This is what it was like to be at the anti-racism conference, “Seeing the Face of God in Each Other” during the first weekend of December 2007. I think this is what it is like to be attentive to God. Listening attentively is essential for spiritual growth and reconciliation. The anti-racism conference offered the opportunity to open our minds and hearts to another’s suffering. The conference pulsed with awareness and compassion. And, probably no quality more identifies a Christian than that of compassion. Read through the gospel and you will find that Jesus consistently lived this quality and encouraged it in his disciples. Jesus repeatedly insisted that offering compassion to another was the same as extending it to himself. The anti-racism conference was about God’s compassion – God feeling our pain, our loss, and our suffering. The conference was so incredible and life changing. My only regret was that there were not 300 people attending instead of 30. I am more aware and focused than ever on the great work which still lies ahead for us as Christians. As we pray each week, we can draw both inspiration and comfort from God, who is our example of how to hold the hurting ones of our world, be they black, white, Jewish, Muslim, or woman, in our hearts and offer them compassion and empowerment.
Photo: Dr. Anita George & Bishop Gray
