St. Francis and The Chief

Last evening I had a kairos moment.  Kairos, from my studies of long ago, is the Greek rendition of a significant moment - an aha moment, or moment of clarity.  I was watching a YouTube recording of Calgary's first celebration of United Nations Interfaith Harmony Week.  The dignitaries and representatives of various faith groups provided very nice land acknowledgement, introductory statements, prayers, along with some gifts of music and drumming.  The mood of community cooperation was palpable, to the extent that I experienced this as a good news gospel service.  It was inspiration beyond any recent Sunday morning worship, in person or in corona-virtual!  Indeed it became clear to me why Calgary had received the U.N. Interfaith Harmony King Abdullah First Prize for our celebration that week in 2017.  [I do not know, however, why so much is made of that first prize over and over, but I digress]. 

To me the highlight of that 2017 service at City Hall was the significant personal tone set by Chief of Police Roger Chaffin.  He told us a bit of his own story; his own loss of belief in any divine force at end of his fourteen years as a beat officer in Northern Ireland, weary of the Irish Catholic, British Protestant animosity.  And from within his own confessed cynicism he 'happened upon' a prayer which he said has changed his life ever since.  Then with some pauses for humble gulps of emotion he read to us the Prayer of St. Francis.

Lord make Me an instrument of Your peace
Where there is hatred let me sow love.
Where there is injury, pardon.
Where there is doubt, faith.
Where there is despair, hope.
Where there is darkness, light.
Where there is sadness joy.
O Divine master grant that I may
Not so much seek to be consoled as to console
To be understood, as to understand.
To be loved. as to love
For it's in giving that we receive
And it's in pardoning that we are pardoned
And it's in dying that we are born...
To eternal life.

A number of my recent blog posts have stated summarily, or at least suggested, that God is present in the most ironic surprising ways and places (Yes, including that truck repair shop, Dec 7 "Sacred and the Profane").  This time God showed up via a police chief speaking to the religious leaders. This was a significant transparent message which all professional clergy need to hear and take to heart. Honesty and transparency is still the greatest communicator.  2017 was not a good season for the Calgary Police Service.  I remember from news reports that many new challenges were being faced that year, and morale was low.  In fact it was the year of Chief Chaffin's resignation - not because of a political travesty or controversy that needed to be investigated, but because he felt it time for new and younger leadership to get in the fray.  I realize now that from within the challenges of his position, this chief spoke a message of God to the 'messengers of God'. 

Tonight I participated for the first time in U.N. Interfaith Harmony Week.  It's 2021, so by now four years have elapsed. Imagine my surprise when St Francis appeared again, this time from the lips of our Mayor Naheed Nenshi!  I am again moved, slightly stunned even at the power of this Interfaith event. First of all at the longevity of that old message from the saintly Catholic friar of the 13th century.  And secondly those words of faith again coming from the civic leaders; not from the clerics.

I rest my case.  Even as a world moves on, or moves to its conclusion (read Matthew 24), I marvel at a good word - the word of God - coming from surprising places and in surprising ways.  Recently one book from my library got fired into the recycle bin, the yellowed pages of  Your God is too Small, by J.B.Phillips (published 1953).  The book is gone, but its message lives on.