Update from Peter Chase

“I am enjoying Gilead by M. Robinson which I highly recommend. A nice passage on the use of water in baptism quoting Feuerbach who said ‘Water is the purest, clearest of liquids; in virtue of its natural character it is the image of the spotless nature of the Divine Spirit. In short, water has a significance in itself, as water; it is on account of its natural quality that it is consecrated and selected as the vehicle of the Holy Spirit.’ We do not sanctify water at baptism as much as we recognize it as a blessing. Isn’t there another image in scripture of the Holy Spirit sweeping across the sea? I noticed that today in the deep harbor and felt more at home on the water than the land. Perhaps because I’m living in a foreign land and it is the oceans that unite us. So I have decided to spend the remainder of my life at sea (only kidding). But, now I know why some seafarers are at home away from land and also why I think this work can be a blessing.

“Second observance of the day was coming into port at night with a full moon. Around 9 ships arrived at the same time and we had to tie up to one another. So I climbed off the Flying Angel onto a supply ship, then onto a fishing vessel, then to my amazement a large tug boat, next a water taxi, and finally a barge. Each vessel was bobbing up and down and there were no ladders except for the helping hands of those who kept me from falling into the bay. Philipinos, Sri Lankans, Poles, Africans and Arabs. Everyone was smiling and laughing and poor and I was grateful to be alive. God bless the workers of the world!” – Peter