Name your deaths. Claim your births.
Grieve and adjust. Stop clinging and let go.
Receive the Spirit of new life.
--Fr. Ron Rolheiser
“Peace be with you.” Now, let me say that again—but this time, try to feel it in your heart. Close your eyes and take a deep breath: “Peace be with you.”
We are living in tumultuous times—both for our country and for the world. Tumultuous because a toxic theology and worldview have become mainstream in the halls of power. A worldview that tries to convince us that marginalized groups—whoever is “the other” for each of us—are to blame for everything that goes wrong. A worldview that wants us to fight each other for resources and for God’s love, as if God’s love were a pie to be divided among us.
Sometimes, it feels as though any hope for peace is far away. But that couldn’t be further from the truth.
For those of us who believe in the Gospel, this sense of hopelessness and fear might feel familiar. After Jesus' death, his disciples were in despair and fear. When the apostle of the apostles Mary Magdalene reported seeing the risen Jesus early on the morning of the resurrection, the other disciples struggled to believe her, continuing to live in fear. That evening, the resurrected Jesus appeared to them, greeting them with "Peace be with you." He told them the Holy Spirit would come to them, yet they still remained afraid. It wasn't until Pentecost, which we celebrate today, that the Holy Spirit came, and their hope was renewed. Filled with the Spirit and with enthusiasm, they were transformed, boldly proclaiming the message of the Gospel.
The main event that filled them with enthusiasm was the realization that, despite their differences—in language and otherwise—they could finally understand one another. They finally had a shared purpose, understanding, and language.
--Yunuen Trujillo
Image source: Gabriel José Ramírez, mosaic, Iglesia Luterana Cordero de Dios, Puerto Rico, https://www.facebook.com/corderodedios.iglesialuterana/
Quotation source
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