A rune is a written character that was used in northern European cultures before the use of Latin and Latin letters took over. This Celtic Rune predates our alphabet, but doesn’t predate the Christian witness.
I think it captures what we are preparing for in these last days of Advent.
A Celtic Rune of Hospitality
Jonathan Kozol steps back from his relationship with kids at the afterschool at St. Ann's Episcopal Church in the South Bronx and tells a story from 1969 about his encounters with Paulo Freire, a Brazilian educator who was teaching at Harvard. Freier also was a commited Christian.
“Be all you can be” was the recruiting motto for the United Sates Army several years back. It rather coyly suggested that if you joined the army, every opportunity you wanted would be available for you to fulfill.
Public education in America purports to offer the same thing. Yet through his years of teaching and observing, Jonathan Kozol doesn’t see it that way.
Jonathan Kozol is an extraordinary observer. Mostly he observes children – their struggles, their triumphs and their ordinary resurrections. He also observes the priest, Mother Martha of St. Ann’s in the South Bronx. He observes Mother Martha responding to one crisis after another: “there is no distance. Everything is present. Almost everything is urgent” (page 257). He watches her hearing the cries of her people, and then wondering -- who does she cry to?
The roll-out for Newark Kids Count took place on Thursday. It was held at Branch Brook School in Newark, chosen because it has outperformed other Newark elementary schools. 85% of kids at Branch Brook passed the 3rd grade reading test. In contrast, the lowest was a Newark school in which just 11% passed. It was pointed out several times -- by the head of Advocates for Children of New Jersey, the superintendent of schools -- and the Mayor, that 3rd grade reading proficiency is a key determinant of long-term academic success.
Jesus grew up in Nazareth, a very small village that was literally built into a hill. People took advantage of the limestone caves that dotted the landscape by setting up house within and extending tents out onto the hillside. Joseph, Jesus’ father, earned his livelihood by making the three-mile journey to Sepphoris, the regional Roman capital that was under construction one hill away. When he was old enough, Jesus no doubt accompanied his father on this daily commute, for the purpose of learning the carpentry trade.
Years ago I attended a conference on urban ministry that was convened by Walter Brueggemann. One of the attendees was a Roman Catholic nun who lived and worked in North Philadelphia. She described the paradox of her situation: that in a neighborhood of considerable poverty, she discovered more abundance than any other place she had ever been. She described a rather spontaneous neighborhood festival -- everybody came, all sorts of food showed up, and people stayed and celebrated long after the appointed time for it to end.
Our daughter taught in the Memphis Public Schools for three years. The first two years were on assignment from Teach for America, and for the third year she was hired by a large high school to teach English to 12th graders. So she spent part of the summer preparing to educate seniors. Except that it didn't happen. Two days before she was to begin the year she was told she would be teaching 11th graders instead. Oh well. And on the first day of school, 40 kids showed up in several of her classes, which had desks for 24.
Years ago, I spent a week at a diocesan summer camp. I headed up a team of adults that was in charge of Christian education. We designed and led the curriculum. We did a good job.
But during the course of the week, I began to wonder who the camp was for. One would expect that it is for the kids. But I wasn't so sure. At times I thought the camp was more for the summer counselors; and at other times it felt as though camp was for those who owned and operated the facility.
Welcome to the third Sunday of Advent. During this third week, I invite you to join me in reading chapters 13-19 (pages 156-260) of Ordinary Resurrections by Jonathan Kozol.
