Healing Peace Revisited

American Cemetery

Colville-Sur-Mer, Normandy, France

Blessed are the peacemakers,
for they will be called children of God.

Matthew 5:9(NIV)

Most of the time we pray for peace in the middle of wars, large and small.  In battlefields we erect museums and memorials and call for peace.  Usually there is no clear articulation of the prerequisites for Healing Peace. Here are two books that are exceptions: 

In his recent book, “Cherished Belonging” by Greg Boyle, we are introduced to a Christian answer that happens within a very violent environment.  He describes how tribalism can be replaced with a deeper connectedness between former enemies.  What is remarkable is how these responses have cross-cultural parallels in the words, “mitzvah”, “jeong” and “ubuntu”.  These are good words that describe the different dimensions of our connectedness and the prerequisites for Healing Peace. 

The other exception is Eleni Stecopoulos’s book, “Dreaming in the Fault Zone: a Poetics of Healing”.  She describes the interconnectedness of ancient and modern healing traditions with the art of words used to describe the healing.   It is a powerful critique of our recent experience with the Covid 19 pandemic, our post pandemic state as well as her search for healing.  We need to find those words that connect and tell the stories of healing and loss. 

In this season of advent we welcome Healing Peace when we connect again our current stories with the heritage of those larger stories and ideas. 

Shalom,

Marvin 

References 

Boyle, G. (2024). Cherished Belonging. Simon and Schuster.

Stecopoulos, E. (2024). Dreaming in the Fault Zone: a Poetics of Healing. 

Hage, M. L. (2012). Healing Peace.

http://healingagents.blogspot.com/2012/06/healing-peace.html 

Hage, M. L. (2012). Thoughts. 

http://healingagents.blogspot.com/2012/10/thoughts.html 

Hage, M. L. (2015). Going Far Together. 

http://healingagents.blogspot.com/2015/03/going-far-together.html 

Hage, M. L. (2020). Finding Joy. 

http://healingagents.blogspot.com/2020/01/finding-joy.html

 

Hage, M. L. (2023). Pandemic Mourning. 

http://healingagents.blogspot.com/2023/10/pandemic-mourning.html 

Hope Adventure

“Hope” by Robert Indiana, 2008

And now these three remain: faith, hope and love.

1 Corinthians 13:13 (NIV)

It was late in the evening some sixteen hours after leaving Raleigh when we arrived at La Esperanza, Honduras (1994). It was a small hotel that was dark.  We really didn’t know where we were, but wherever, it was very different than any place we had ever been before.  We did know that we were tired, so sleep came easier than you might expect being in such a strange place.  The paradox of La Esperanza is that it is the city of Hope.  We would see hope in some desperate places not far away.   This was the beginning of a new medical educational elective at Duke University Medical School, “Exploring Medicine”.

My life as an obstetrician has been intimately associated with waiting!  It is a task that can be understood as passive(noun) and active(verb).  I have come to most appreciate “hope” when it is active.   I think hope is best understood as “active waiting”.  It can be an individual response but is best done with others.  It is best experienced with the other action verbs of “love” and “faith”.  These are not possessions but are actions.

So as we begin this advent season of “active waiting”.  May we find hope in the actions of others.  May we find hope in the celebrations that we have taken for granted.  May we see hope in the faithful responses to a world filled with uncertainty!

Living in Hope is a promise this advent season.  It is what we saw and experienced in La Esperanza.  It can be born this advent season where ever you are in living into the promises of Hope.

Marvin

References

Hage, M. L. (2010). Healing Agents: Christian Perspectives Second Edition (2 ed.). CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform.

Hage, M. L. (2012). Awaiting “Good News”.

http://healingagents.blogspot.co.ke/2012/12/awaiting-good-news.html

Healing Wisdom

“A New/Old Path”

Personal Photo, Pinehurst, North Carolina

Real wisdom, God’s wisdom, begins with a holy life and is characterized by getting along with others. It is gentle and reasonable, overflowing with mercy and blessings, not hot one day and cold the next, not two-faced. You can develop a healthy, robust community that lives right with God and enjoy its results only if you do the hard work of getting along with each other, treating each other with dignity and honor.  

James 3:17-18 (MSG)

It was an unlikely coincidence that the release of Francis Collin’s new book, The Road to Wisdom was released the week when the lectionary for Sunday, September 22, 2024 would include the pursuit of wisdom.(James 3:13-18).  What is more remarkable is that book makes a specific call for “healing”.  It didn’t take me long to purchase this book.

As a world renowned scientist, Francis Collins carefully examines the impact of the Covid pandemic on American and global health.  He provides personal reports with the data.  He believes deeply that this is more than science and describes in detail his faith filled responses.  He ends this book with a “Pledge” and a beautiful benediction.

The healing wisdom he describes is difficult and requires humility to start on a road of healing.  He connects his faith request with examples of institutions and individuals who apply this holy wisdom to earthly issues of isolation, loneliness and cynicism.  It is a prescription for healing the deep wounds of the Covid 19 pandemic.  The “broken road” is being repaired by the works of many people of faith.

Thanks be to God for Healing Wisdom and the faith of Francis Collins.

“If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.”  James 1:5

References

Collins, F. S. (2024). The Road to Wisdom. Little, Brown.

Braver Angels  Road to Wisdom Pledge

https://braverangels.org/road-to-wisdom-pledge/

Selected Posts on the Covid Pandemic

Hage, M. L. (2020). M & M - “Who’s Presenting?”.

https://healingagents.blogspot.com/2020/03/m-m-whos-presenting.html?

Hage, M. L. (2020). Healing Faith.

http://healingagents.blogspot.com/2020/06/healing-faith.html

Hage, M. L. (2021). All is Grace.

http://healingagents.blogspot.com/2021/01/all-is-grace.html

Hage, M. L. (2023). Pandemic Mourning.

http://healingagents.blogspot.com/2023/10/pandemic-mourning.html

Hage, M. L. (2024). Healing Disconnections.

http://healingagents.blogspot.com/2024/05/healing-disconnections.html

Remembering Together

“Special Sauce”  Ingredients

Personal Photo - Holland’s Farmers Market

“The more we get together,

Together, together,

The more we get together,

The happier we'll be.

For your friends are my friends

And my friends are your friends.

The more we get together,

The happier we'll be.”

Lyrics of the song “The More We Get Together”

I just finished a recently published book, “Why We Remember”.  It offers insights into our everyday experiences of remembering and forgetting.  I was most excited to read the last chapter of the book, “When We Remember Together”.  It is in that chapter that I read about the “special sauce” that happens with our collective memories.

“The transformative effect of social interactions on life narratives 

might be the “special sauce” that explains

the efficacy of so many forms of psychotherapy”

Charan Ranganath

This past summer, I have done a lot of remembering together around events that have very long histories.  These events have centered around the celebration of the lives of friends and relatives.  Most importantly we celebrated their lives of faith and how they made a difference in the world we shared.  

What I experienced was not just the memories of the past but how these individual life events created a future.   We remembered more than just the events but the faith that was shared in the recitation of our core beliefs.  I left these remembering together events with a deeper appreciation of how our faith stories point to a future hope. It was the “special sauce” that made their deaths point to a future reality.

“Where, O death, is your victory?
    Where, O death, is your sting?”

1 Corinthians 15:55 (NIV)

Thanks be to God for the healing work of remembering together.

Marvin 

References

Ranganath, C. (2024). Why We Remember. (p. 180). Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.

Lyrics of the song “The More We Get Together”

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_More_We_Get_Together

Hage, M. L. (2019). Healing Memories.

http://healingagents.blogspot.com/2019/11/healing-memories.html

Epic Healing

The National Maternity Hospital, Dublin

Personal Photo, 8/9/26

EPIC The Irish Emigration Museum, Dublin

Personal Photo, 8/19/24

Upon arriving in Ireland, the "Land of Saints and Scholars," I found myself surrounded by captivating stories that not only preserved the past but also foretold future realities. These tales are deeply ingrained in the collective consciousness of the Irish people. Each day of my journey unveiled new and profound experiences that demanded thoughtful reflection.

After a red-eye flight, I stepped into the heart of Dublin, uncertain of my whereabouts yet eager to explore. Guided by a simple Google search, I discovered that I was merely a ten-minute walk from the National Maternity Hospital.

Elizabeth O’Farrell

Reception entrance - The National Maternity Hospital, Dublin

Inside, I encountered a plaque dedicated to Elizabeth O'Farrell, a woman previously unknown to me. As I delved into her story, I learned of her crucial role in the 1916 Easter Rising and her unwavering spirit, as she delivered the terms of surrender without conceding defeat.

The Book of Kells, folio 291f

Personal Photo

The following day, I was introduced to the Book of Kells, an exquisite illuminated manuscript of the Gospels. Created as an act of devotion and vocation in the 7th century, this treasure is just one of many cherished artifacts of the Irish people. 

As I continued my journey through Ireland, I encountered more profound stories of the nation's history and the vast Irish diaspora. These tales collectively weave a rich tapestry of epic and complex narratives centered on the pursuit of an abundant life.  

One summation was experienced in the EPIC museum at the end of our tour   It is the words of Ireland’s first woman president, Mary Robinson.

“In fact, I have become more convinced each year that this great narrative of dispossession and belonging, which so often had its origins in sorrow and leave-taking, has become, with a certain amount of historic irony, one of the treasures of our society. If that is so then our relation with the diaspora beyond our shores is one which can instruct our society in the values of diversity, tolerance and fair-mindedness.”

Mary Robinson, 7th  President of Ireland

The lives of Elizabeth O'Farrell and Mary Robinson, are testament to the epic narratives that inspire and sustain the people of this nation.  These stories continue to captivate the world.

To Ireland and its epic healing stories, I extend my deepest gratitude.

Marvin

References

Elizabeth O'Farrell

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elizabeth_O'Farrell

Moss, R. (2024) Uncovering the mysteries of The Book of Kells – from myopic monks on magic mushrooms to superhuman detail

https://theconversation.com/uncovering-the-mysteries-of-the-book-of-kells-from-myopic-monks-on-magic-mushrooms-to-superhuman-detail-221147

Cherishing the Irish Diaspora

President Mary Robinson on a matter of Public Importance 2 February 1995

https://president.ie/en/media-library/speeches/cherishing-the-irish-diaspora

Hage, M. L. (2023). Healing Myths.

http://healingagents.blogspot.com/2023/06/healing-myths.html