Blog Posts

  The war in Ukraine is bringing hell on earth, as all wars do - the deaths of so many people, the maiming and killing of children, the terror and fear, the destruction of homes and livelihoods, the millions of refugees fleeing for safety, the damage to soldiers as they engage in war's killing and destruction.  The recent trip to Kiev by the three European prime ministers was tremendously moving to me and to the world -  their courage, resolve, their solidarity.  To publicly announce their planned trip and make it by train as bombs fell in Ukraine was inspiring and must have have given some pause both to the Russian leadership and the soldiers on the field.

   I realize that you and other religious leaders are in an unusual position to act as peacemakers in ways that no other folks can.  Your public presence in Ukraine, standing with the people against war could bring an abrupt halt to the slaughter and convince parties to negotiate an end to the war.  Though there are many wars being waged in our world today, this one is particularly dangerous as it has the potential to escalate into a nuclear war that would threaten humanity’s very existence. In light of the terrible slaughter and the potential apocalyptic outcome, I urge you to go with a contingent of your cardinals, bishops and priests to Ukraine, to make a public pilgrimage to vigil, fast and pray for peace, to stay until peace is re-established.  Please invite Patriarch Kirill, the head of the Russian Orthodox Church, to join you with some of his clergy, and invite leaders of other religions to join you as well.  You could travel by rail bringing humanitarian assistance to areas currently cut off from such critical supplies and bring the light of Love and Peace to these besieged areas, visiting the Russian soldiers as well...

    Since the protests following the killing of George Floyd and the plea / insistence that Black Lives Matter, I've noticed a number of placards and road signs in our rural county that announce All Lives Matter or America Matters or Maine Lives Matter.

Dear Congressman Golden,

Please vote for impeachment of the president.  There is a rising danger in the presidency of Donald Trump that no one will hold him accountable for lying, bullying, deceiving the public and Congress, for his strong-arm, anti-democratic and mob-like behavior toward members of the opposition, world leaders, and members of his own party. 

The images of war and killing were compelling.  They made a simple case to punish the perpetrator.  Not that all the facts were in, the complexities known, but then judgment and retribution works so much better before they are fully informed.  It's impossibly sad, of course, that the images and news of people fleeing for their lives, month after month, have led only to a fierce protectionism - Keep 'em out.  History so often has shown it easier to avenge the dead than to embrace and shelter the living.  Fifty-nine cruise missles, a "targeted" military action, as if to say that violence for a specific purpose has no need for further explanation.  We have become so used to our own military superiority and posturing that we no longer abide by the laws of the international community which prohibit attacks such as this.  Vigilantism on the world stage is against the law as surely as it is within nations; it profoundly threatens the future of a peaceful and lawful world community.

The cartoon showed the newspaper man coming into his boss' office, holding out the newspaper whose giant headline read "Trump to enforce the law" followed by his concern "We're worried this headline might be too disturbing for our readers"  On the surface you could say, "Sure, that's right. He's just enforcing the laws that we've had for a long while, just making sure that we're following our own rules and being fair.  People shouldn't be allowed to cut in front of the line. The law's the law.  We're a nation of laws.

    First of all, we have each other and there is great joy in re-discovering our communities, our values, our purpose, our strength and determination.  The peoples of the world have suffered enough through history to know that circling the wagons and defining enemies is always our undoing.  Always.  We must be ever more inclusive, ever more compassionate - always working within to lay down the burden of fear, vengeance and meanness that so easily salts our lips.  I find it particularly challenging in these times, when there seems to be an explosion of meanness and division at so many level