A Glimpse, Perhaps, Of True Christianity

Once in a while life is kind. We meet
someone, not from a distance, but having a
moment to share and actually sharing it. It
can be as simple as a moment in an elevator,
a courtesy extended while waiting in line,
or a real smile that springs &om the soul. If
you are lucky, these things happen. If you
are very lucky, you may even have a chance
to touch and be touched at the soul level. I
recently had such a chance.


On April 14, 1996, Japan was visited by
His Grace, Archbishop Lufti Laham, Patriarchal
 Vicar of Jerusalem. He was here at
the invitation of the Knights of the Temple
of Jerusalem, the Grand Priory of Japan.
This is the first time anyone of his stature
from his church has visited Japan, and the
members of the order considered it a great
honor.


I am a member of the order and serve as
I am asked. It was in that capacity that I
suddenly found myself in the back room of
St. Alban's Anglican Church in Tokyo
with a most imposing man. Sometimes
meeting someone leaves you with nothing
to say. You know nothing you are, have
done, or will do can be of interest to this
person, although he would smile and say
you were wrong.


I stumbled forward and asked if he
would like to sit down. I grant you this is
not monumental conversation, but it was
taxing my coordination of mind, body, and
tongue. He said yes and told me to pull up
a chair.


I complimented his staff, inspected the
jeweled medallion he wears, tried to help
with his vestments, and altogether felt 
foolish and ineffectual. He replied that his
things were bright and shiny but not of real
monetary value, and explained their meaning 
and significance. He told me how
pleased he was to have the opportunity to
come to Japan. He said he carried with him
the blessings of his church and of his God to
a land he had never before had the opportunity 
to see. He expressed his disappointment at 
not having the chance to see more
of Japan and to talk with more Japanese
people firsthand. Time and schedules afflict
us all.


I explained to him my involvement
with the Sikh faith and the reason I wear a
kara, a bracelet that is a symbol of that faith.
We talked of the war in India between
Sikhs and Hindus. He talked of all wars of
faith and with special sadness of the war that
has ravaged Beirut. He talked of the confusion 
of faith, religion, and politics and of
how politics uses faith to build an army of
the faithful if not of the wise. He spoke of
how many faiths had lived for centuries side
by side in Beirut only to have politics now
pit neighbor against neighbor. He spoke of
Bosnia and similar divisions made by those
who would build political walls on foundations 
forged in smoldering hatreds.


Strangely, by this time I was sitting in a
completely defensive position, sideways,
arms and legs crossed against this man. I was
steeling myself.


Earlier in the day I had spoken with my
Knight Commander concerning the receiving 
of Holy Communion. To his surprise, I said 
I could not receive the host from this 
man without consulting him first
to be sure he would want to give me
communion. In the end I would not take
communion, nor would anyone else, for it
would be decided that His Grace would
give a simple blessing to the assembled,
who were of many faiths. But I did not
know this then.


So, having prepared myself, I said, "Sir,
I have a question I must ask. Where do you
stand on homosexuality?"


"Are you a Christian?" was his reply.


Those who have nearly drowned will
retain a fear of water, and those who have
been railed against by those who would
seek simple answers to difficult questions
will have a certain defensive posture to this
question.


"If you mean by that, do I believe in the
principles of love, compassion, and understanding 
put forward in the teachings of
Jesus?, the answer is yes. If you mean, do I
believe Christ is the one way, the only way,
and that those who do not know of or
believe in Christ do not have continuity of
life after death?, the answer is no. I believe
paths are many, truth is one, and all religions 
lead to God. Some just take longer
and require more trips through life."


He leaned forward, his elbows on his
knees, his hands playing with his staff,
fingering the jewels in the handle. The
hands were the hands of a worker, a doer.
They were short and strong, and gnarled
with the passage of time. They were 
remarkably strong hands fingering the 
delicate filigree. I paraphrase what 
he said, and only hope I do justice.


"I live in Jerusalem. It is the center of the
world. It is a land of Arabs who are Muslims, 
Arabs who are Jews, Arabs who are
Christians, and people from all over the
world. I am a Christian. One of about
130,000 among millions. This is my faith. I
am lucky. I know this, so I don't have to
explain my answer to the question as you
do. This is my path and I choose to live it.
The only reason to be different from others
is to be of service to others. I run a hospital
and a school, not for Christians, but for
those who need a hospital and a school. I try
to keep Christians in the Holy Land so we
can be of service to those who live there.
Religion does not belong to us, we belong
to it. That is why I am a Christian. That is
why I serve. And that is why it is not for me
to judge the path of others. I live my path
and others must live theirs."


I was by now sitting with my elbows on
my knees and my head close to this man.
This was not a sermon, it was a benediction,
a blessing. I was also aware of the tear
running into the collar of my shirt. Others
were entering the room. Brother Damon
was circling at a wide berth. The initiates
were being led in.


"I am not a homosexual. It is not my
path. But I do not judge the path of others.
My faith is to serve."


Brother Roe stepped through the door
to inform us all was ready.


I wiped my face, thanked him for his
words, and tried to steady myself to walk in
and prepare a way for the procession that
would escort this truly remarkable man to
the altar. I was in the front. He was near the
back. I stood in his shadow.


Sometimes to stand in the shadow is to
stand in the light.     --Ralph Parks


Ralph Parks is currently employed as a teacher
at Wailalak University in Thailand. He has
studied both Eastern and Westem mysteries for
over 30 years, induding Westem Kabbalah,
Sikhism, Spiritualism, and subtle body work.


Summer 1997 / Gnosis Magazine