Reflection This Week
THREE LITTLE WORDS

   It is not always easy to get to know another person even when that person is very close to us. Sometimes we even have a difficult time knowing who we are let alone trying to convey to another just what makes us tick. But we try and they try and we do the best with what we learn. Thus, sadly, we sometimes have to live with false assumptions and incorrect assessments that can lead to needless conflict and division.

   This past weekend we had the honor and privilege of having our Presiding Bishop, The Most Reverend Dr. Katharine Jefferts Schori (imposing title, isn’t it?) with us to help us celebrate our Tenth Anniversary as a parish. I first met Katharine, sort of, in passing. We were together in Houston, Texas, grading General Ordination Exams. We nodded to each other as we passed in the hallways but never spoke. If someone would have asked me what I thought of her prior to this past weekend, I would have shrugged my shoulders and said that she struck me as a kind introvert.

   I would say the same today but, of course, would add more. After being with her as she led our Clergy Conference, hearing her respond to various questions during our time of conversation with her on Saturday, after celebrating with her on Sunday, I am even more convinced that she is the best thing (I hate that word) that has happened not only to the Episcopal Church but to the entire Anglican Communion – and maybe even to the Church Catholic.

   Three little words confirmed that opinion for me. We were all moving from the sacristy to the front of the church to get ready to process in to begin the service. As we made our way around the nursery, Katharine stopped, looked into the room and looked down at the little children looking up to her and wondering who this women dressed in a multicolored outfit was. She looked into their eyes and said simply, “Hi! I’m Katherine.”

   “Hi! I’m Katharine.” It wasn’t, “Good morning, children. I’m the Presiding Bishop” or “Hello! I’m Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori” or any off-putting-for-a-child greeting. It was a simple “Hi! I’m Katharine.” Humble, kind, caring, maternal. In a Church Catholic dominated by power-hungry men, being divided by the same because of their seemingly insatiable desire for even more power, it does my male heart good to have a leader who truly leads from the heart.

   I still wouldn’t mess with her, of course. She’s brilliant but in such an introverted way that she might seem like a pushover. She is not. Yet she also knows that the only way to mend divisions and to prevent any more from occurring is to put aside pretentiousness, power seeking and self-aggrandizement and enter into conversation one with another. That conversation begins with an honest and humble, “Hi, I’m Katherine.”

   None of this is to say that the issues dividing our Church, the Anglican Communion and the Church Catholic are not serious issues. Moral theological issues always are. But those issues are never resolved when the real and underlying issue is power, even though those pursuing that power always deny that they are.

   I thank God for Katharine’s leadership. I pray for her and pray that all of us in leadership positions follow her example. If we do, the church and the world will be a better place, a Godly place.   WJP