Chaplain and Pastoral Counseling Ministry
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Chaplain's Corner + Even the Thought is an Affront to God and Country
In mid-September 2011, various news outlets reported a ban on relatives and friends of wounded service personnel bringing bibles and other religious reading materials into Water Reed military hospital. The offensive statement reads: “No religious items (i.e. Bibles, reading material, and/or artifacts) are allowed to be given away or used during a visit.” [i] Due to an outcry from various religious groups, this egregious policy was rescinded by December 2011. Thank God for that! But the fact that such a policy was even thought of, let alone promulgated, is an affront to God and Country.
Religious freedom is guaranteed and protected by the Constitution of the United States itself. The first amendment of the Constitution reads: "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances." The operative term in the amendment regarding religion is making no law "prohibiting the free exercise thereof." In thinking up and initiating the now rescinded hospital policy, someone took it upon themselves to unilaterally interpret the words of the Constitution to impose on all 'freedom from religion' - which actually amounts to a prohibition of religion. An affront to our country and its religious tradition.
Antiochian Chaplain Fr. Stephan Close Reports From Afghanistan
Fr. Stephan CloseBishop Basil shares the letters of Fr. Stephan Close, Antiochian Chaplain and Lieutenant Colonel in the US Air Force recently assigned to Afghanistan.
Contact Fr. Stephan at frstphn@gmail.com, and Kh. Annette at annette_close@yahoo.com.
Entry 19, February 10
Your Grace and my Brothers in Christ: Sweeping the steps in a dusty desert is a metaphor for the priestly labor. Dust accumulates slowly, it is always there. It never amounts to much. Folks get used to it. Why bother sweeping? It will just be there again tomorrow - or in a few minutes. The one who sweeps gets the dirtiest. The sweeper is in the way of people who are busy and need to get by. Do I sweep for me or for them? Or is there a higher principle? When you sweep, it raises a cloud of dust; it looks pretty impressive; passers-by get irritated. If you sweep REALLY HARD, it raises a cloud of dust; and you can’t breathe. If you sweep REALLY HARD, it raises a cloud of dust; which then settles right back where it was. If you sweep REALLY HARD, it raises a cloud of dust and if the wind is blowing right it can be your neighbor’s problem. (Love your neighbor.) But if you sweep really gently, you can still breathe. If you sweep really gently, you can gather the dust and remove it. At the top of the stairs, it doesn’t seem like much. It is easy to sweep. By the time you get to the bottom it is a lot. By the time you get to the bottom, it is hard and you are tired and it would be easy to quit without finishing. The corner is the hardest part, the most dirt hides there the longest; sweeping isn’t effective, stabbing is required. It is hard to know when to quit; the sidewalk goes on and on. Remember me. Your brother, Stephan
Chaplain's Corner + Commitment for a New Year: Overcoming Rudeness
My January Chaplain's Corner article last year called New Year resolutions a “useless waste of mental and spiritual energy." More than ever, I want to make the same point. However, I want to substitute a more functional alternative: making a commitment. The word ‘commitment’ brings up notions such as a ‘binding’ course of action, allegiance, dedication and loyalty. What better way to start the new year than by re-committing ourselves to respecting the personhood of others by overcoming any ways we have slipped into unthinking habits of rudeness. The word respect derives from the Latin word rēspicere, which means, “to look back, pay attention to.” In this case, to pay attention in a Godly way to the person with whom you are interacting.
The highest value of what it means to be a person is told to us in Sacred Scripture in the Book of Genesis (1: 26), a book that is sacred to Christians, Hebrews and Moslems alike. We read, "Then God said, "Let us make man according to our image and according to our likeness."" The person, therefore, is an icon of God, a consequence of His creative act in making us a finite mirror of His Divinity. Our Eastern Church Fathers would consider the meaning of personhood to be in our relationship with both God and mankind. To make this practical, the more we become committed to respecting others, to really paying attention to them as persons, the more we become like God.
Chaplain's Corner: Remembrance of God
One of the benefits of the period between Thanksgiving and Christmas is that this could be the most “wonderful time of the year." Well, it could be, that is, if we were to adopt a Godly attitude and acquire a Godly spirit that would enliven the season, and hopefully that would last the whole year. This would mean re-orienting ourselves from self-centeredness, consumerism and celebration and instead placing our focus outside of ourselves: that is to say, toward God and the welfare of others.
The spiritual traditions of our country give ample witness to the ability do this. In previous columns I have called Thanksgiving our only real national “holyday;" a day on which we can give thanks to God for all the blessings we have received and share the food gifts we have been given with others, be they family, friends and or acquaintances. For Jewish people, the Hanukkah-Festival of Lights occurs within this season. It is celebrated, not in a raucous merriment, but with a Godly joy. For devout Jews, Hanukkah is both a family and communal affair in which God is thanked for His “mighty deeds and saving acts.” Among Black African-Americans Kwanzaa has been celebrated in recent years. Among its principles are unity, cooperation and dedication, and it can be observed along with Christmas.
Chaplain's Corner: Overcoming Bitterness
As we go on in life unfortunate things happen to us. Psychologist Albert Ellis (1962) described our reaction to such events this way: "we think. . . it is awful and catastrophic when things are not the way one would very much like them to be." Frequently individuals blame themselves for these damaging setbacks and outcomes of life and they become bitter in the process. When untoward events occur, when individuals have done something that has produced an adverse effect, we should first determine if the circumstance can or cannot be changed. If it can be changed, then we can strive to improve, change or eradicate it. If it cannot be changed ,one should, in Ellis's terms, "philosophically accept or resign himself to their existence." Individuals suffering from bitterness could also focus on aspirations and goals that are attainable, and that would provide greater chance of success.
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