Almighty God, source of justice beyond human knowledge: We offer thanks that thou didst inspire Karl Barth to resist tyranny and exalt thy saving grace, without which we cannot apprehend thy will. Teach us, like him, to live by faith, and even in chaotic and perilous times to perceive the light of thy eternal glory, Jesus Christ our Redeemer; who livest and reignest with thee and the Holy Spirit, ever one God, throughout all ages. Amen.
At this rate, every day will have a dozen or so special people to remember – and we will drown in a sea of trivia.
Just to add to Hakkatan’s annoyance, today is the day we remember the death of Thomas Merton in Bangkok in 1968.
God bless the great Karl Barth, whom Pope Pius XII named “the most important theologian since Thomas Aquinas.”
Those who have spent any time with Karl Barth’s Church Dogmatics surely appreciate this addition to our calendar and the wisdom of one eaten by chipmunks!