**Adapted from “A litany for the teens in Parkland, FL” Lord, have mercy. Christ, have mercy. Christ, hear us. Christ, graciously hear us. For our failure to protect life, God, have mercy. For our failure to elect leaders who protect all life, God, have mercy. For our failure to end unjust laws, God, have mercy.Continue reading “A litany for our inability to end gun violence”
Tag Archives: Violence
The crisis in Cameroon: join us in prayer and action
He went out and began to weep bitterly. – Luke 22:62 During the Gospel at Palm Sunday Mass, I noticed the emotions expressed by Jesus’ disciples – even when they failed to respond to the call to love and remain faithful. I wondered if I am faithful to Christ. I wondered if I am respondingContinue reading “The crisis in Cameroon: join us in prayer and action”
White supremacy and me and you
1. I am driving through the Northwoods of Wisconsin, talking to a friend, a man I know very well, on the phone. Tall, snow-covered pines line the ditches; gray overcast hovers. The man and I are catching up, chatting about our lives. The tone of his voice becomes shameful, reluctant. My gaze moves over theContinue reading “White supremacy and me and you”
So naive
“It [grace] strikes us when, year after year, the longed-for perfection of life does not appear, when the old compulsions reign within us as they have for decades, when despair destroys all joy and courage.” ~ Paul Tillich, “You Are Accepted” You have to be pretty naive to be a Christian in today’s world. ThisContinue reading “So naive”
#MeToo, #ChurchToo and the hope in breaking the silence
The courage and resilience of survivors of sexual assault choosing to share their stories gives me hope. The wave of very public accounts of sexual assault and misconduct sweeping the United States, for many, has made what once seemed safe and certain seem suddenly dangerous and frightening. For those recently opening their eyes to theContinue reading “#MeToo, #ChurchToo and the hope in breaking the silence”
In this time of great distress
The book of Revelation is a profound example of resistance literature. The author, a disciple named John, is responding to a crisis: the severe persecution of the Church in the late first century. He himself is in exile, in Patmos, a Roman penal colony and island located between Greece and Turkey. The vision John receives andContinue reading “In this time of great distress”
Here’s how to help end gun violence with thoughts, prayers, awareness and action
God have mercy on us: there was another mass shooting in the USA yesterday. Five people were killed, including the perpetrator. An elementary school was one of the targets. Once again we have failed, as a nation, to protect life and to shield children from the horrors of gun violence. When the shooting happened yesterday,Continue reading “Here’s how to help end gun violence with thoughts, prayers, awareness and action”
Kingdom of God
Wendell Berry speaks of the Kingdom of God like an economy in a way that totally burns in my soul and speaks to our world situation today. He describes four major principles of the Kingdom of God: Everything is included. Whether we want to be in it or not, all of creation is a part ofContinue reading “Kingdom of God”
Appropriately disturbed and loving my distant Aleppo neighbor
Along with many people far and near, I have been terribly disturbed by images from the Syrian war recently. Appropriately disturbed. Early last week, I felt physically ill while I watched a news story about doctors and hospitals being targeted by airstrikes. Then, just a few days later, the images of Omran Daqneesh, the fiveContinue reading “Appropriately disturbed and loving my distant Aleppo neighbor”
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 killingsContinue reading “The skin I didn’t ask for: Bemoaning my white privilege and the evil of racial violence”