“A Farewell Address”
Fr. George Wertin
Sunday, June 26th, 2005

“Life is change. Growth is optional.” I quoted those simple words of Karen Kaiser Clark thirteen years ago when I gave my first homily as pastor of St. Joan of Arc. Yes, we have experienced a lot of change – and growth as a community these past thirteen years together. At that time I asked Harvey Egan, my esteemed predecessor, for some advice. He said, “Get ready for a roller coaster ride!” And he was right!

Some of the themes I addressed that Sunday thirteen years ago are as relevant today. There are also some new themes that I have added to the list. I would like to share a few thoughts on the themes – or threads – that have woven us together as a community of faith and justice on our pilgrimage these past years.

First, there is justice. I spoke then how social justice was a major concern of my ministry and was a hallmark of St. Joan of Arc. We can never take justice for granted in a world where there is so much injustice and systemic oppression of poor people, minorities and women. People tend to identify church with charity and love – agape in Greek. But the root word for charity in the Hebrew Scriptures is ‘sedek,’ justice. I remind you then that justice is the modern name for love – just as it was the ancient one. Charity is something we can do on our own terms. But justice makes a claim on us. As St. Augustine – not always my favorite theologian – put it so compellingly: “Charity is no substitute for justice withheld.” We are a people committed to social justice.

Second, there is spirituality. For without a spiritual foundation we will burn out in our efforts at justice. I define spirituality as “the lived dimension of our faith.” It’s what nourishes our souls. Everyone’s spirituality is unique but there are some common elements: compassion, prayer, joy, suffering, gratitude ritual, community and nature. I am so glad that we have reclaimed meditation and rediscovered mindfulness (thanks to Thich Nhat Hanh) as components of our spirituality. Third, there is hospitality – a theme in our Scripture readings today. St. Joan of Arc has taught me a lot about the primacy of hospitality. It is so much more than trite words like “all are welcome.” No, it is an awesome, challenging attitude toward life and others. As Mechtild of Magdeburg, the medieval mystic said: “How shall we live? Welcoming to all.” We know that it is a challenge from trying to live up to our motto: “We welcome you wherever you are on your journey.” I think we can understand hospitality better if we ask ourselves what is the opposite of hospitality – namely, conditional acceptance: I will accept you IF you conform to my standards of behavior – if you will become like me. Hospitality is a threat to those who want to use power over others. In a world ruled by force and domination, hospitality is seen as subversive. Radical hospitality breaks down barriers. As Anthony DeMello said: one of the most difficult things in the world is to include the excluded. Jesus broke down barriers by the way he treated women and Samaritans and by the kind of people he ate with. And it had political consequences. His message was very political.

Fourth, there is peace. We have been tested and purified in our commitment to peace and seeking alternatives to nonviolence. We have come to recognize that there is no such thing as a just war. But we have also learned that we must be more than peace lovers. Like Jesus, we must resist evil. We must seek a third way. We are called, not to confrontation, nor to capitulation but to conciliation. And that requires courage, strength and a deep spirituality.

Finally, I need to briefly speak to the emerging theological paradigm out of which we operate. We realize that God is not out there or up there. If we want to use a spatial metaphor for God we must understand that God is within us and within this evolving organism of this world of which we are conscious expression. Therefore, God is not a cruel and vindictive God demanding suffering from Christ for our sins. No, we are co-creators with God. There is a keen need for salvation. We know we are already loved and redeemed. What is needed is that we are called to transformation of the world and of our lives. Thus, heaven and earth are then simply two aspects of the same reality. I love that passage from Alice Walker’s “The Color Purple.” It breaks down old paradigms about the nature of God. And more importantly it calls us to celebration and compassion: “…when I bleed, God bleeds. And when anybody bleeds we all bleed.” Shug is a pretty good theologian!

And I must add a theological corollary. Never, never get caught in the trap of fundamentalism and literalism. It is a curse that infects so many well-intentioned people. We must be about much more than words – important as they are - and divine intervention that will miraculously rescue ‘the saved’ and condemn others. We must see the Scriptures as the struggles and transformation of a people who were searching just like we are. We don’t need to believe that the earth is flat or that the earth is the center of the universe or that the sun revolves around the earth. We don’t need to believe that demon possession causes mental illness or that slavery is acceptable or that women are the property of their husbands. We don’t needs to accept that gays should be put to death or that disease is God’s punishment for doing evil. We need to find God’s Spirit, alive and breathing through those words and our world today.

As I look back on my ministry here at St. Joan of Arc I do have a few regrets. I will mention three. First, I wish that I had reached out even more to get to know you all better. Of course, that is a daunting task in a community the size of St. Joan’s. But each time I got to know you and your families I found a beautiful gift and grace that touched me deeply. Some of you I got to know in times of joy, like baptisms and weddings, others in times of sickness and loss. I only wish I could have been more present to you.

Secondly, I wish I had been a better student of nonviolence. I have come to appreciate how important peace and nonviolence are to Christianity and to our world’s problems today. I wish I had become more immersed in the writings of Ghandi, Martin Luther King, Jr., Thomas Merton and Gordon Zahn, to name a few. I wish that I could have been a better resource to you in how we are to face violence, domination, oppression and hatred in our society.

Thirdly, I have failed to learn patience. I think most of you have recognized that – especially those who have worked most closely with me! My stamina for sitting in one place is limited to one hour. And I know that I don’t easily hide my impatience – whether with the length of a speaker’s presentation or the on-going discussions at meetings. For that I am sorry.

I pray that St. Joan of Arc will continue to be a prophetic community. I pray that you will be prophetic and hope-filled. It is not easy. But it helps to do it as a community and with a song in your heart. Being prophetic is much more challenging than predicting the future. It is following in the footsteps of the prophets of old. It is creating an alternative vision in this world that is filled with so much violence, poverty and discrimination. As I have told you before, it means dreaming what can be – and must be. It means creating a dream first and then taking the steps to put a foundation under it so that it can become a reality. You see, spiritual principles are sometimes counterintuitive and don’t follow material rules – like building the foundation first.

And so my final words our words of gratitude. I am so thankful for you all and what you mean to me. I have served at St. Joan of Arc longer than any other place where I have ministered. I have delighted in the joy that expresses itself in our worship. And I have appreciated how you have been receptive to growing with me. I have loved working in collaborative ministry with a wonderful staff and gifted parish leaders. I have learned much from you. As Dag Hammarskjold wrote in what is one of my favorite quotations: “For all that has been, thanks. For all that will be, yes.”