 September/October 2001 (XXXIX 4) |
he paper recently carried a long story about the funeral of Katherine Graham, publisher of the Washington Post. This woman inherited the leadership of a (then) second-rate newspaper after her husband died, and transformed it into a powerful, national media empire. She went from being “just a mother” to being a corporate leader, important public figure and significant influence on national politics. Her funeral was attended by national and international political and business leaders. But what was striking was what was said at the service.
It turns out that most of the memories and comments offered by other important public figures were about the many small caring acts Katherine Graham performed, and about the steady kindness she showed toward her employees, peers, friends and even strangers. It noted, for instance, that in the midst of the Vietnam controversies, when her paper was often criticizing the Nixon administration most strongly, she once saw then Secretary of State Henry Kissinger showing the stress of being in an intense and unpopular position, and spontaneously invited him to a movie to relax. People spoke of the many little things she did to congratulate and reward employees (of all levels) who did good things at the paper. Her family and friends spoke of what a good mother and fine friend she was.
Here was a woman who achieved remarkable success and power. She had a significant influence on national life and politics. But those who knew her best felt it most important to remember her personal virtue and kindness.
At our recent Yearly Meeting sessions we talked about what it means to be “faithful” and “prophetic.” I worry that Friends often think about being “prophetic” solely in terms of making dramatic gestures, engaging great causes, and enduring huge sacrifices. Certainly that is sometimes what being prophetic requires. But I think it also requires something more; and it is that "something more" that we may be inclined to demean as something less.
Jesus tells his disciples that, “One who is faithful in a very little is faithful also in much; but one who is not faithful in small things will not be faithful in greater matters” (Luke 16:10). It seems to me that living out in our daily lives, in our everyday relationships, the teachings we find in the Bible – about loving one’s neighbor as oneself, and about seeking righteousness and justice – is a radical and prophetic act. Especially so in a culture where integrity is often (at best) undervalued; where kindness to both colleagues and strangers can be rare; and where caring for one another and the common good is not something we see enough of.
Living our faith well requires attention to both great concerns and small matters; to both the quality and scope of our achievements in the world and the manner in which we undertake to do what we are called to; to both the big picture of the world’s needs and the little ways we build a life of meaning and caring for ourselves and others within that big picture. Striking and maintaining a balance in this regard may be critical.
So, just caring for and being nice to one another in our Meeting communities is not enough. God has given us enormous gifts of talent and treasure – and teachings and faith to guide us – and we are responsible to use those gifts to make a difference, to get some things done, to make the world more like the place God wishes it to be. Yet, this work of making the world a better place also requires that we respect and care for one another in our daily lives, in the work of discerning what tasks we are called to, and in actually undertaking those tasks. Moreover, this work of faithfulness and prophecy may unfold on a smaller scale than we anticipate.
For example, I think of those among us who are living out our faith as business people who create jobs, make products that serve real needs, or help others manage their finances so they can care for their families and be charitable as well. I think of those who as teachers change a few students’ lives for the better every term. Who knows how those students change the world? I think of all those who, whatever their occupation, do what they do in a way that somehow helps others feel cared for, experience a sense of hope, or know a measure of empowerment in their lives in a way they did not before.
Being prophetic is finally, simply about making God’s love and grace and truth visible in the world. Sometimes this involves challenging dramatically the powerful people and systems who would work against that grace and truth to preserve their own selfish interests. Yet, at other times it often involves being an instrument of that grace and truth to just one person, and that is the person in whose presence we find ourselves right then.
Being faithful requires discerning and trying to do what God hopes for from us in both small things and great things. I suspect, as Jesus' teachings tell us, that if we will not do the former we will not be able to do the latter. And when the final accounting comes, as it did for Katherine Graham, we may find the small acts of kindness mean just as much – or more – than the big commitments and the grand gestures ever did.
Last modified: Wednesday, February 18, 2004 at 08:18 AM