Faith Reflection - St. Paul Nov '23 Chapter Meeting

We will not pretend.  We will not give up, go away, or be quiet. We will remain here, standing in the way of the victory parade, spoiling the photo op, embarrassing the guests at the penthouse party. We will continue to resist oppression. We will not allow society to return to a culture of closets. We will not pretend this is the best of all possible ecological worlds. We do not think we have all the answers, but we will never stop asking questions. We are the quiet people of the center, the struggling people of the margins, the determined survivors from the bottom rung. We are the new community of faith, unified by a common belief in the power of love. Until history moves toward justice, we will not give up, go away, or be quiet. (p. 83)

Love as strength. Let your love be your strength. You do not need anger or judgment, for they are mirrors of the soul that say more about you than others. You do not need righteousness or correctness, for these pretenses are always transparent. You do not need superiority or power, for they will always betray you to false pride. When you feel called to stand for what you believe, take up love as your witness. Love will shine through with the clear message you wish to convey. It will withstand any pressure to compromise your truth or bend to deny that truth. Love will unite your friends in struggle and speak to the hardest heart with whom you contend. Let love be your strength and you can stand before lions and never fear. (p. 37)

Steven Charleston (2021). Ladder to the Light: An indigenous elder’s meditations on hope and courage. Minneapolis: Broadleaf Books.