No Greater Love. . .

While researching for the historical novel I'm writing, I ran across a story of four army chaplains whose lives exemplified their faith. The four, John Washington, a Catholic priest, Clark Poling, a Dutch Reformed pastor, Alexander Goode, a rabbi, and George Fox, a Methodist minister, were being transported along with troops of men on board a cruise ship, the Dorchester, that had been converted to a troop transport. The ship was several days into its Atlantic crossing when it was torpedoed and went down. Survivors reported that the four chaplains had spent the last moments of their lives calming the men as they helped them into lifeboats and even giving some their own life jackets. With no way to save themselves in the end, the four joined arms and went down with the ship.

One of the relatives of the four researched the story to be sure it was true. Survivors he found all corroborated the story and added that the four men had a genuine love for each other even though their faiths were different. Catholic, Jew, Dutch Reformed, Methodist. It didn't matter.They exhibited the kind of love that Jesus truly wanted for all of God's children.

You can read more about the story of the Dorchester and these men of faith at American WWII.com. I found it amazing and reaffirming.

Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. John 15:13