Until the great mass of the people shall be filled with the sense of responsibility for each other’s welfare, social justice can never be attained. — Helen Keller
Denise and I took a walk in our new neighborhood yesterday. We were on a break from unpacking and continuing the slow process of moving from the apartment we have been renting for the past two years to our home. Each time we walk in the new neighborhood, we see so many beautiful and wonderful things. There are so many examples of faith, hope, and love that my soul sorely needs to see and experience.
The Indian Hawthorn above spoke to me of the tenacity of hope in times of crisis and division. The “Love Is Inclusion” sign reminds me of the stubborn strength of love, rooted and grounded in faith. Such a faith does not give up when the storm clouds of insanity arise in the social and political landscape.
For years I have lived with moderate depression and anxiety. Far too often this can lead to hopelessness, anger, and fear. Social media and the 24-hour “news” cycle too often fuel these feelings within my heart and soul. If I allow myself to sink into the depths of despair, I end up having little to offer to myself, my family, and others as a Christ-follower. God knows that another way needs to be actively engaged as an alternative to the ugliness of christian nationalism that continues its rise in this nation.
This short, yet powerful quote from the late Father Daniel Berrigan, a Jesuit priest and peace activist, offers us a way to be the difference in this world. The gift we can offer others is so simple a thing as hope.—Daniel Berrigan (1988) (Daniel Berrigan: Poetry, Drama, Prose)
Perhaps, dear reader, we can offer this gift of hope and make a difference in this world.
On this Saint Patrick’s Day, a portion of the Breastplate Prayer attributed to him.
Christ with me,
Christ before me,
Christ behind me,
Christ in me,
Christ beneath me,
Christ above me,
Christ on my right,
Christ on my left,
Christ when I lie down,
Christ when I sit down,
Christ when I arise,
Christ in the heart of every man who thinks of me,
Christ in the mouth of everyone who speaks of me,
Christ in every eye that sees me,
Christ in every ear that hears me.
“One of the most beautiful gifts in the world is the gift of encouragement. When someone encourages you, that person helps you over a threshold you might otherwise never have crossed on your own.”
― John O’Donohue, Eternal Echoes: Celtic Reflections on Our Yearning to Belong
Verse of the day
And he said to them, “Take care! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of possessions.”
– Luke 12:15
Voice of the day
Resting in the silence of God clarifies the falsehoods embedded in our systems of production and consumption. God helps us see this capitalist system for what it is: one fueling demoralizing cycles of hyper-consumption that distracts us from deeper encounters with ourselves, our neighbors, and God — the beloved community.
– Céire Kealty, “This Lent I’m Fasting From Retail Therapy”
Prayer of the day
In this time, help us to rest in your abundance. All that we need can be found in you.
Verse of the day
So if anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation: everything old has passed away; look, new things have come into being!
– 2 Corinthians 5:17
Voice of the day
If we are to continue as members of the church, we must challenge and transform it at the root. What is required is more than simply a “reformation.” I am speaking of revolutionary transformation. Nothing less will do.
– Rev. Carter Heyward, Touching Our Strength (1989)
Prayer of the day
We ask your kingdom to come, O God. Your Word has always been revolutionary, and you have always invited us into challenging and transforming old ways of being.
“Human society exists because it is impossible to live in complete isolation. We are interdependent by nature, and since we must live together, we should do so with a positive attitude of concern for one another.”—HH The Dalai Lama, How to be Compassionate
Verse of the day
Does not wisdom call and understanding raise her voice? On the heights, beside the way, at the crossroads she takes her stand.
– Proverbs 8:1-2
Voice of the day
This journey toward justice will not be easy, but we are not alone. She who is the Spirit is already on the move, making all things new even in the direst circumstances.
– Elaina Ramsey, “The World as it Should Be”
Prayer of the day
Wisdom, we hear your voice. We know the journey to justice will not be easy, but we will follow in your way.
“When you take on the confusion and the violence and you refine them, purify them into something new, you are doing what in the vocabulary of faith we call consecrating your chaos. To consecrate is to make holy, to put it into service for good. In consecrating chaos, you engage it, tame it, name it, take what seemed out of control and charge it with a duty.”—Otis Moss III, Dancing in the Darkness: Spiritual Lessons for Thriving in Turbulent Times
“We’re faced with such division in our country, but where does that start? It starts very young. So I believe that it’s important, just like Dr. King did, that our kids have an opportunity to learn about one another: to grow together, play together, learn together. The most time that kids spend away from home is in school, so our schools have to be integrated. And I know that there are arguments on both sides about that, but we’re never going to become the United States of America unless we, the people, are united.”—Ruby Bridges, on the re-segregation of schools across the US
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