tomorrow is Dorothy Day’s birthday. like so many good things in my life, i first heard of her in the living room at the Wells’ house in SE. here was a family who loved each other and loved God and were serious about their faith. and here on their coffeetable was a copy of the Catholic Worker, a periodical that at 1 cent a copy even a very poor college girl could afford. i promptly wrote and became a subscriber.
a few months ago, just after Nicolas was born, our copy got delivered to a house down by Cathedral Park by mistake. the man, also a longtime subscriber, knocked on our door and delivered our paper. he said he wanted to see another “worker” in St Johns. i was nursing the baby at the time and only overheard the conversation. i’d be curious to see a fellow worker too.
i read Day’s biography for the first time this year. i have had my introduction to the peace-makers slowly…i wasn’t raised to love them but to suspect them: ML King, Ghandi, Day, all people who had a false peace that we young christians should never trust. it makes me terribly sad to think of what i’ve missed, but it has been a delight to discover these friends and inspirations in the world leaving their trail for us to follow.
as regards your question about David and Goliath, i don’t know the answer because those are questions i have myself about the OT, about defense, about what is justice. and i think the best answer you can give a child is just that: ” i don’t know, i’m still learning myself. but i know Jesus tells us to love our enemies and pray for them.” children are rarely dismayed by our honest wrestling with truth, but they ARE dismayed if they discover later that we have lied to them or misled them or given them a partial picture.
i’m enjoying your daily posting!
tonia–i know you’d also love the Long Lonliness (autobiography) and Loaves and Fishes (about the Worker movement) by Day. the Catholic Worker often reprints her articles. i’d love to send you one of our back issues if you’d send along a mailing address.
…i told Mabel that it sounded to me like Gandhi was doing what Jesus taught and left it at that.