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March 26
Richard Allen, Joseph Campbell, Viktor Frankl, Wallada, and al-Hallaj
David Barnhart
March 26, 2025
Oak Hill Cemetery, Birmingham, Alabama, 2016. Own photo.
Today marks the death, in 1831, of Richard Allen, the first bishop of the African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church. He was present at the founding conference of Methodism in North America, but after facing racism and segregation even from “good Methodists,” he and his Black colleagues formed a new denomination based on the same principles of Methodist small groups and intentional discipleship. He nearly died of yellow fever taking care of the sick during an epidemic. He was devoted to both pastoral ministry and justice.
Today is the birthday of Joseph Campbell, in 1904, who wrote The Hero with a Thousand Faces, among other things. Campbell popularized the idea of myth not as something untrue, but as transcendentally true.
Today is also the birthday of Viktor Frankl, in 1905. Frankl was a holocaust survivor who created a school of psychotherapy known as logotherapy. His book Man’s Search for Meaning was born out of his experience in the concentration camps. His emphasis on existential questions reflected his Jewish heritage, and helped shape generations of therapists.
Today also marks the execution, in 922, of al-Hallaj, a Muslim mystic whose enigmatic preaching caused political and religious upheaval in Persia. He was ostensibly put to death for saying, like Jesus, “I am the Truth,” though it was more likely due to the popular movement he represented (also, like Jesus).
Today also marks the passing, in 1021, of Wallada bint al-Mustakfi, a woman poet of Cordoba who scandalized provincial Muslims with her independence, but was admired for her wit and artistry.
Reflection:
A translation by Doaa Omran of one of Wallada’s most famous poems:
By God, I was made for glory
And I saunter heedlessly
And I place the saucer of my cheek to my lover
And give my kiss to whomever is thirsty for it
Viktor Frankl wrote:
Love is the only way to grasp another human being in the innermost core of his personality. No one can become fully aware of the very essence of another human being unless he loves him. By his love he is enabled to see the essential traits and features in the beloved person; and even more, he sees that which is potential in him, which is not yet actualized but yet ought to be actualized. Furthermore, by his love, the loving person enables the beloved person to actualize these potentialities. By making him aware of what he can be and of what he should become, he makes these potentialities come true.
al-Hallaj said:
I saw my Lord with the Eye of my heart,
And I said: Truly there is no doubt that it is You.
It is You that I see in everything;
And I do not see You through anything but You.
and
The beloved does not drink a single drop of water without seeing His Face in the cup. Allah is He Who flows between the pericardium and the heart, just as the tears flow from the eyelids.
Joseph Campbell wrote:
Life has no meaning. Each of us has meaning and we bring it to life. It is a waste to be asking the question when you are the answer.
Prayer: Author of Meaning and all Stories, help us to see your face everywhere we look. Amen.