Feast of St Bartholomew

The fire in Athens is frightening - it's reached the suburbs of Agios Stefanos. And BBC showed nuns fighting the fires with branches and mops .... it was a terrible sight, the monastery was slowly being engulfed by the fires and the bells kept ringing for help - the first time in 1000 years.

The release of the Lockerbie bomber from the Scotland to Libya has caused uproar and support from both sides. The emergency session of the Scottish parliament is being broadcast and the minister MacAskill (Catholic) quoted Archbishop Mario Conti (Glasgow) saying that showing compassion is not showing weakness. I was brought back to think of the text in the Book of Wisdom 11 and 12 which states that God did not punish the enemies of Israel because he is weak but because he is all-powerful : power is not shown by ireful vengeance but greater power is shown by exercising compassion. However the release may be viewed, I must say MacAskill's conscience to show mercy and compassion is in line with the Bible teaching. We must not be tyrannical despots who demonstrate power through vengeance but to reflect God's power by showing compassion. But people still thirst for vengeance, eye-for-eye or even beyond: leg+arm+eye for eye; extract blood from stone; a pound of flesh.

This morning at 4am I heard the drumming and calls of the "wakers" - those who walk around the Muslim Quarter to wake people to eat before the fast begins. Almost immediately the minerets are filled resounding calls to wake up and pray. An hour later the canon is fired to announce the start of the fast at 5am. We on the otherhand celebrate the Feast of St Bartholomew also called Nathanael from Cana in Galilee. The poor man was searching for the Messiah but had grandiose ideas of him; he could not accept that the Messiah could be a lowly carpenter from Nazareth, once again the idea of power with grandiosity. Jesus showed that true messianic power is through humility ... humble even up on the cross.