Hello Tablers! I’m looking forward to gathering with you all this Sunday. I find it quite remarkable that in this part of the world, we have so many choices, including choosing to gather for the pursuit of spiritual questions, ideas and beliefs. We can do this without fear of violent censure or state intervention. It’s just another privilege we enjoy that many in the world can only dream of.

And along with privilege comes responsibility. Can we help there, should we assist over there, and what about the largest movement of displaced persons since the migrations caused by the Great Wars? By the way, there’s a tropical storm headed for Mexico that will probably make the last “big one” look like a thunder shower. Who gets to help the people that get battered by that one?

I could go on, but even that short list can be enough to evoke the thing that some observers call “compassion fatigue”. One of the unfortunate side effects of global crisis and requests for help is that it can also make it hard for us to remember what the core ideas of “compassion” are. Those core ideas are important, because they impact not only our capacity to make sense of and respond to big disasters, but also to the people that are right next to us in daily life. So…this week we’ll take a little tour around the idea of compassion, and see where that might end up.

A couple of important dates to mark on your calenders:

Upcoming Kids Table dates: November 1st, 15th and 29th.

Souper Sunday / Parent and Child Dedication – November 15th

Christmas at The Table – December 20th (in the evening)

And while we’re waiting for all those lovely things to come our way, I’ll see you on Sunday!

Peace,