7th Sunday after the Epiphany (Matthew 5:38-48)  02/20/2011

Throughout the past several days I have been following the events unfolding in Egypt with great fascination. The protests of the people who gathered in Tahrir Square were first coordinated through the social media channels of the Internet but then continued with and without the assistance of technology. Although it appears that the Egyptian government successfully shut the Internet down for a time, people who had previously never known each other continued to come together to unite behind a common cause – the hope of a new and better government that fairly represented the voice of the people and could provide all Egyptian people the promise of a better tomorrow.[i] But the region of the Middle East has a lot of history; and this new chapter of life does not come without uncertainties and the anxieties of tomorrow’s realities. The people of Egypt have questions: questions about their new government and their future. The people of the Middle East region have questions: questions about Arab/Israeli relations and the impact that the Egyptian demonstrations will have on neighboring countries. And the people of the world have questions: questions about the stability of the region and how the future will impact global relations. All of these questions are wrapped around one important center point: how will we decide to live together in community? This is an important question, no matter where you reside: How will we – we, the Egyptian people; we, the people of the Middle East; we, the people of the world; we, the people of this parish; how will we live together in community? Continue reading →