King Arthur ordered that a round table be built for himself and his knights. Why a round table, especially in medieval England where tables were always rectangular or square? The round table was meant to symbolize the equality of King Arthur’s knights who came from many countries. In a similar way, Francis of Assisi referred to the men of his religious order as Friars Minor, that is, little brothers. Francis wanted to stress that his followers had to be servants of each other. We in the West take for granted the notion that all men and women possess an innate God-given dignity and that we are called to serve others; yet, for the vast majority of human history, this understanding has not been the case.
We humans carry an anthropological impulse to favor our particular in-group: those that look like us, think and talk like us, and worship like us. At a simple level, it is perfectly natural to take pride in our specific tribe. However, as we evolve we grow into an impulse toward expansion wherein we recognize that we all exist in God and because of God. Thus, we are all truly brothers and sisters, created in the divine image and endowed with a God-given grandeur. The more that our hearts open and we yield to the force of love, the more we realize that ultimately there is only one tribe, and that by serving each other, we serve God. Jesus tells us, “You know that the rulers in this world lord it over their people, and officials flaunt their authority over those under them. But among you it will be different. Whoever wants to be a leader among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be your slave.
Beloved God,
Remind me always,
Life is never a ladder;
It is a circle,
And you are in the middle.
