St. Mark's Episcopal Church in Chenango Bridge, NY - 2/21/10 - 1st Sunday in Lent - Mark 12:28-34

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I am so happy to be with all of you today, as always. And I am especially happy to be with all of you because today we have guests from other religious traditions. This is part of the ongoing conversation called "The Children of Abraham," and involves people from Jewish, Christian, and Muslim traditions.

If you are Jewish or Muslim, or if you are from a different Christian tradition, I am so happy you are here. I am happy to see you, and welcome you. You honor us with your presence. You give us hope for a future of friendship, understanding, and peace.

I am new to the interfaith conversation in Binghamton. But in the past year, I have been so pleased to get to know Kasim, the imam of the mosque in Johnson City, and Barbara, the rabbi of Temple Concord, and Tziona, the rabbi of Temple Israel, as well as Christian clergy from other denominations. It has been interesting, and it has been hopeful. And it has been fun!

Some people do not think inter-religious conversation is important or worthwhile. I think it is crucial for understanding and peace. We are all richer when we get to know one another.

And it is my own Christian faith which calls me to a bigger heart, a larger compassion, a greater understanding. I want to be an open, non-exclusive Christian, following in the footsteps of Jesus myself, but appreciating others' journeys on their own paths.

And so, years ago, I began to read studies in comparative religion. All religions have their own unique qualities, and they are important. But I also believe it's important to celebrate what we have in common.

There is an English scholar of comparative religion named Karen Armstrong. She was raised in the Roman Catholic tradition, but has become a great scholar of the monotheistic religions. She has taught at a Jewish college and has helped train rabbis. She is also an honorary member of the Association of Muslim Social Sciences, and wrote a best-selling biography of Prophet Muhammad. Her exhaustive studies of Christianity and Judaism and Islam, and even the religions of India and China, led her to this conclusion: 
"Compassion was the litmus test for the prophets of Israel, for the rabbis of the Talmud, for Jesus, for Paul, and for Muhammad, not to mention Confucius, Lao-Tzu, the Buddha, or the sages of the Upanishads...The single test of any spiritual practice is that it issues in practical compassion. If your vision of God makes you kind, patient, and selfless, it is good theology."

So my own desire to honor God has led me to interfaith conversation and friendship. And my reading has led me to interfaith conversation and friendship. But as much as anything, my daughter has led me to interfaith conversation and friendship.

For the sake of our guests, let me tell you about my daughter. Her name is Marie. She is now 26 years old, but she will be a child forever. She was born with severe developmental disabilities. She has been diagnosed as mentally retarded and autistic. And of those two, autism is the harder fact of life. Taking care of her has been the most difficult challenge my wife and I have ever faced.

At the same time, she has been a source of great joy. All her life, Marie has been a spiritual person. Compared to the rest of us, it kind of comes out sideways, but it's there. Every once in a while, she says something that stops me in my tracks.

For example, once she said, "If you were you, what would you do?" That's a great question. "If you were you, what would you do?"

There is a story from the Jewish tradition about Rabbi Zusia. Rabbi Zusia told his students, "When I go before the judgment seat of the Most High, I will not be asked, 'Why were you not Moses?' I will not be asked, 'Why were you not Elijah?' I will not be asked, 'Why were you not Joshua?' I will be asked, 'Why were you not Rabbi Zusia?'"

That's a great story and a great question, and my daughter Marie underlined it to us. "If you were you, what would you do?"

Somehow - and I have no idea how - Marie is now interfaith. Lately, she often has a conversation with us that goes like this: "I'm Jewish." Her mother and I say, "That's great!" Then she'll say, "I'm a Baptist." "Okay!" we say. Then she says, "I'm a Muslin." (She's got it a little mixed up there, because instead of "Muslim," she says "muslin." I guess she likes cotton fabrics.) There is a Buddhist temple not far from where we live, and she will also express interest in what she calls "Boodleism." We do our best not to laugh.

So after she said all this the first time, I asked her, "Marie, does God still talk to you?" Without hesitation, she said, "Nonstop."

Marie will never drive a car or hold a job or even be able to take care of herself. She does not always make sense in the words she says. But every once in a while, Marie is a prophet. She has a message for me from God.

Her openness to other religious traditions is one such message to me. Some people do not think inter-religious conversation is important or worthwhile. I think it is crucial for understanding and peace. We are all richer when we get to know one another.

And it is my own Christian faith which calls me to a bigger heart, a larger compassion, a greater understanding. I want to be an open, non-exclusive Christian, following in the footsteps of Jesus myself, but appreciating others' journeys on their own paths. I want to be a person of compassion.

"Compassion was the litmus test for the prophets of Israel, for the rabbis of the Talmud, for Jesus, for Paul, and for Muhammad." Each of our traditions, at its heart, calls us to a greater compassion. Love God, love your neighbor. That is central to Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.

A greater compassion.

I want to conclude with one last word from my daughter Marie. There was one time more than any other when she was the voice of God to me.

It was back in 2001, just before Christmas time. It was a very hard time. The world was in turmoil, and my own life was in a hard place.

And then Marie gave me a great gift.

One night, not long before Christmas, I was telling Marie that I loved her. Now, there is something you need to know about people with autism. They are not comfortable with eye contact. A person with autism does not like to look you in the eye. It's something about their neurological system and sensory overload, I'm told.

But the other something you have to know is that, even though Marie has autism, she has tremendous empathy. She does not express feelings well, but she has them, and she senses the feelings of those around her to a greater degree than so-called "normal" people. She knows if I'm feeling sad or angry before I know myself. It is one of her gifts. She is an empath.

So anyway, I was saying to Marie, "I love you." She said, "I love you, too." But of course, she would not look me in the eye when she said it.

Now, I know she's not comfortable with eye contact. But for some reason, it just bothered me that time. As I said, it was a bad time in my life. So out of frustration, I said, "Marie, why won't you look me in the eye?" Immediately, without looking at me, she replied, "Because I can look you in the heart." It took my breath away.

I can look you in the heart.

She was telling the absolute truth. She can look me in the heart. She has a heart of compassion.

The Dalai Lama, the great leader of Tibetan Buddhism, has said, "The essence of all religions is love, compassion, and tolerance. Kindness is my true religion."

At the heart of Judaism, at the heart of Christianity, at the heart of Islam, is the call to compassion. Spiritual teachers all through history insist that we each have the necessary piece of equipment: one, standard-issue human heart.

"I can look you in the heart," my sweet Marie says. "Love God, and love your neighbor," my religious tradition says.

I am very happy to be on this journey with Marie,
with my fellow Christians,
and with my Jewish and Muslim siblings who are children of Abraham.

May the Holy and Glorious God give you peace, today and always.

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