Sister Alison McCrary: Challenge the Status Quo with Love

Sister Alison McCrary: Challenge the Status Quo with Love

“If we’re really doing the Gospel work, our work is not to be loved by everyone. If we’re really challenging the status quo in the way that Jesus did we’re not going to make everyone happy. It is uncomfortable. It also means taking risks, it also means putting your body on the line.” -Sister Alison McCrary SFCC

Sorrow and Joy during the Black Lives Matter movement
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Sorrow and Joy during the Black Lives Matter movement

In the June burst of green and sunshine, I am taking a bike ride through the historically black neighborhood where I live in Chicago. Along the way, I encounter a heron and a flock of geese; I see wrappers and plastic bags littering the sidewalks, discarded in the gutters. I smell freshly-cut grass and wave…

We walk together: reflections of the Women’s March
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We walk together: reflections of the Women’s March

Leading up to the Women’s March on Washington last week, I noticed a lot of #WhyIMarch and also #WhyImNotMarching social media posts. Because the spirit, style and mission of the event—seemingly driven by language of “reproductive rights” (a new expression I’ve not yet come to terms with)—didn’t resonate with me, I found my own feelings…

A sacred reminder
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A sacred reminder

I love Christmas. The rhythm of Advent, the hopeful anticipation, the clarifying cold, the scent of evergreen, the congealed wax at the base of the Advent wreath: these memories and images are so deeply ingrained in my soul and psyche that this time of year, more than any other, embodies a powerful?—even sacramental?—sentimentality. The nostalgia…

The skin I didn’t ask for: Bemoaning my white privilege and the evil of racial violence
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The skin I didn’t ask for: Bemoaning my white privilege and the evil of racial violence

I am afraid this blog post is going to be a terrible, tangled mess: sorry about that. But considering the mess this is all about, a jumble might be the best I can give. My thoughts are tangled because so much has been stirring within me since last week when I learned about the killings…