The short accounts of the state of the early Christian church in Acts today reveal two completely different processes. In the first, the Church is severely persecuted in Jerusalem and the early followers are scattered throughout the countryside. Second, in Samaria, crowds of people are drawn together to hear the preaching of the word and there is great joy in the city. This non-linear record of the history of the Christian church seems very much the case even today. Events are rarely straightforward of arranged in a straight or sequential line despite our need for clarity and prediction. That linear reasoning is a Western way of thinking that does not always serve us well. I was fortunate to have been part of an ecumenical team that visited the Russian Orthodox Church in major Russian cities as well as Kyiv and Yalta in Ukraine in the early 1990s. I was struck by how the devotees adhered to a non-linear belief that all things are happening all the time. At all times, Jesus in entering triumphantly into Jerusalem. At all times, Jesus is dying on the cross. Their faith considers God at work in times of chaos and in times of crisis as well as times of peace and tranquility. They are not alone. Scientists and engineers are inclined to think that most systems are nonlinear. But just because they appear chaotic and unpredictable, they are not random. They are just more dynamic than simple linear systems.
This more dynamic way of thinking serves me well during the current times of great confusion and chaos in the world, which is just one of many such times over the last 2,025 years of the church. As recorded in Acts, we can consider that God is working to gather the faithful together, to protect the Church, heal the sick, and to preach the good news of resurrection even while there is severe persecution in many areas of the world. We know what God has done throughout history to deliver his people with tremendous deeds of mercy. And we trust in the words of Jesus that we too will be delivered even from the chaos of death. Until that ultimate promise is realized, we live in uncertain times, hopefully with the certainty of our faith. We do not know what will happen next or even how much we might suffer. I pray today that we can rejoice in the certainty of our God who rules by his might forever even if we do not exactly how this is working.
Barbara Dilly
I came to Creighton in 2000 and retired in 2020. My twenty years of teaching, research and service in the Jesuit tradition enhanced my own life. It was an exciting time of celebration. I loved teaching and interacting with Creighton students because they responded so eagerly to the Ignatian pedagogical emphasis on the development of the whole person. It is this spirit of whole person development and celebration of life that I hope to infuse in my reflection writings.
My academic background is eclectic, preparing me well for the Liberal Arts academic environment at Creighton. I earned my BA in World Arts and Cultures from UCLA in 1988 and my Ph.D. in Comparative Cultures from the University of California, Irvine in 1994. My research focused on rural communities in the American Midwest, Latin America, and Australia. I taught Environmental Anthropology, Qualitative Research Methods, Social and Cultural Theory, and Food Studies courses.
I retired to Shell Rock, a small rural community in Northeast Iowa where I enjoy gardening, cooking, quilting, driving my 65 Impala convertible an my 49 Willys Jeepster. I have lots of fun playing my guitars with friends from the Cedar Valley Acoustic Guitar Association. But most importantly, I am still working to make my community and rural America a better place. I host a community quilt studio and serve on the Mission Board of my church. I also serve as the Climate Committee Chair and on the Executive Board of the Center for Rural Affairs.
