Magyar Egyház, 1980 (59. évfolyam, 1-10. szám)
1980-05-01 / 5. szám
KAGyflK £G/fíflZ 10. oldal carpenter tools, Gustav, my friend. Now you can become and artist, too. Here take the brush! Feel it! Touch it to the canvas. Paint, Gustav, paint!” Gustav took the brush—and dropped it. “It’s so light!” he laughed excitedly. He picked it up again. “Light as the feather of an angel wing!” He thrust the brush awkwardly at the canvas and it fell from his hand. “I cannot, Albrecht—just cannot hold it.” He looked at his hands in numb muteness. Then Albrecht looked and for the first time he really saw them. The knuckles were large and hard; the palms calloused and yellowed; the fingers torn and split. “I smashed my fingers so often with the hammer when I was learning. ’’Gustav's voice was low, almost apologetic. “A piece of lumber fell across my wrist once.” Suddenly he turned in fright and fear. “Albrecht! My hands—I have lost the touch!” Albrecht’s heart was sick as he saw the despair in his friend’s eyes. He turned and hastened from the room, not knowing how to answer the hopeless cry. Night was descending rapidly over the city when Albrecht returned to the rooming house. He hesitated at the door, for he heard the voice of his friend in prayer. Quietly he looked into the dusk, dimmed garret room and saw within a shaft of fading sunset light, the man’s homely, work-worn hands, clasped in prayer. He saw the broken nails, the swollen joints, and he know that his loyal friend would never paint again. He had sacrificed the artistry he once possessed to give Albrecht Dürer his chance. An intense surge of gratitude poured through him. Always he would care for his friend. But he would do more than that. He must create a work in tribute to so noble a sacrifice. Swiftly, his artist eye took in the reverend attitude of those praying hands, the beauty of service underlying their disfigurements. He would paint those hands, just as they were, wrinkled and worn and lined. Through them the world would know of his friend. It would be his great work of thanksgiving. North American and Caribbean Area Council World Alliance for Reformed Churches (Presbyterian and Congregational) Report on the Roman Catholic/Presbyterian-Reformed Consultation Germantown, Pennsylvania — February 28, 1980 The Roman Catholic/Presbyerian-Reformed Consultation is jointly sponsored by the Bishops’ Committee for Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs of the National Conference of Catholic Bishops and the North American and Caribbean Area Council of the World Alliance of Reformed Churches (Presbyterian and Congregational). Concerning its life and work during the past year, I wish to report that the task I outlined before you a year ago (see my report incorporated as Appendix H in the Minutes of the Area Council Meeting of February 6-8, 1979, New York City) has been accomplished as projected. Round III of the Consultation stands completed. Because the last piece of the planned composite document was ready just a few days ago, we still need to finish the technical work, which may be called secretarial homogenization, in order to have the full document ready for publication and distribution. The basic theme of Round III of the Consultation was Ethics and the Search for Christian Unity. We chose two specific areas to show how we make ethical decisions in the two traditions; not only on the top level but also in regional context and individualy as Christians. We also showed how our two traditions manage their differences on ethical issues. Our guiding principal was to explore these areas by carefully stating where there was agreement between the two traditions and honestly registering where there was disagreement. By doing this from the viewpoint of the ecumenist we were led to find that fidelity to one’s own tradition did not exclude to understand the tradition of the other graciously. The two specific areas were abortion and human rights. The composite package consists of the following documents: two basic statement, one on abortion, the other on human rights (74 and 114 typewritten lines, respectively). The statements, which we might call Ecumenical Pastorial Letters, have been meticulously examined line by line and word by word by the full Consultation and repeatedly rewritten before being approved in their final form at the closing session last September. Members of the Consultation from both traditions have —in variable measure and capacity —provided input; some wrote the original draft texts, others presented background papers, clarifying notes, or guide lines for revisions and commentaries. The subjects of this Round were both difficult and delicate. It was most gratifying that not only were the meetings peaceful —not a raised voice, no hurtful comments in three years! — but that everyone could feel a genuine sense of joy in working together. I wish to insert a special word of thanks to the Roman Catholic chairman, the Most Reverend Bishop Ernest L. Unterkoefler, for his continuous warm friendship. We are particularly happy that Bishop Unterkoeflet has become the new chairman
