Only
a few days ago, the very fabric of land-locked
Nepal
, its southern boundary shared with
India
and its northern edge touched by the
Himalaya
, was shaken by a huge earthquake. Damage was extensive over a wide area and
daily the reported loss of life rose with each news bulletin.
Governments and individuals have been helping the recovery operation with
goods and gifts, with sympathy and understanding. The image that heads this
posting is of a Nepalese man offering prayer for his country in
Seattle
, a long way from home.
(photo
Lindsey
Wasson / The Seattle Times)
The hand-touching greeting,
with a gentle bow towards another, is characteristic of the East. The joined
hands as a sign of prayer, is also very familiar to the Christian Church. It
says so much about the person who makes it, a non-threatening gesture of
touching palms, open, hiding nothing and showing no malice. It is a gesture that
can be made in a close, face to face meeting, or across a crowded space, once
eye contact has been made. I often use it at the Sign of Peace when at Mass at
my local abbey of Benedictine nuns as I acknowledge them across the choir.
Within a few minutes of the
Sign of Peace, our cupped, open hands are extended to receive the gift of
Eucharist, a gladdening gesture of thanks.
So many stories are told
about the way we use our hands, not all of them with good intent. Through
provocative gesture and physical violence the story of love, of compassion, can
be diminished and lost, defiance and protest can take precedence.
US
athletes, Tommy Smith and John Carlos raised their clenched, black-gloved fists
after receiving medals for 1st and 3rd place in the 200M
final of the 1968 Olympics. It caused a world-wide reaction, for in that overt
gesture, they called attention to the inequality of African – Americans back
home. Both men were expelled from the Games. That same anger has been seen again
in recent days on the streets of
Baltimore
,
Maryland
, with dangerous consequences.
In the midst of world news,
the desperate hands of the rescuers continue to pull at the broken remains of
homes and temples, shops and markets, seeking survivors.
Those
who cannot physically undertake the recovery task, join their hands in silent
prayer for those who can. Be they Hindu or Muslim, Christian or Buddhist, their
prayerful action is shared in the face of great tragedy. Let us join with them
END
