Herein Lies the Heart of a Liberal Faith

Our Indeptedness to Transylvanian Unitarians

March 17, 2002

by Lorene Hales

for Partner Church Sunday

Good morning! I am delighted to speak today on behalf of the Partner Church Committee because I firmly believe that our relationship with our partner church in Korispatak is a two-way relationship which enriches both them and us. This morning I want to focus on 3 primary ways in which we are enriched by this relationship: First and foremost, we are challenged to live out the Seven Principles of our faith. Second, we are encouraged to develop our individual potential to its fullest. Third, we are reminded that, despite the fact we live in a society of [to reference Madonna] material girls and boys ... what is needed to make our world better for everyone - whether on a local or a global scale - is not primarily money or material goods but a realization of our common humanity and belief in a ‘strength’ beyond our personal control prompting us to act in forthright ways towards one another. Let me address each of these points separately.

First, we are challenged to live out the Seven Principles of our faith. These words of Mother Teresa express what for me true relationship with our brother and sister Unitarians in Korispatak is all about. This quote is from the book Heart of Joy: The Transforming Power of Self-Giving:

" Love: the First Thing – People think that we are only asking for money. It is not money that I am interested in. We strive to live out concretely the love of Christ in each of our actions every day, despite our weaknesses and miseries. Every day we are in touch with the most marginal of society. More than money, what these people need is our heart."

And, I add, what we need is their heart. Their heart and their perpetual challenge to us to live up to the principles that as Unitarian-Universalists we have covenanted to affirm and promote.

September 11th was a powerful reminder to the world that no one is beyond the scope of hatred acted out. I suspect that part of the reason this tragic event struck us so forcibly is that until that day we believed we dwell in an impregnable country where we can continue to blithely be unaware of the wrongful actions our country perpetrates upon others in our name and in the cause of capitalism; we can continue to not acknowledge the anger and hatred many hold against us due to our flaunting of inequality of wealth, resource utilization, and power; we can continue to deny our smugness and sense of superiority and self-righteousness when relating to other countries and peoples of the world. Yet, despite "our weaknesses and miseries" Americans are also known for "striving to live out concretely...love...in...our actions." We are usually among the first countries to respond to a crises in another part of the world...giving financial support, medical resources, physical bodies to assist and so on. Rather a case of Jekyll and Hyde on a grand scale.

Recognizing the positive relationship and cooperation we have maintained with them, the Bishop of the Unitarian Church in Transylvania responded on Sept. 13 with words of compassion and support from their collective heart to ours. But, at the same time, they gently exhorted us to live up to the principles of our faith. In the words of the Bishop:

"We trust that the United States will respond to these attacks by searching for justice, with the conviction that no political or social ideals can be served or corrected by violence."

What a reminder of our principles when Transylvanian Unitarians who, due to their liberal faith and ethnic heritage, have suffered centuries of persecution and attempts to annihilate them which continue even to this day, speak out without hesitation against violence and for justice, equity, and compassion to create a world community at peace. These are not people who spew flowery, misty-eyed rhetoric knowing they will never bear the brunt of reactions to their words. Instead these people know only too well what personal sacrifice and hardship they have endured and must continue to endure to see their vision realized.

There is much work to be done in our local communities, the greater country and the world at large to realize our principles. It is with much sadness that I follow the news reports and learn of daily acts of violence directed towards persons because of their gender, their race, their sexuality, their economic status, or their religion. To see the slim tendrils of peaceful resolution to strife again being pulled out by the roots by Israeli and Palestinian, Muslim Indian and Hindu Indian, Pakistani and Indian, tribal Africans pitted against each other, Irishmen against Irishmen, American against American... and on and on. It is with a sense of despair and outrage I hear our President inciting a mob reaction towards violence anywhere he deems it necessary in the world by chanting his mantras ‘against evil and evil doers’, ‘patriotism’ and ‘democracy’ while not acknowledging the very evil he is promoting to achieve his goals.

What a gift to us this reminder by our brother and sister Unitarians that we, through a consistent practice of our faith, can find a way to realizing our principles throughout our daily lives. Practice of faith, not just theorizing about faith. What a sense of indebtedness to know that those who have suffered this pain before us are walking alongside as we struggle on our way.

Another mentor, the minister of our partner church, Rev. Lajos Dancs, whom many of you had the pleasure to meet in person, goes beyond what even most Unitarian ministers in Transylvania do to express the inherent worth and dignity of the Roma people living in or near Korispatak. These people have truly been maginalized in every country in which they reside, Transylvania not excluded. Rev. Dancs has supported their inclusion into Church life to the extent they are willing to participate. He teaches the children and encourages them to continue in their schooling so as to improve their condition in society. We have shared with Rev. Dancs that the partner church committee is hopeful that some of the educational scholarships we offer can be awarded to Roma youth. Who are those lacking worth and dignity in our community? Is it the homeless? the Hispanic? the Christian? Muslim? Jew? homosexual? less educated? Let Rev. Dancs teach us anew that at times we might need to be witness to our principles -- as Gretchen would say: "with respect, responsibility, and relish for the process." -- not only within the larger community but within our own faith community .

Thank you, Rev. Botond Koppandi, last year’s Starr King scholar and pastor of the St. George congregation in Romania for his gentle, but heart-felt chiding when he experienced some UUs in America not accepting Transylvanian Unitarians, who identify as Christians, in their free and responsible search for meaning and truth.

I don’t intend to go through each of our seven principles and demonstrate what a debt of gratitude we owe our Unitarian brothers and sisters in Transylvania for helping us to recognize the breadth and value of these principles in our lives and the myriad ways our success or failure in living them out affects people far beyond our small circle of family, friends, fellow church-goers. I’m sure you get the point.

The second I wish to emphasize is, we are encouraged to develop our individual potential to its fullest. At the end of January, Nancy and I were gifted to be able to meet this year’s Starr King scholar, Rev. Zsuzsa (pleasure) Bartha and share in discussions with her about issues of relevance to partner church connections. We also attended the Sunday service at Eastern Unitarian-Universalist Church in Bellevue, WA where she delivered the sermon. One of the most significant points she made, in my opinion, is that we each have inner potential to discover and express through the acts of our daily lives. Again we have many mentors among the Unitarians of Transylvania doing exactly that, often at great personal sacrifice to themselves. I will speak of just one such example: Balazs (Balash) Ferenc or, as we would say Francis Balazs. This young minister studied at Starr King Seminary, married an American woman, and then they both returned to Transylvania in 1930 to make a difference in the lives of the people of Transylvania. Before returning home he and his wife traveled to Japan, China, India, Palestine, Egypt and Yugoslavia and met with persons such as Mahatma Ghandi. This entire time he was absorbing new ideas and evaluating them against what he already knew.

As Rev. Bartha states it: he wanted to help his people learn to let go of old and useless habits, keeping only the valuable traditions, thus building a new life. He and his wife were to be messengers of a new perspective. Why do I pick out Rev. Balazs as exemplary for us? Because he was a young man willing to challenge his ways of thinking and belief, willing to grow continuously, and who strove to achieve his goals despite personal sacrifice and hardship on his part. He returned to Transylvania and in 6 short years affected great change: created a modern dairy, cooperatives, wrote 10 books, renovated the church and built a school among other achievements. Although he nourished his dreams and worked to achieve them he was also driven by a realization of his own mortality. Ferenc had tuberculosis and knew he had a limited time to share his knowledge, his heart and his love. His awareness of the limited time he had seemed to give him renewed energy and a sense of urgency. Unfortunately, most people could not keep up with him and didn’t always understand his ideas, life and sense of purpose. But, he continued to pursue his dreams ... and with magnanimity of character. He was able to keep a perspective without turning all prune-faced and intense. One of the things people simply couldn’t understand about him what that he liked to play hide-and-seek with his donkey...another was that he was a vegetarian. Some, therefore, considered Ferenc a foolish person. This reminds me of the complimentary nature of the biblical expression: ‘to be a fool for Christ.’ We strive to realize our truth regardless of the lack of approval of our fellow man. We’ve known other persons like Ferenc, such as St. Francis of Assisi. Be here next Sunday to hear Rev. Woods expand on this topic in her sermon on ‘March Madness’.

Today, though, Balazs (Balash) Ferenc is remembered not so much as a minister but in addition to ‘foolish’, a ‘saint’ or ‘prophet’ by his people. One who forsook what could have been a brilliant career winning accolades from peers by taking on a professorship, putting all his efforts into writing and so on. Instead he chose, as Zsuzsa exressed it, "to bring new ideas, new seeds of life to a tiny village in the middle of a remote country to a forgotten people...not only preaching about the seed of love but identifying himself with it" and thus, "he buried himself in the earth, underneath the clouds, in the heart and soul of my people." To paraphrase and extend the thought of Lynn Kelley in last week’s service: often we cannot directly change our national leaders reaction to life events but we can be a source of love in our own communities sharing love as fully as we can locally. Then perhaps the collective love of all our local communities can impact our leaders.

Here is an example of someone who lived his life to the fullest despite hardship and suffering. One who made a difference by attending with love to the people in his small part of the world...but who, therefore, has lived on as a mentor for us. One section of the library at Starr King Seminary is devoted to the many books he wrote during his brief sojourn among us. Ferenc died at the age of 36.

Rev. Bartha encourages us to follow suit, each in his or her own way, with the following words:

"Will you have the courage to do the same? I don’t ask you to come to Transylvania and bury yourself under the clouds. But will you have the courage to fulfill the promise of your own life? Will you be able to be the love of God itself? Not the recipient...not the person who gives...but love itself?"

My third and final point is: What is needed to make our world a better place is not primarily money or material goods but a realization of our common humanity and belief in a ‘strength’ beyond our personal control prompting us to act in forthright ways towards one another. Rev. Bartha also discussed how, in her experience, so many Americans come to "my home located a few thousand miles away in Europe and a couple of hundred years ago in time" seeking something which they have not found in America. They are tremendously impacted by briefly encountering life as lived by the Transylvanians. I think we often romanticize the seemingly ‘simple lives’ of these people as we are there on a transitory basis and do not experience the hardships they endure to survive. Zsuzsa is minister in the village of Mesker, which means ‘Alabaster Village’: a misnomer since the alabaster is actually limestone. Nevertheless, it allows them to have this saying: "The bread we eat is made from alabaster powder." – flour of stones, hard to eat...life is not easy. Her conclusion is that what these seekers are lacking is a sense of groundedness in faith. Everything feels uncertain to them and there are no guaranteed answers to life’s questions. What they experience in Transylvania is the quiet, calm, assuredness of a people who know that no matter what they must endure in life their faith is a solid anchor keeping them grounded in what is important and giving them strength to look forward with hope to the future. This sense of the value of faith is what she feels Transylvanian Unitarians exude, silently encouraging us in our search for truth and meaning through faith. What is most important in life is not wealth, prestige and power but love: the same love Jesus extended to all who were open to receive. Our Unitarian brothers and sisters encourage us to demonstrate this same love concretely in each of our actions every day. As Zsuzsa says of Mesker, "this is my home where the earth is fruitful and gentle, the air smells like fresh flowers and forests, houses are pretty, people are kind and friendly." People know that they are all striving together, caring for and about each other, not just individual promotion. Families eat together and work together. God, or whatever word you choose to describe the power beyond ourselves, is benevolent and the future can bring peace, prosperity, and love to all. I would sum this up by stating that a new world order will not occur over night but with patience, persistence, and each of us 1) living out our principles, 2) actualizing our potential and, 3) remaining grounded in faith and the power of love this dream is achievable. We are indebted to our Transylvanian Unitarian friends for the ongoing reminder that ‘herein lies the heart of a liberal faith.’

Therefore, I would like to end by dedicating the following poem to the Unitarians of Korispatak and the Unitarian Universalists of Corvallis that we may forever acknowledge the interdependent web of which we are all a part and in thankfulness for the gifts we bestow upon each other as we share in a common search:

Some Wishes for You

by Charles S. Steven, Jr.

I wish for you a troubled heart at times

As woes of world and friend come close beside

And keep you sleepless.

I wish for you the thrill of knowing

Who you are,

Where you stand,

And why.

Especially why.

Not prosperity, but dreams I wish for you;

Not riches, but a sense of your own work I wish

For you.

Not even long life, however proud we’d be to have it so.

But life that is crammed with living,

Hour by hour.

And love I wish for you;

May you give it frequently,

I wish for you solitude in the midst of company,

And a mind full of company within your quiet times.

Full todays I wish for you, and full tomorrows.