- This is the Day
- Posts
- October 20
October 20
The Bab, Johann Gruber, Stephane Hessell, and John McConnell
David Barnhart
October 20, 2025
Worship service, 2016. Own photo.
On this day in 1819, The Bab (meaning “The Gate”) was born in Iran with the name Ali Muhammed. He would become a religious leader and prophet, founding Babism in 1844, which was a precursor of the Ba’hai faith.
Today is also the birthday, in 1889, of Johann Gruber, an Austrian priest who was martyred in the Gusen concentration camp on Good Friday, 1944. He was arrested for speaking against the Nazi regime on trumped-up charges of child molestation—a favorite tactic of fascists for decades who themselves practiced child trafficking and rape, just like today. While in the camp, he managed to bribe guards and smuggle food to inmates to keep them alive.
Today is also the birthday of Stephane Hessel, a member of the French Resistance and concentration camp survivor who went on to become an activist for global peace and justice.
Also on the day in 1947, the House Committee on Un-American Activities began its investigation of purported communists in Hollywood. The Committee would go on to blacklist over 300 members of the film industry.
Today marks the death, in 2012, of John McConnell, the founder of Earth Day and the Earth Society Foundation.
Reflection:
Stephane Hessel wrote:
“The worst possible outlook is indifference that says, “I can’t do anything about it; I’ll just get by.” Behaving like that deprives you of one of the essentials of being human: the capacity and the freedom to feel outraged. That freedom is indispensable, as is the political involvement that goes with it.”
John McConnell said:
The world of tomorrow is not foreordained to be either good or bad...rather it will be what we make it.
Andrew Newberg, author of How God Changes Your Brain, writes:
“What does God feel like? When I ask people this question, their reaction is often the same. They pause for a very long time. This means something special to a neuroscientist, namely that a great deal of neurological activity is taking place as different parts of the brain attempt to put into words a concept that defies the parameters of language for many people. Indeed, for most believers, God is much more than an idea. God is a deeply valued experience that goes far beyond any theological definition of the word, which is why most people responded with a version of, “Wow! What a question … it's really hard to say.”
Prayer: God, may our awe become gratitude, and may our gratitude become action, and may our action lead us back to awe. Amen.