Some years ago, I attended the funeral mass for a child of a family I barely knew-- a child who had died as the result of parental neglect. Most of my readers know that I barely suffer from the urge to appear "religious", and hardly ever utter empty words. So sometimes I'm inevitably tempted to slightly modify the written prayers of the BCP. Such was this occasion. When we reached that point in the mass when the congregation prays the Lord's Prayer: ... and forgive us our sins, as we forgive those against us. I added the words, "The bastards". I didn't realize at the time that I'd said it aloud, but the lady sitting next to me tugged my sleeve and firmly instructed me to be quiet and not to be disrespectful. But actually ... isn't that exactly what our Lord is asking us to pray, and to do? To forgive the bastards who did the injury. To forgive those we think of in such terms? I've been thinking of that recently, because the Spirit ha...
A "restless" theologian in service to the church of Jesus Christ