In this house.....

I found today's quote on  Pinterest{ I am a confessed Pinterest addict]

Anyhow, without further ado, here is the quote for today:

"In this house,
all must be friends,
all must be loved,
all must be held dear,
all must be helped."
              ~St Teresa of Avila.

I wish that my brother & sister Christ-followers would heed the advice of this little nun.

The Church that Jesus founded is not a Church of exclusion. It was , and still IS a Church of INCLUSION. Scripture is full of stories with Our Lord Jesus went out of His way to help those who were different than Him and His followers.

Today is the 50th anniversary of the March on Washington, DC and the famous "I have a Dream" speech by Dr Martin Luther King , Junior.

We have come a long way in our quest for civil rights for everyone in the 50 years since Dr King spoke at the March on Washington.

Even in 21st Century America and even in the Church Universal, I see a lot of divisions.

Racism, although more hidden and not " politically-correct" is still alive & well in some parts of this great nation. Thankfully, I see the next generation as much more accepting of racial diversity than our for bearers.

Women in business still earn less per capita than their equally-qualified male counterparts.

Hetero-centricity still runs rampant. My heart aches for my GLBT Christian sisters & brothers who are denied basic civil rights. Young GLBT persons struggle with the " coming out " process , often fearing severe repercussion from family members. The school of thought that GLBT persons can be " cured" of their " condition  via reparative therapy is still held as truth among some circles.

Humanity is wonderful in its diversity.  Despite the kicking & screaming fits of the WASP, society is becoming more tolerant of diversity.

Let us keep on fighting the good fight  and marching towards shalom.

Amen.