February 13

Today is the feast day, in the Episcopal Church, of Absalom Jones, who died on this day in 1818. Jones was one of the first African-Americans licensed to preach in the Methodist Church, but after being forced off his knees in prayer and told to sit in the segregated balcony in a Philadelphia church, he and Richard Allen left to start their own churches. Jones and his followers created the African Episcopal Church of St. Thomas. During the Yellow Fever epidemic, he also called out medical racism even as he and his church cared for the sick of the city. 

Today is also the birthday, in 1943, of Elaine Pagels, a theologian and church historian who wrote a compelling book on The Gnostic Gospels in 1979. She uncovered the ways women held leadership in an early church marked by theological diversity, and has helped progressive Christians understand and contextualize their history. 

Today marks the death, in 2017, of Aileen Hernandez, activist and worker for African-American, labor, and women’s rights. 

Reflection: 

Aileen Hernandez said: 

Elaine Pagels wrote of the Gnostic Gospels: 

Prayer: Holy Spirit, like a mother encourages her children to be at peace and to share, inspire us humans to do justice, love kindness, and walk humbly with you. Amen.