what to do...

I am watching the canonization of Mary MacKillop and wanting so much more commentary to be happening!

But also reading Bp Gene Robinson's comments that came out a week or so ago: http://walkingwithintegrity.blogspot.com/2010/10/how-religion-is-killing-our-most.html

He writes:

These bullying behaviors would not exist without the undergirding and the patina of respect provided by religious fervor against LGBT people. It's time for "tolerant" religious people to acknowledge the straight line between the official anti-gay theologies of their denominations and the deaths of these young people. Nothing short of changing our theology of human sexuality will save these young and precious lives.

It's time to change our theology. Having heard Dr Scott Cowdell talking about sexuality at the deacon's conference last week I agree! We need to be more courageous in how we tackle it!

On a different, but maybe in a strange way related topic, it is time to encourage our politicians to be courageous and let young people and their families (and others too perhaps) out of the indefinite mandatory detention that occur for boat people who are seeking asylum. Write letters, send faxes, send emails! Chilout is organised again and making a mark. This is the time to make a difference!

The address for the minister is:

The Hon Chris Bowen MP
Minister for Immigration and Citizenship
PO Box 6022
House of Representatives
Parliament House
CANBERRA ACT 2600

Other addresses are at http://www.refugeeaction.org/rac/Contact_details.htm (cc your letter to your local rep and to Scott Morrison shadow minister.)

Prayer

It is very unusual for me to want to say anything at all about prayer. And yet I put together the prayers in the pew sheet every week, just compiled from various cycles (ecumenical, Anglican and Diocesan). Last week a paragraph or two from the Changing Attitude blog made so much sense to me. Of course I should have, maybe I actually have, read it all before. But Colin Coward's comments make it stand out for me.
for more go to: http://changingattitude-england.blogspot.com/2010/09/gay-bishops-still-dont-exist-in-public.html Colin writes:

"I’ve now read the Times interview with the Archbishop in its entirety and want to begin by focussing on something that wasn’t reported elsewhere but is key to my Christian life and witness. Archbishop Rowan told his interviewer that “... the point of praying is to open yourself up to God so God can do what he wants with you. You come with empty hands, as silent as you can be and say, ‘Over to you.’ So you could say the function was to make you the person God wants you to be – in the full awareness that that might not be quite the person you think you want to be.”

Yes indeed. Prayer is opening yourself up to God and both ++Rowan and I pray in a similar way. The intention is to make you the person God wants you to be, and there’s the rub. Does God want me to be a priest? Does God want me to be gay? Does God want me to be celibate? Does God want me to love my partner and enjoy my life with him to the full? What do I do when these conflict, as they do at the moment? When I centre in prayer and say, ‘Over to you’, God still seems to be saying that each of these aspects of me are part of the person God wants me to be."

Perhaps for me it is still as hazy as watching this whale swimming underwater. But there is something huge and powerful there!

The National Gallery

I have photos of the National Gallery's wonderful projection of art works onto the building this week.

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I love this aspect of the gallery. They did it a couple of years ago. I am thrilled with it. I love these photos. They work! I think the gallery should print a book! The projections seem to have a "template" to project through which means the light is only on the building, not windows or openings. There has been a lot of work gone into the show.
These photos were taken on the night the new entrance to the gallery was opened. 30th October 2010.