“I think that wealthy white people would like to have a country that resembles the fifties, when all the minorities were tucked away in ghettos and paid in very low wages but on the surface it was very bright and shiny and free and the rest of the world would look on it longingly.”—Alice Walker
Verse of the day
Welcome one another, therefore, just as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God.
– Romans 15:7
Voice of the day
To anybody who has ever questioned your identity ever, ever, ever, or you find yourself living in the gray spaces, I promise you this: There is indeed a place for us.
– Ariana DeBose
Prayer of the day
There will always be a place for you, dear one, in the family of God.
Verse of the day
When a foreigner resides among you in your land, do not mistreat them. The foreigner residing among you must be treated as your native-born. Love them as yourself, for you were foreigners in Egypt. I am the Lord your God.
– Leviticus 19:33-34 (NIV)
Voice of the day
“Give me your tired, your poor, / Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, / The wretched refuse of your teeming shore. / Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me, / I lift my lamp beside the golden door!”
– Emma Lazarus, “The New Colossus”
Prayer of the day
Creator, let us lift our lamps to every member of your family.
Even though Jesus went directly against the human inclination to avoid suffering and death, his followers realized that it was better to live the truth with open eyes than to live their lives in illusion [of immortality].
Suffering and death belong to the narrow road of Jesus. Jesus does not glorify them, or call them beautiful, good, or something to be desired. Jesus does not call for heroism or suicidal self-sacrifice. No, Jesus invites us to look at the reality of our existence and reveals this harsh reality as the way to new life. The core message of Jesus is that real joy and peace can never be reached while bypassing suffering and death, but only by going right through them.
We could say: “We really have no choice.” Indeed, who escapes suffering and death? Yet there is still a choice. We can deny the reality of life, or we can face it. When we face it not in despair, but with the eyes of Jesus, we discover that where we least expect it, something is hidden that holds a promise stronger than death itself. Jesus lived his life with the trust that God’s love is stronger than death and that death, therefore, does not have the last word. He invites us to face the painful reality of our existence with the same trust. This is what Lent is all about.
“The whole work is only a drop in the ocean. But if I didn’t put that drop in, the ocean would be one drop less. Same thing for you, same thing in your family, same thing in the community where you live. Just begin . . . one, one, one.”—Mother Teresa
Again and again you see how Jesus opts for what is small, hidden, and poor, and accordingly declines to wield influence. His many miracles always serve to express his profound compassion with suffering humanity; never are they attempts to call attention to himself. As a rule, he even forbids those he has cured to talk to others about it. And as Jesus’ life continues to unfold, he becomes increasingly aware that he has been called to fulfill his vocation in suffering and death. In all of this, it becomes plain to us that God has willed to show his love for the world by descending more and more deeply into human frailty.
Verse of the day
Shout out, do not hold back! Lift up your voice like a trumpet! Announce to my people their rebellion, to the house of Jacob their sins.
– Isaiah 58:1
Voice of the day
We are grieving, we are furious, and we are using our words fiercely and desperately because that’s the only thing standing between us and this happening again.
– Emma González
Prayer of the day
God of justice, listen to our grief and fury. Be with us as we stand against the forces that threaten our lives.
“There is a story from the Desert Fathers where an Abba says to a seeker, ‘Do not give your heart to that which does not satisfy your heart.’ This can be easier said than done since we are inclined to so many comforts that only serve to numb and distract us from life.”
— Christine Valters Paintner, PhD, The Wisdom of the Body: A Contemplative Journey to Wholeness for Women
How often do you try to satisfy yourself with that which depletes you?
“The highest level of love is that of agape. Agape means nothing sentimental or basically affectionate. It means understanding redeeming good will for all. It is the love of God working in human lives.”—Martin Luther King Jr.
Verse of the day
One night the Lord said to Paul in a vision, “Do not be afraid, but speak and do not be silent.”
– Acts 18:9
Voice of the day
It took me quite a long time to develop a voice, and now that I have it, I am not going to be silent.
– Madeleine Albright
Prayer of the day
May we never be silent about the injustices around us.
