C is for
Challenge
And the challenge is to you, gentle reader. See whether you can come up
with a nine-word sentence whose words begin with these letters,
respectively,
C-R-O-S-S-I-N-G-S.
Here is a sample: "Could Rudolf Otto Scare Sinners In New Guinea? Sure."
R is for
Retro-Specking
Here the relevant biblical text is Jesus' teaching about the speck and the
log. "Why do you see the speck in your neighbor's eye, but do not notice
the log in your own eye? Or how can you say to your neighbor, 'Let me take
the speck out of your eye,' while the log is in your own eye? You
hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see
clearly to take the speck out of your neighbor's eye." (Mt. 7: 3-5) This
speck-to-log maneuver is a basic axiom for any Christian ethics.
O is for
Outsider
This is the story of a Cuban Catholic priest in the Franciscan order who
decided to "laicize." It was during a time of soul searching when many
were questioning their vocations. The little priest decided he could make
ends meet by teaching. This seemed to fit the call to preach, and
certainly he had a wealth of knowledge from which to share. He was a
Doctor, after all, of Philosophy.
S-S is for
Shalom Sharing
That much of the story is factually true and, I might add, that is all
there is to the story as far as I know it. I have no idea how the priest
dealt with the pain of his conscience, but I have a good idea of what might
have -- should have! -- happened, had I been aware of the problem earlier
in the story. A better ending, as a Christian imagination fantasizes it,
might have gone something like the following.
I is for
Introducing
the next editor of this newsletter, Todd Murken. He is the unanimous
choice of The Crossings Community's Board of Directors -- my unanimous
choice, too. He begins his duties officially with the next issue but,
unwilling to wait that long to show him off, we asked him to say a few
words now already by way of self-introduction. (See his remarks under N, G
and S.) Yet now that I've read what he wrote I fear he misunderstood the
assignment. Or on second thought, did I?
N is for
New
Which do you like to be: the new person or the old hand? Is it better to
lead or follow, precede or succeed? Would you rather be the warm-up act or
the headliner? Maybe it depends upon who is your counterpart: who precedes
or succeeds you. For example the priest, in the preceding piece, in his
popularity would be a tough act to follow. But subsequent to his
embezzlement, anyone who came next would look good.
G is for
Greatness
"Later lesser" cannot help but be a put-down. Following a great shows you
to be a lesser.
S is for
Success
But isn't that, or something like that, what we are counting on? Aren't we
putting our whole selves, like a gambler putting his entire stake on one
roulette number, on the idea that following a Great One, though he makes us
look bad by comparison, is the way to look good in the End -- really,
really good?
