As I read the news, see the pictures and hear from friends in Egypt my heart is heavy and I am grieving. I want to share with you some of what I have seen and heard.
A friend of mine who is now a priest was traveling by car on Wednesday when knife-wielding men saw him inside and moved toward the car to attack it. He was saved by a fast-thinking and fast-moving driver who speed out of danger and told him to remove his black cassock. Today this same priest told me that priests in Egypt fear being led like sheep to the slaughter. Lord have mercy.
Christians in Egypt are watching their churches, organizations, Coptic-owned businesses and homes being attacked, desecrated and burned while security forces do nothing. They wonder if the land that God sent the Holy Family to for protection and where Christians have lived for nearly 2000 years will continue to be a land where Christians are welcome, protected and cared for. Lord have mercy.
Much of the violence has taken place in Upper Egypt (south of Cairo) where many of my students and their families live. I cannot imagine the fear, devastation and anger they must feel on this day of the Assumption, which is one of the great feast days in Egypt. Churches across Egypt canceled masses and celebrations today out of fear that worshippers would be attacked. Lord have mercy.
In my grief and sadness, here's what I'm doing:
Praying - I continue to pray for a return of safety, security and peace in Egypt. I also pray for my friends and their families that they will know that they are not alone, that they are held in the palm of God's hand and that their brothers and sisters in Christ around the globe are holding them close. I felt the power of your prayers when I was in Egypt earlier this summer and I believe that our prayers will be known by our brothers and sisters in Egypt.
Listening - I read, watch and listen to everything I can about Egypt, especially how our Christian brothers and sisters are being affected. I do this to gain information but I also do it try to expand my understanding. Here's one blog in English that has been attempting to document the extent of violence that has taken place against Coptic sites in Egypt. It's easy to become inured to the violence and destruction but when I see pictures of stunned faces, when I watch a video of a man trying to guard his church, when I hear friends say they fear being killed, I am reminded that this is not merely a "situation." Real lives are at stake. Fathers and mothers, brothers and sisters, daughters and sons are being killed and wounded and we cannot escape the impact of these actions even if we want to.
http://nilerevolt.wordpress.com/2013/08/14/1198/
Taking Responsibility - I take great care to remind myself that what is unfolding in Egypt is not the responsibility or fault of Islam but the responsibility of those who corrupt their faith by replacing it with idols of power and control and scapegoating groups of people, regardless of their religion. I also work to understand the role that outside forces, including my own government, may have in shaping the violence that is unfolding in Egypt. In my Lutheran understanding of sin I must admit my own culpability and confess my sin in "thought, word and deed, by what I have done and by what I have left undone." How have I failed to understand the ways that America's foreign policy impacts others across the globe? How often have I settled for slow and unsatisfactory responses from my government rather than speaking about about what I know and believe to be true?
I hope you will join me in these activities. Frankly it would be easier if I asked you to give money (I am working on a way to do that and to offer assistance to those dioceses, churches and organizations that have been destroyed and burned). I know what happens when we open our ears to hearing the stories of our neighbors and open our eyes to looking at their bruised and broken bodies. When we do this we realize that we are gazing on Christ and our hearts and minds are opened in new ways as well and we are forever changed.
Today is the Feast of the Assumption, a widely-celebrated feast in Egypt. On this day the assigned gospel reading is Mary's song of praise to the Mighty One who has done great things. May Mary's song, sung in a moment of fear and uncertainty, ring in the hearts of all who grieve today.
A friend of mine who is now a priest was traveling by car on Wednesday when knife-wielding men saw him inside and moved toward the car to attack it. He was saved by a fast-thinking and fast-moving driver who speed out of danger and told him to remove his black cassock. Today this same priest told me that priests in Egypt fear being led like sheep to the slaughter. Lord have mercy.
Christians in Egypt are watching their churches, organizations, Coptic-owned businesses and homes being attacked, desecrated and burned while security forces do nothing. They wonder if the land that God sent the Holy Family to for protection and where Christians have lived for nearly 2000 years will continue to be a land where Christians are welcome, protected and cared for. Lord have mercy.
 |
| Photos of St. Teresa Church (Franciscan), Assiut, Egypt |
Much of the violence has taken place in Upper Egypt (south of Cairo) where many of my students and their families live. I cannot imagine the fear, devastation and anger they must feel on this day of the Assumption, which is one of the great feast days in Egypt. Churches across Egypt canceled masses and celebrations today out of fear that worshippers would be attacked. Lord have mercy.
In my grief and sadness, here's what I'm doing:
Praying - I continue to pray for a return of safety, security and peace in Egypt. I also pray for my friends and their families that they will know that they are not alone, that they are held in the palm of God's hand and that their brothers and sisters in Christ around the globe are holding them close. I felt the power of your prayers when I was in Egypt earlier this summer and I believe that our prayers will be known by our brothers and sisters in Egypt.
Listening - I read, watch and listen to everything I can about Egypt, especially how our Christian brothers and sisters are being affected. I do this to gain information but I also do it try to expand my understanding. Here's one blog in English that has been attempting to document the extent of violence that has taken place against Coptic sites in Egypt. It's easy to become inured to the violence and destruction but when I see pictures of stunned faces, when I watch a video of a man trying to guard his church, when I hear friends say they fear being killed, I am reminded that this is not merely a "situation." Real lives are at stake. Fathers and mothers, brothers and sisters, daughters and sons are being killed and wounded and we cannot escape the impact of these actions even if we want to.
http://nilerevolt.wordpress.com/2013/08/14/1198/
Taking Responsibility - I take great care to remind myself that what is unfolding in Egypt is not the responsibility or fault of Islam but the responsibility of those who corrupt their faith by replacing it with idols of power and control and scapegoating groups of people, regardless of their religion. I also work to understand the role that outside forces, including my own government, may have in shaping the violence that is unfolding in Egypt. In my Lutheran understanding of sin I must admit my own culpability and confess my sin in "thought, word and deed, by what I have done and by what I have left undone." How have I failed to understand the ways that America's foreign policy impacts others across the globe? How often have I settled for slow and unsatisfactory responses from my government rather than speaking about about what I know and believe to be true?
I hope you will join me in these activities. Frankly it would be easier if I asked you to give money (I am working on a way to do that and to offer assistance to those dioceses, churches and organizations that have been destroyed and burned). I know what happens when we open our ears to hearing the stories of our neighbors and open our eyes to looking at their bruised and broken bodies. When we do this we realize that we are gazing on Christ and our hearts and minds are opened in new ways as well and we are forever changed.
Today is the Feast of the Assumption, a widely-celebrated feast in Egypt. On this day the assigned gospel reading is Mary's song of praise to the Mighty One who has done great things. May Mary's song, sung in a moment of fear and uncertainty, ring in the hearts of all who grieve today.
"God's mercy is for those who fear him from generation to generation. He has shown strength with his arm; he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts. He has brought down the powerful from their thrones, and lifted up the lowly; he has filled the hungry with good things, and sent the rich away empty. He has helped his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy, according to the promise he made to our ancestors, to Abraham and to his descendants forever."
