July 13

Today in 1849, Nicholas Kelly led the Charleston Workhouse Rebellion. The “Workhouse” was a place of torture for enslaved people. The insurgents freed thirty-seven people, but they were soon recaptured and Nicholas was hanged. It is important to remember these moments of resistance as our current fascist regime constructs concentration camps for our neighbors.

Today is the feast day, in the Episocpal Church, of Conrad Weiser, who died on this day in 1760. Conrad Weiser served as an interpreter and negotiator in many negotiations between Pennsylvania and many Native American nations, primarily Iroquois. He was also part of a Protestant monastic community called the Ephrata Cloister.  

I am choosing today to celebrate the life of Al-Biruni, a Muslim scholar who lived between 973 and 1050. He wrote on astronomy, physics, philosophy, and anthropology. In addition to calculating the radius of the earth and writing a history and anthropology of India, he was a scholar of comparative religion. 

Reflection: 

Al-Biruni wrote: 

Prayer: Holy Spirit, give us the wisdom that leads to peace with justice. Amen.