By the Rev. Dr. Ed
Hird
Recently my eye surgeon Dr. Kirker had me lie face down for
three days. I had just had laser eye
surgery for a microscopic macular hole. This
condition was not noticeable until I was out at UBC reading tiny 19th
century print. Upon going to an eye
specialist, I discovered that I did not have either lense correction, cataracts, glaucoma,
retinal detachment or macular degeneration.
Over time, the gel or vitreous in our eyes shrink and detaches from the
retina. In rare cases, it sticks and
causes a microscopic hole. Before 1970,
they could not do anything about this.
After laser surgery, the surgeon filled my right eye with gas which temporarily
held everything in place. In order for
the gas to do its job, I had to be vertical for 90% of the time. Fortunately I was able to rent a massage desk
and full-body massage pillow. Sleeping
facedown for four nights was a brand new experience for me. My wife Janice said that I didn’t snore at
all. I never hear myself snore.
Lying face down prohibited me from watching TV or checking
my computer. Because our North Vancouver
Library system has a large assortment of talking books, I was able listen to
John Grisham, Louis Lamour, and Elie Wiesel.
All three authors were passionate about justice. Grisham sought justice in the court
room. Lamour sought justice at the end
of a gun. Elie Wiesel sought justice
from God and neighbour.
Lying on my face enabled me to listen to Elie Wiesel’s
trilogy: Night, Dawn, and Day. Each of the trilogy was deeply moving and
disturbing. Like my successful laser
surgery, Elie’s trilogy gave me eyes to see what I had been previously somewhat
blinded to. As a holocaust survivor,
Wiesel has written over 50 books interpreting the meaning of the Holocaust for
our modern age. Wiesel miraculously
survived the Concentration camps when so many of his family and friends ended
in Hitler’s ovens. In his receiving the
Nobel Peace Prize, they said of Wiesel: “From the abyss of the death camps, he
has come as a messenger to humanity – not with a message of hate and revenge
but with one of brotherhood and atonement.”
Too many people in our culture have either never heard of or
hardened their hearts to the message of the Holocaust. It seems to some like water under the bridge,
as ancient history. Wiesel’s book help
us to enter into the story of the Holocaust as if for the first time. As a vivid story teller, Wiesel makes you
feel that you were right there in the midst of the great tragedy. Would it be possible for Wiesel’s books to be
included in our school systems as a way of reducing hatred and
anti-Semitism? It could give our young
people new eyes to see what it is liked to be bullied and rejected.
It is too easy to scapegoat other people and blame them for
the problems in our lives. Racism seems
to be deep in many of our cultures. It
dies a hard death. Without regular
self-examination and repentance, racism can easily slip back into our
hearts. Anti-Semitism has proven in the
past century to be one of the deadliest forms of racism. Jewish people have suffered deeply again and
again through pogroms, inquisitions, and job discrimination. When conflict arises in the world,
anti-Semitism and racism seem to spike.
What would it take for us to truly forgive and love those who offend us,
those who are different?
Chronic and acute anxiety push us in the direction of
requiring that everyone act and smell just like us. Elie Wiesel’s writings encourage us to
celebrate differences and uniquenesses of other neighbours. Jesus quoted Leviticus in commanding us to
love our neighbour as ourselves. Love is
always the answer. Love gives us eyes to
see when we are blind. Love is an
expression of amazing grace, where I once was lost, but now am found, was blind
but now I see. My prayer for those
reading this article is that God will give us eyes to see that other neighbours
are just as human, as valuable and as sacred as we are.
The Rev. Dr. Ed Hird, Rector
St. Simon’s Church North Vancouver
Anglican Mission in Canada
and spirit is available online with Amazon.com in both 
1 comment:
Ed, the surgery and accompanying discomforts - especially 4 nights lying face down (my stiff ol' neck's complaining at the mere thought) - surely made for a challenging experience for you. I'm glad you made a good recovery. Thanks also for sharing the valuable insights gained from the experience and your reading. ~~+~~
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