Tag: the very rev heather vandeventer

The Very Rev. Heather VanDeventer, the Dean of St. John's Cathedral, writes about her reaction to the loss of life and the destruction in the Holy Land of both Israelis and Palestinians and what Episcopalians and others can do to help give hope.

This has been a long week with frustrating and frightening news that is both far away and close to home. Last Sunday, we prayed for the Episcopal Church in Jerusalem and the Middle East and also for our mission partners at Odyssey Youth Movement.

There is an arrogance that goes along with hardness of heart, as well as being stubborn and unwilling to listen to others. Soft-hearted people are sometimes characterized as being mild-mannered and maybe even as pushovers, but those who are tender-hearted remember to make space for others, which is one way of respecting the dignity of other human beings.