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There is a moving article in the newest Christian Century magazine (July 24, 2007), entitled "Kidnapped in Iraq: A Survivor's Story" by James Loney. (This is not online yet, but will be in a week or so.) James Loney recounts the kidnapping in Iraq in November 2005 of four members of Christian Peacemaker Teams (Tom Fox, Norman Kember, James Loney, and Harmeet Singh Sooden), all accused of spying. Tom Fox was killed, but the other three survived and were rescued two weeks later. You can view Tom's own writing about being in Iraq by looking at his blog--the last thing he wrote was entitled "Why Are We Here?"(Part of his answer is: "We are here to root out all aspects of dehumanization that exist within us.")
This excerpt highlights Quaker Tom Fox's faith and actions:
"During those first days of relentless, terrifying, excruciating uncertainty, Tom dove into prayer the way a warrior might charge into battle. He turned his captivity into a sustained, unbroken meditation. The chain that bound his wrist became a kind of rosary, or sebha (the beads Muslims use to count the names of God). He would picture someone: a member of his family, a member of the Iraq team or the CPT office, one of the captors--whoever he felt needed prayer. Holding a link of the chain, he would breathe in and out, slowly, so that you could hear the air gushing in and out of his lungs, praying for the person he was holding in his mind. With the completion of each breath, he would pass a chain link through his thumb and index finger. During his first breath he would say to himself, with the warmth of my heart. In the second, with the stillness of my mind. In the third, with the fluidity of my body. And in the fourth, with the light of my soul. At the end of each series of four breaths, he would pause and simply rest in the light with the person he was praying for.
"Tom's vigilance in prayer was astounding. I sometimes felt ashamed. My mind would wander helplessly in self-preoccupation and garish tableaux in absurd cycles of repetition. His unrelenting focus called me back to prayer again and again, almost as if someone had suddenly taken hold of my shoulders, was gently shaking me and telling me, 'Wake up! Come back to your senses!'" (p. 22)
14 comments:
No wonder the kidnappers killed Tom Fox!
He seems to have been the most unnerving kind of captive -- one who can not be imprisoned. Love poured from every fiber of his soul. He did not fear death or dying, for he knew in the way of Lord Jesus that there are far worse things than losing one's life.
Steeped and formed in the way of faith, he let himself be loved and became the Lover of all. When all was stripped away, Tom still possessed everything, even as he possessed nothing.
How terrifying this must have been to his captors. He had escaped without escaping, he was free without their permission. He threw himself entirely upon the grace and mercy of God to rise to the full stature of Christ. No wonder his captors killed him. No wonder at all.
Fear only appears to empower the oppressor; but love conquers all. Tom's captors did all they could to kill Tom Fox, but it didn't work. This is how terrorism must and, finally, will be conquered -- by love, by witnesses, by martyrs.
V. Tom Fox lives in Christ forever.
R. Alleluia.
V. May he rest in peace with the holy ones of God.
R. Alleluia. Alleluia. Alleluia.
I'll never forget his story; thank you for this.
WOW! this is something else. I will keep my eye out for the magazine to come to me (I get it second in the office).
Ron, Songbird, and Diane, thank you for reading and caring. Tom Fox is a saint who continues to teach us how to live.
wow, thanks for this post
powerful post thank you for this
I can't add much, but thank you.
Jan, thank you for posting this and ron, thank you for your reflection as well.
I finally read this article last night -- thank you for pointing it out.
I was struck by its depiction of the very real horrors of captivity -- the boredom, the emotional and mental decline following upon the physical deprivation -- and by the power that one man's courage had to sustain others for so long.
Jan, this is a powerful post. I must remember to read the whole article when it is available.
Unlike many of us, Tom Fox, being a Quaker, was at ease with silence. Perhaps that's why he was such a good pray-er.
grandmere mimi, that's a good point. most of us are not comfortable with silence at all.
We may not be comfortable with silence, but that's a praxis to be committed to. (me--off and on) I have a friend, who is the only mystic I know, who prays to be UNcomfortable. So silence is the answer for many of us, making room for God
I was occasionally attending a Quaker meeting in the DC area when Tom was captured (my husband and son were regulars there). It was a deeply moving time for all of us, waiting and watching, but being with other Quakers made it especially poignant. I was really distressed when he was killed. Thanks so much for this post.
There is something truly poignant about the fact that his blog is there, an interrupted and unfinished work. But he gave his life living out his principles, courageously. It is a sad world that we live in, but we have those saints to remind us of the highest aspirations for a just and peaceful world.
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