Walking the Path

The sun is bright and the sky is clear today.

Why? Because the leaders of two churches have gathered the courage to apply Christ’s teaching and make his words live in our world.

This week in Detroit the Presbyterian Church (USA) voted to allow gay marriages and to divest financial holdings in favor of nonviolent investments in the Middle East. The Presbyterian Church (USA) is the nation's largest Presbyterian denomination with 1.76-million members and 10,000 churches. (1.)

At the recent biennial, the General Assembly voted (429-175) to change the denomination's Book of Order to describe marriage as being between “two people” and allow its pastors to officiate same-sex ceremonies in states where gay marriage is legal.

A majority of the church's 172 regional bodies, called Presbyteries, must now approve the decision before its official, a process that can take up to a year.

Also, the church voted to divest shares of Motorola Solutions, Caterpillar and Hewlett Packard which are worth about $21 million in favor of nonviolent investments in Middle East. (2)

“The church is not the first religious group to divest, though it's the biggest and most influential. The Friends Fiduciary Corp., which coordinates investments for 250 Quaker groups, divested from Caterpillar, Motorola Solutions and Veolia Environment in 2012. Last year, the Mennonite Central Committee decided to not "knowingly invest in companies that benefit from products or services used to perpetrate acts of violence against Palestinians [and] Israelis." Although the United Methodists voted against church-wide divestment in 2012, its General Board of Pension and Health Benefits decided last week to sell its stock in G4S, a prison and security services company, after members asked questions about its work in Israel and the Palestinian territories.”

“Not all Jews came out against the Presbyterian vote. Jewish Voice for Peace, a pro-divestment group based in Oakland, California, and Washington, D.C., sent several rabbis, many of the Reconstructionist denomination, to lobby in Detroit.”

"We are grateful the church voted not to profit from the suffering of Palestinians under Israel's 47-year-old occupation," said Cecilie Surasky, the organization's deputy director. "Now that U.S.-backed peace talks have proven to be ineffective, we hope that others, including Jewish institutions, will follow suit. Divestment has become one of our best hopes for change."

For more in-depth about the Presbyterian Church (USA) (PCUSA) divestiture vote, go here: "PCUSA Divests from Occupation Support Firms", OpEdNews, James Wall, 21 June 2014 21:11:00 (3.)

And, importantly, Pope Francis announced the excommunication of the mob.

From Reuters: Mafiosi are 'excommunicated', pope says

SIBARI Italy Sat 21 June 2014 1:42pm EDT:

Pope Francis on Saturday took on one of Italy's most dangerous organised crime groups, calling it an example of "the adoration of evil" and saying Mafiosi "are excommunicated".

The pope, speaking about the 'Ndrangheta crime group during a mass in the southern Italy, issued the strongest attacks on organised crime since the late Pope John Paul lambasted the Sicilian Mafia in 1993.

"Those who in their lives follow this path of evil, as mafiosi do, are not in communion with God. They are excommunicated," Pope Francis said in impromptu comments at a mass before tens of thousands of people.

He told the crowd: "This evil must be fought against, it must be pushed aside. We must say no to it."

He branded the 'Ndrangheta as the "adoration of evil and contempt of the common good" and said the Church would exert its full force in efforts to combat organised crime.

"Our children are asking for it, our young people are asking for it. They are in need of hope and faith can help respond to this need," he said. (3.)

Today, I can clearly see the foot prints in the sand along the shore which Christ walked. The same path we sometimes remember to try to follow.

It’s a great day! Don’t you agree?

1. “Presbyterian Church Votes To Allow Gay Marriages”, Huffington Post, Jaweed Kaleem, posted: 19 June 2014 5:15 pm EDT Updated: 20 June 2014 1:59 pm EDT. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/06/19/presbyterian-church-gay-marriage_n_5512756.html?utm_hp_ref=mostpopular
2. “Presbyterian Church (USA) Makes Controversial Divestment Move Against Israel”, Huffington Post, Jaweed Kaleem, posted: 20 June 2014 11:28 pm EDT. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/06/20/presbyterian-church-israel_n_5517037.html
3. PCUSA Divests from Occupation Support Firms, OpEdNews, James Wall, 21 June 2014 21:11:00 http://www.opednews.com/articles/PCUSA-Divests-from-Occupat-by-James-Wall-Divesting_in_israel_Israel_Pressure_Vote-140621-50.html
4. “Mafiosi are 'excommunicated', pope says”, Reuters, Philip Pullella and Andrew Heavens, Posted 21 June 2014 1:42pm EDT http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/06/21/us-pope-mafia-condemnation-idUSKBN0EW0L020140621