Tolerance

A Poem: On the Late Massacre in Piedmont

Avenge, 0 Lord, thy slaughtered saints, whose bones
Lie scattered on the Alpine mountains cold,
Even them who kept thy truth so pure of old
When all our fathers worshiped stocks and stones,

Forget not: in thy book record their groans

Who were thy sheep and in their ancient fold
Slain by the bloody Piemontese that rolled
Mother with infant down the rocks. Their moans
The vales redoubled to the hills, and they
To Heaven. Their martyred blood and ashes sow
O'er all th' Italian fields where still doth sway

The triple tyrant: that from these may grow

A hundredfold, who having learnt thy way
Early may fly the Babylonian woe.

by John Milton (1608-1674)

Spiritual Walk and Musings: Tolerance.

“In this poem Milton decries the killing of several Christians known as the Waldensians. This sect had lived in the Italian Alps since the twelfth century. They supposedly had religious liberty. But in 1655 the Roman Catholic ruler of the Piedmont trampled their freedom by sending troops to slaughter many of their members.

At this time in history there was tremendous tension between Roman Catholics and Protestants. Milton, a leading Protestant in England, voiced his protest against this slaughter. Speaking for his countrymen, Milton confessed that the English (in the twelfth century) had still been Roman Catholics who worshiped wooden and stone statues, while the Waldensians carried on the true faith. Now (in the seventeenth century) as Protestants, the English were free from "the triple tyrant" (the pope, who supposedly had authority over heaven, earth, and hell). The irony is that the Waldensians, who had come under the pope's sword, were martyrs liberated to heaven—way above his control.

In the last lines Milton prays that the martyrs' seed will multiply a hundredfold, producing many more new believers, who will know the truth and thereby escape "the Babylonian woe." That woe is the destruction of Babylon as depicted in Revelation 18, which Protestants in Milton's day understood to mean the destruction of Rome.

From this sad scene in Christian history, depicted so poignantly by Milton, let us learn tolerance for other Christians—especially those who are most different from us.” [Copied from Philip Comfort & Daniel Partner, ‘A Poem a Day’]

Something to do: Look at a flower.

I’m writing this in the first week of June, but perchance winter still has not come our way, why not go outside and look for a confused flower that already thinks it is spring. Pluck it, smell it, admire it, feel the texture, the colour – each intricate part, each beautiful petal making the whole. Did you know that within St. David’s there are many different textures and flavours and petals and colours and nuances of faith in Jesus Christ? We desperately need each other to make that well formed flower named St. David’s. We desperately need the other churches in our community to make that flower – the church of Richmond Waimea…...…and so on and so on we all need each other. While admiring that flower – pray for the church worldwide and local. God Bless, Jon.

To Ponder and Pray: Unite us Lord

God, you loved the world so much that you gave your Son.
We will give ourselves in worship and service to you.
Bind us together in that fellowship of love
which unites us to you, Our Father,
through the Son
and in the power of the Holy Spirit.