We all have an understanding of God; shaped by our encounter of Sacred Texts and traditions in our faith communities, God’s presence in community, our own experiences of evil and grace, of joy and grief, of anguish and celebration, of captivity and liberation. Some can express that in words.
Lately, I have no words to find any connection even with how my own Roman Catholic faith relates to God — there seems to be systemic demonstration of dissonance, violence, separation, exclusion against those who are in the margins even within the Church; whether that be with women, LGBTQ’s, divorced couples, people of color, the poor.
But God’s presence in so many ways and instances has erupted outside the institution of Church with so much hope, courage, and love. So while agony, suffering, betrayal and oppression continue to suffocate the presence of God in the institutional Church, there is survival, thriving, and celebrating beyond its institution simultaneously.
This piece is how I capture this year’s Holy Week. Passion, Death and Resurrection in one moment — Kairos; this is the opportune moment; no sequence just the Holy Now. As sung in “Seasons of Love”, “no day but today” to make those hard and liberating choices — personally, as community, and systemically.
This Holy Season —
may those in the peripheries find their voices, may those exluded feel a sense of belonging to their own selves and bodies,
may those who have been trageted by White Supremacy and Racism be strengthened to assert and embrace their-God-given dignity,
may those abused by authoritarian rule regain the human rights, dignity and agency stolen from them,
may those who are plagued by trauma be liberated from external and internal captivity,and may Divine Justice render all threats to this Kairos into ashes, and from there may real Mercy and Love abound.
(I completed this for a project initiative by the Episopalean Church: https://www.ecfvp.org/…/the-way-of-the-cross-for…)
Organic 