Spiritual Perspectives
Always Reforming?

By Don Steele
Special to The Independent

The end of October marks a particular celebration among some Christians. Sunday, Oct. 29th is Reformation Sunday and October 31st is Reformation Day. Particularly, Christian Reformed, Lutherans and Presbyterians would mark these days as important moments in our heritage. However the notion of reformation is not limited to a specific moment in history or even one tradition. Roman Catholic Christians can certainly claim reformation in such moments as the Counter-Reformation, many religious orders, and the Vatican II Council. Methodists, Episcopalians and Pentecostals all can lay claim to being movements of reformation to call the church to accountability. Baptists who trace their beginnings to John the Baptist, can appropriately claim him as the founder of a reformation movement. In other religious traditions, such as Islam, Judaism, and Buddhism, there are important movements of reform which continue to this day. The motto of the 16th Century Reformation, reformada, semper reformanda, "reformed, always reforming" is a challenge to us today as surely as then.

Regardless of our religious heritage or our faith tradition, however, the question for us today is how shall we be about the work of reforming the world situation in which we live? Early Reformers such as Calvin, Luther and Zwingli and more modern artisans of Reformation such as Pope John XXIII, Dorothy Day, and Mother Teresa had a strong conviction that the cities in which we humans live should mirror as closely as possible the City of God. Our task as spiritual beings is to work to make life as full and human as possible for all. This is closely mirrored in the Navajo spiritual value of balance and beauty in all of life. If life is not balanced or beautiful for some of our neighbors, then it is not for all of us.

So how can we be about the task of reforming our world today? We have important opportunities at this time in Gallup. How can we attend to the concerns of domestic violence, of homelessness and inadequate pay, of addictions and progress in education? How can we make our community more a mirror of the best of sacred intentions for each other? Battered Family Services is leading us in a focus on October as National Domestic Violence Month, a crucial remembrance for us as McKinley County has the third highest domestic violence incidence rate in New Mexico. Check out today's Domestic Violence Awareness Gourd Dance at Gallup Junior High School. The gourd dance is being held in honor of domestic violence survivors and their children. Bring a donation of canned goods, personal items (combs, brushes, tooth brushes, tooth paste, etc.) household items for the kitchen or bathroom, paper goods, diapers, linens or towels as your admission. Participation changes awareness, and awareness leads to changed actions.

CARE 66 is doing an incredible job of addressing both short and long-term homelessness. They provide shelter, meals, counseling, addiction recovery, and job skills, along with moving toward providing low-income housing for the community. Their Boo! Run/Walk for Your Life on Oct. 28th is a fun way to participate in education, action, and yes, reformation, of how we deal with this need. Call Ender at 722-0066 to participate or volunteer.

There is an effort to change the poverty statistics here by changing the minimum wage in Gallup. The current wage rate of $5.15 per hour, not changed for many years, will not support a family above the poverty line and results in many additional government dollars being spent on services that persons would prefer to provide for themselves, affording them dignity and self-sufficiency. You can circulate a petition to get the question of minimum wage in Gallup on the ballot for a vote, or you can sign the petition. Call Don at 722-3247 if you want to help.

Reformation is about making things better. It is about choosing not to believe that "nothing I can do will make a difference." It is about choosing to make of this earth something closer to God's good imagination for us beginning right here in our community. What will you do to claim your role as a Reformer?

The Rev. Don Steele is pastor of Westminster Presbyterian Church in Gallup. He can be reached at steele1217@earthlink.net or by phone at (505) 722-3247.

This column is the result of a desire by community members, representing different faith communities, to share their ideas about bringing a spiritual perspective into our daily lives and community issues.

For information about contributing a guest column, contact Elizabeth Hardin-Burrola at the Independent: (505) 863-8611, ext. 218 or lizreligion01@yahoo.com.