Archival photo of traditional Crow sweat lodge.

September. The first hints of fall color touched the trees. Pale golden cornstalks stood ready for harvest in the rolling fields as I drove through Southern Illinois towards the gathering place. About a dozen of us would gather in the sweat lodge our Medicine Woman had built for us.

Her son had spent the day heating large stones-The Grandfathers-in a fire. Tending the stones for the lodge is a holy thing. We thanked him for his work.

Some of us were there to start a moon-long cycle of inner and outer healing. One man was seeking Divine help with a cancer his doctors told him was hopeless. Another was a young man seeking blessings for his tour of duty in Iraq.

We left our offerings of food for the communal meal on the table. Out of deference for the water pourer’s tradition, we…

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Everyday we are faced with decisions that require us to make ethical choices. And there are times when we as a community or as a nation make decisions that involve ethical choices. Going to war is certainly a very big moral/ethical choice and our faith is dictating our choice.  Now, we can make mistakes but to not learn from our mistakes only means we are likely to repeat the mistake.

War is very destructive and there is loss of life and memory of it haunts the soldiers who fight in it. This is especially true where the war is not between two armies but in a urban setting with potential of harm and casualties to civilians, something that is true of all modern wars. We asked hundreds of thousands of our men and women to go fight this war Iraq. Most of them are simple honest ordinary citizens who found themselves…

AP file photo A Christian boy looks on as he sits at the back of his family car after leaving Mosul, Iraq

Until our invasion of Iraq, the 1.4 million large Christian population in Iraq (7% of the population) was one of the oldest, large, healthy minority population anywhere in the world. It was/is one of the oldest Christian populations anywhere in the world. They enjoyed a above average economic life. Today they are seriously facing possible extinction, primarily through exodus. 

Many westerners believe that Muslims and Islam are an intolerant society. And some are quick to point to this sad situation of Iraqi Christians today as proof of their assertion. How little do we contemplate things right in front of our noses! If indeed Muslims are extremely intolerant, how is it that these Iraqi Christians lived for over 1000 years among them? One may also consider that we cannot point to a…

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There is a saying attributed to Prophet Muhammad (I am paraphrasing a bit). Prophet Muhammad once said “Support your brother when he is right and support your brother when he is wrong”. His companions were puzzled (knowing that the Prophet always supported truth only) and one asked “what do you mean support your brother when he is wrong”.  Prophet Muhammad replied “Support your brother when he is wrong by correcting him”. Lets face it, hardly anybody likes being corrected. But to correct someone in a nice and gentle manner, where the person sees it as an act of a well-wisher, is a true act of friendship. To correct one’s nation (or work to correct it when needed) is also a true act of patriotism. Why should we support our nation right or wrong? Why not make sure our nation is always right? Which is a better act of patriotism,…