The Hour

Published in the Catalyst, Vol. 32, No. 2 - Spring 2009

As a youngster growing up in Saint John and being Catholic it was customary, even when the schools were closed because of snow, to go to Mass every morning during Lent.

I recently found myself again praying at noon during the month of March, this time in front of the Ontario Legislature. The Ontario budget was coming down at the end of March, and we stood there in prayer, theological reflection and vigil, advocating that poverty reduction be a major way to stimulate the economy in these recessionary times. It was a Lenten moment for me. It was also a prayer moment for many other Christian denominations and faiths.

A theology which is not a plan of social action is merely a way of preaching and praying. It is a menu without the dinner. (Mordecai Kaplan)

During this daily hour of prayer and reflection, we met folks who were Muslim, Jewish, Pagan, Lutheran, Christian Reformed, Anglican, United, Presbyterian, Catholic, Quaker, Mennonite, Humanist, Universalist and many more. What a moment of faith witness and social concern! In my case, the hour was a way of saying that the biblical story is my first constitution and the reign of God is my first loyalty.

“…Our ancestors worshiped on this mountain, but you say that the place where people must worship is in Jerusalem.” Jesus said to her, “Woman, believe me, the hour is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know, for salvation is from the Jews. But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father seeks such as these to worship.” (John 4:20-24)

For the author of John’s Gospel the hour of Jesus is his death and resurrection. This hour situates the life of the Christian. What does it mean to worship in spirit and truth and not on the mountain nor in the temple in Jerusalem?

Those gathered in the front of the Ontario Legislature in Toronto began to understand and know the meaning.

Building a tent, together

In the early ’70s when the Christian churches met to ecumenically work for justice, the so-called church coalitions were formed, like The Churches Taskforce on Corporate Responsibility, Canada Asia Working Group, Ecumenical Coalition for Economic Justice. A few years ago these early church coalitions came together to form KAIROS – the Canadian churches working ecumenically for justice.

Back in the ’70s it was not easy for us to pray together and discuss theology. It was easier for us to be concerned about banking in Apartheid South Africa or Canadian mining in Brazil or human rights violations in Central America.

The times have changed. As we stood in front of the legislature, we were praying together, discussing varied theological perspectives, sharing political views and holding the poor in our midst as our first priority as a human family. We were worshiping in spirit and truth. We recognized that we had more in common than separated us. Most of us recognized the same God whose presence, message and ways of celebration came among us in wonderfully different ways. The moment was uplifting, inspirational and peace-filled.

It reminded me of the Mount of Transfiguration in the Scriptures where Peter, James and John witness Jesus transfigured in the presence of Moses and Elijah. Peter wanted to build three tents to protect and keep this moment. We too, in front of the legislature, built a tent. It was only a roof, really, with open sides to the world passing around us. The politicians, for whom we prayed each day, along with students, business people and hospital staff paused and gazed at us curiously.

An old theology professor once said to me. “Paul, don’t be about building churches. Find out where the people are and put a tent over them.” The wind blew. It was cold at times, but the spirits were warm, the conversation rich, and the prayer concerned about what truly matters.

We stood in an hour of prayer, conversation and vigil so that poverty would be reduced in Ontario. We stood together under a tent, providing a bit of shelter from the cold. It is truly a scandal that in a wealthy province like Ontario we have so many below the poverty line, sleeping on the streets, needing child care support, housing, education and human warmth. At the end of our prayer, most of us could go home to warm housing and relationships. Many in our society cannot.

When God gets up in the morning, God calls the angels together and asks: “Where does my creation need healing?” Prayer, theology, spirituality and vigiling is being concerned about what God is concerned about when God gets up in the morning. (Rabbi A.J. Heschel)

For an hour everyday throughout the month of March, in front of the Ontario Legislature, people of many Christian denominations and faiths were truly concerned about what God is concerned about when God gets up in the morning.

Paul Hansen, a Roman Catholic priest of the Redemptorist Congregation, is an executive member of the Interfaith Social Assistance Reform Coalition and a consultant to the Redemptorist work in Thailand for street children with HIV/AIDS. The Ontario Legislature vigil was organized for ISARC by former CPJ staff Bruce Voogd.