterday. Certainly Christian hope is not going to be easy in the context we live in but it is hope and transformation of ourselves and the world that we are called towards.

My New Position

What a night as I was licensed and installed last night as Priest in Charge of St Mary's Church West Derby. It was a night to remember with many many people there and much good welcome. Bishop David gave a good sermon and the music was tremendous - especially Jerusalem, my favourite hymn.

Chris Rowland wrote a very good piece recently in the Guardian - follow the link at the side of this page on my some links section. Blake would not have read the Bible in the same way as some do. I was reminded of this by an excellent talk by a speaker from Sabeel about the current situation in Israel/Palestine. The situation is not good, as we know but the talk and film showed the human cost of forced displacement. One man we heard of had had his home demolised 4 times !

Here's hoping for that Jerusalem - a place of just and peaceful hope for all