What has cancer taught me? That I am an ordinary man. It has liberated me from any illusion that I am chosen, or elect - that the faith I have embraced since a child has inured me from suffering; that I am deserving of special treatment. So, I come to the church and offer my sacrifice of woe. I run towards God to shelter under the shadow of the Creator's wing. I seek refuge there and wait until this calamity passes . . .
We enter into community because suffering makes us dependent upon one another. And it is there that we learn to forgive each other. In community our sockness, sins, failings and petty squabbling stand out in high relief. The monster from within is exposed. There is no such thing as faith in isolation. Together, the halt and the unlovely stumble toward the dawning of a new day, a day of healing and redemption.
- Greg Randall, "Monster Lament," Geez Fall 2007
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