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The parish of my youth included a number older people whose native language was Italian. Father Fanelli, who had grown old in the service of the Lord, heard their confessions and ministered to them as they lay sick or dying. One day, after hearing him give the homily, my mother said that all his sermons were the same: “Little children, love one another.”
Joseph Lowery made me think of Father Fanelli today. He was hidden by the microphones, just as Father Fanelli was hidden behind the lectern on the pulpit at St. Joseph’s, only their gray hair and goggle glasses visible as they focus on the paper in their trembling hands.
Reverend Lowery begins with an invocation of a manifestation of God we have not heard in public discourse in years:
God of our weary years, God of our silent tears,
While God is mighty, that might is invoked not for victory or wealth, but that with hope that it will
keep us forever in the path we pray, lest our feet stray from the places, our God, where we met thee,
Reverend Lowery asks for the help of this God not only for our President, but for the whole world. He reminds us that the Almighty works
… through faithful leadership to restore stability, mend our brokenness, heal our wounds, and deliver us from the exploitation of the poor, of the least of these, and from favoritism toward the rich, the elite of these.
He asks for the blessings that come from working with each other, loving instead of hating, tolerance and sacrifice. He closes with a touching chant, a picture of a new beginning of equality. But before that, there are two images Father Fanelli would have loved:
We go now to walk together as children, pledging that we won’t get weary in the difficult days ahead.
With your hands of power and your heart of love, help us then, now, Lord, to work for that day … when every man and every woman shall sit under his or her own vine and fig tree and none shall be afraid….
Amen, Reverend Lowery, Amen.
11 Comments
Thanks very much.
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I’m a lifelong atheist, but Rev. Lowery’s words have meaning for me: to remember what is right, to share with others, to help those less fortunate than me.
Rick Warren, on the other hand… that kind of person and his beliefs, have no value, no place in my life.
Rev. Lowery’s lines:
may have seemed a bit too indirect; but I think given the known controversy surrounding the invocation, the message was clear.
I hope in days ahead, Pres. Obama acts on his statements regarding inclusiveness and equal rights for all. I love the supportive words, but it needs to produce actions.
That said, Lowery’s benediction was an inspiration to even this non-believer.
Reverend Lowery doesn’t think God will do the work of this world. He asks, almost pleads, for strength, that God will help us to do it. That moment of gathering strength is a powerful image for all of us.
Rev. Lowery’s prayer: I felt it.
That prayer that Rev. Lowery delivered transcended, while Warren’s “prayer” reduced . This, in many ways, was obvious to millions. This dynamic of soul v ego will be a major defining factor in our political arena in the Obama years. Separation of church and state, yes;seperation of soul and state, no.
“Separation of church and state, yes; separation of soul and state, no.” What a remarkable distinction. Thank you.
He’s a little old for me, but I think I’m in love!
Is there a complete transcript of Rev. Lowery’s prayer anywhere? I would love to have it and frame it on the wall to remind me every day of what we all need to remember. Every day.
Thanks!
I felt the same way. Warren’s expoundment did not move me in the slightest. Lowery on the other hand – I cried.
I am not an xtian – but some things transcend the artificial religious labels we choose or choose to put on one another.
Please click on the link on Joseph Lowery’s name in the diary for the text of the address.
Thank you most kindly.