Reading
Exodus 22:21-24
You shall not wrong or oppress a resident alien, for you were aliens in the land of Egypt. You shall not abuse any widow or orphan. If you do abuse them, when they cry out to me, I will surely heed their cry; my wrath will burn, and I will kill you with the sword, and your wives shall become widows and your children orphans.
Devotion
Today's painting is of the late Archbishop of Canterbury, William Temple (1881-1944). This work was created in 1934 when he was Archbishop of York by the renowned Anglo-Hungarian portrait painter, Philip de László (1869-1937). As an aside, László created one of my favorite renditions of Mary Mageline which is in the Hungarian National Gallery. This painting of Temple is one of his last works and resides in the Museum at Lambeth Palace in Great Britain. Temple's feast day is tomorrow, 6 November.
There is a learned steadiness in the artist's portrayal of the archbishop. He stands in the light, in robes reminding me more of a scholar than anything else. His hands rest on a stack of books, and long-time readers know how much I love stacks of books! He was a prolific author. At the center of his chest the pectoral cross covers his heart, a heart with a passion for love transforming society.
Among his writings two stand out in my mind. The first, Men without Work (1938), proposed that the Christian ethic ought ensure: every child should find itself a member of a family housed with decency and dignity; every child should have an opportunity for education up to maturity; every citizen should have sufficient income to make a home and bring up his children properly; every worker should have a voice in the conduct of the business or industry in which he works; every citizen should have sufficient leisure – two days' rest in seven and annual holiday with pay; every citizen should be guaranteed freedom of worship, speech, assembly, and association. These were fairly radical views apparently in 1938 in Britain?!!
His other writings that caught my eye were on justifiable war theory. A summary may be found by Stephen Lammers in an article entitled William Temple and the Bombing of Germany: An Exploration in the Just War Tradition which may be found here (subscription required): William Temple and the Bombing of Germany: An Exploration in the Just War Tradition on JSTOR . Temple was concerned about pacifism and the conflict in Europe. He did not deny pacifists' right to refuse to fight but maintained that they must take responsibility for their renunciation of the use of force. He said that people are responsible not only for what they intend, but for the foreseen results of their activity. That is, if Adolf Hitler remained unopposed and conquered Europe, pacifists had to be willing to accept responsibility for this, in that they had not opposed him.
In our prayers of confession, we are asked to consider our misalignment with God for things done and left undone. I often think about these things and perhaps you do as well, dear reader, as I ponder our current world. May we remain centered in Divine Love as we ponder and act.
Prayer
O God of light and love, you illumined your Church through the witness of your servant William Temple: Inspire us, we pray, by his teaching and example, that we may rejoice with courage, confidence, and faith in the Word made flesh, and may be led to establish that city which has justice for its foundation and love for its law; through Jesus Christ, the light of the world, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen. (Lesser Feasts and Fasts)