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writing for godot

The Intellect as Desert or Why It Is Good to Ride the City Bus

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Written by Bishop Andrew Gentry   
Wednesday, 23 March 2011 10:06


Beloved Friends,

Like all late comers to the world of the web, blogging and twittering I was at first truly overwhelmed by the "portals and pulpits" available to people of every ideology, interest, passion, theology and subject matter. Have been a person in my youth who loved to debate I found these avenues a return to my adolescence and early college life as well as to the social activism born of my faith to which I most devoted and committed. But the keg has aged and the allure of battles real and imagined has pretty much gone the way of all flesh! All the modern "sophistication" of relativism and the "intellectual" arrogance of Western culture does not nourish my faith or spirit. Nor does the endless haughtiness of those who have "outgrown" their "indoctrination" into matters ecclesiastical provide any real food for thought much less substance. I do wonder sometimes why these people who object to any and all matters of the intellect bowing to mystery continue to wag their proverbial tails in opposition yet spend endless hours and energies trying to repudiate the reality of mystery! So I decided it is far better to be in the company of the fellowship of believers and not coincidentally ride the city bus than to sit in the vain glories of the academy so called.

This morning on the inbound route a homeless young man said to me "man, you are the first priest or pastor I have ever seen on the bus" to which the entire group of people responded in the affirmative. With this began an almost 10 minute exchange of what faith was really about. Every single person on that city bus was poor money wise and about half were homeless. The brogues that they spoke was as varied as the backgrounds they represented. They told me of their experiences with "church" and most were not good or positive. But running through all of their reflections was a common agreement. It was that God did not care what your status was or your colour nor what church you attended or even if you attended one but that He did care how you treated people especially in His Name and with this understanding was the affirmation that all are of equal worth in His sight. After all one lady remarked is not this that Jesus was trying to teach us!

I was humbled and my spirit refreshed and I truly felt a part of community this morning. I give thanks to God that he grants to those whom the "world" counts as expendable populations or as uneducated unsophisticated low class people of inferior intellect or worse yet "riff raft" and undesirables wisdom that confounds and refutes the "wisdom of the world"! The poor in spirit regardless of "station" will truly see God and already have a vision of His Christ like the veil of Veronica in the eyes of their souls.

Peace
Bishop Andrew Gentry
All Saints and Sorts Congregational Catholic Church
Asheville N C
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