“All those who love the Lord with their whole heart, with their whole soul and mind, with their whole strength (cf. Mk 12:30) and love their neighbors as themselves (cf.Mt 22:39) …. Oh, how happy and blessed are these men and women when they do these things and persevere in doing them, since the Spirit of the Lord will rest upon them (cf. Is 11:2) (First Version of the Letter to the Faithful from St. Francis of Assisi)
I have not written on this blog for a while. It is just very hard to find the words. I watch as families are being torn apart. I watch as white nationalism is rising more than I have seen in my lifetime (and I am not that young). I watch as some evangelical Christian preachers seem to excuse accusations of pedophilia and affairs outside of marriage. It might cause one to despair.
However… I am also seeing over a million women marching in the streets two years in a row. I have seen women running for office and winning in numbers also not seen in my lifetime. 80% of this country supports the DACA program and wants to provide a pathway for citizenship.
I have also seen concerned citizens rushing to the airports to protest the Muslim ban when it was first announced. I work in Social Justice. There was not a lot of pre-planning for this.
We are a good people, a loving people. We cannot give into fear. We must speak out for those who are not able to make a living on one wage, but have to work two or three jobs.
I once read Stephen King’s novel “The Stand” and these words (paraphrased here) have always stuck with me. “God does not ask us to win , God asks us to stand.”
Well, my friends I will stand and continue to be a voice of love and not hatred, even for those who disagree with me.
Please contact your Federal representative and Senator and ask them to vote to pass a Clean Dream Act.
instruments of peace 