THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Saturday, January 6, 1996 TAG: 9601060061
SECTION: DAILY BREAK PAGE: E3 EDITION: FINAL
COLUMN: Issues of Faith
SOURCE: Betsy Wright
LENGTH: Medium: 83 lines
LAST WEEK'S ISSUE of Faith: After talking to a local pastor who observed that people ``just want someone to listen to them,'' I decided that one of my life's ministries is listening to readers via their letters, calls and notes. Then I made a New Year's resolution to not only listen, but to be better about responding to your responses. Listening is not enough. Letting you know I've heard is important too.
This Week's Reader Responses:
From Virginia, no city given: ``I called several months ago. I was upset over two letters to the editor and I just called and got it off my chest. I just wanted to thank you for being there. I agree with the last column. We all want someone just to listen to us and I'm so glad you're there for us. Especially for me, because I'm somewhat of a radical liberal and other than Molly Ivans I don't see anyone else I can relate to other than you.''
From Carla of Virginia Beach: ``I read your article (last week) for the first time and I just want to commend you. We are all ministers and if this article allows someone to listen, hear and respond to what you have said about God, then yes, this is your ministry. May God enrich it!''
From Mikki P. Jacques of Virginia Beach: ``It takes a special type of person to have a good listening ear . . . Over the years, when I was not a practicing Christian, I had many ailments. Doctors led me to psychiatrists and I had some bad experiences there which caused me to lose my faith and nearly cost me my life. I was having a pity-party for myself, because no one seemed to care. Few have listened. (They) talk out of both sides of their mouths. Lately, I've been `hyper-ventilating' from much of the excess (emotional) baggage I've been carrying around. I know I have a ways to go, but with the help of God, and your listening ear, I'll make it. Thanks for being there!''
From Mark Cummings of Virginia Beach: ``. . . You were right on the mark in saying `we are all ministers and we each have a ministry,' for anyone who truly considers themselves to be Christian has a stake here on Earth to strive in making a difference in the world by spreading the good news of God's word, grace and everlasting love. We must never cease in ministering to the needs of others, never cease in seeking out those living in darkness and help bring them back into the light, never cease in committing ourselves to unselfishly serving our Lord and Savior. Our work is not to be limited to Sunday, but rather is a seven day-a-week, 24 hour-a-day job.
``The media also has a large responsibility in ministering to society and its improvement, undeniably possessing the power to structure public opinion and attitude . . . Your weekly written word serves to stimulate Christian thought and ministers to many.''
And on another topic: The pastor of Virginia Beach's Good Samaritan Episcopal Church, Rob Lundquist, sent me a copy of the Archbishop of Canterbury's Christmas Sermon. The Archbishop, currently The Most Reverend and Right Honourable George L. Carey, is the titular head of the Anglican Communion which includes the Episcopal Church in the United States.
Here is a sampling of the excellent sermon:
``I have always found the Christmas story to be unfailingly topical. Whether one thinks of the problems facing refugees, or the homeless, or the wider issues of the search for hope and meaning, there is something in the message of Christmas that speaks to them all. Take the central story of the Nativity itself. It is the story of the beginning of a new family; a nuclear family if ever there was one; a holy family . . . What can we learn from its pattern of relationships and mutual support that are still of importance for today?
``There were, I believe, three `R's' which were of great importance to the Holy Family . . . The three `R's' are Reverence, Reliance and Religion . . . Having (these things) at the heart of family life will transform it. It will lead us to have a huge capacity for tolerance and forgiveness . . .
``The values nourished in good families are not for hoarding in private foxholes, but are there to be shared with the wider society. If we fail as a society to show all people that we care about them and that we are committed to them, we are failing to obey God's commandment to love our neighbors as ourselves . . . '' MEMO: Every other week, Betsy Mathews Wright publishes responses to her
opinion column. Send responses to Issues of Faith, The Virginian-Pilot,
150 W. Brambleton Ave., Norfolk, Va. 23510; call (804) 446-2273; FAX
(804) 436-2798; or send e-mail to bmw(AT)infi.net. Deadline is Tuesday
before publication. You must include name, city and phone number.
by CNB