On this date in 1961 Dag Hammarskjöld (1905-1961), the second Secretary General of the United Nations, was killed in a plane crash in Northern Rhodesia (now Zambia). He was a Swedish economist and diplomat who strove to bring peace to a troubled world. He was posthumously awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. As far as I know, the ELCA is the only church body to commemorate him in their calendar.

He left a spiritual diary which was published in English after his death as Markings. He described the book as a “a sort of white book concerning my negotiations with myself–and with God.” His notes reflect inner experiences and religious thought over a period from 1925 until his death. It also contains Bible passages, quotes from mystics, and poems.

Here’s a rather profound quote from Makings written on 4-10-58. “In the faith which is ‘God’s marriage in the soul,’  you are one in God and God is wholly in you, just as, for you, He is wholly in all you meet.” Here he reflects the mystic view of a person’s soul being united with God so that the person is in God and God is in the person. But if that is true for me, it is true for every one else. Every person I meet is also one in God. What does that say about how we treat others?

One more quote, Easter 1960. “Forgiveness breaks the chain of causality because he who ‘forgives’ you–out of love–takes upon himself the consequences of what you have done. Forgiveness, therefore, always entails a sacrifice.”

Read Matthew 5:9 and remember: God loves YOU unconditionally.

Wayne