Several weeks ago, Megan Rapinoe shared these timely inspiring words after their recent World Cup Soccer win: “This is my charge to everyone, we have to be better. We have to love more, hate less. We’ve got to listen more and talk less. This is everybody’s responsibility! Every single person who agrees and doesn’t agree. It’s our responsibility to make this world a better place.” How powerful!
As I write this article to further address this topic, the elephant in the room is two more mass shootings within the last 24 hours in El Paso, TX and Dayton, Ohio–ironically the same weekend we’re celebrating the 50th anniversary of Woodstock–the undying symbol of love and peace. What will it take for a much-needed shift in our current culture?
In keeping with this theme, I was impressed by a recent Super Soul Sunday interview of Sister Joan Chittister, author of The Time is Now, A Call to Uncommon Courage. As a social activist, Sister Joan offers a soul-stirring guide for anyone feeling dissatisfied with the power-hungry craziness of this world and what it means to be a prophet today. She states “we are in a crisis and collapse of American values–we have lost our moral way”–and she asks–”what are we going to do about it?”
Sister Joan feels there’s too much silence in this country. She says that we’ve been taught that this craziness can’t happen is this country and so we’re waiting for “either the vending machine God to save us or this great constitutional structure to curve–and it’s not curving”. She admits It’s easy to get into the argument of left versus right or to blame the man in “the office”, or as long as the economy looks good, that’s what counts. When in actuality, we’re all responsible.
She goes on to state that we are basically defined as a Christian nation. So who is the “Jesus” we like to follow–the healer that raised people from the dead, the one who was good to women, who fed hungry crowds–that’s who makes us feel good. That’s half of the Christian view of Jesus–the other half is the prophet–the one who spoke up for the underdog by confronting and challenging those who were self centered due to power and/or greed.
Joan shares that In today’s world, we liken it to “the swamp” that we’re in. Not only are we going in the wrong direction–Sister Joan believes we’ve abandoned, through passivity, the right direction. And the right direction is where we came from–civility, a core of common good, compasion, and a democratic nation where we honored compromise. Both sides of the political aisle are guilty of a contrary attitude that has us going in the wrong direction–we need prophetic spirituality.
Prophetic Spirituality: “of awareness, of choice, of risk, of transformation. It’s about embracing life, the pursuit of wholeness, the acceptance of others, the call to co-creation. It’s a way of living with our eyes wide open and our hearts full of fervor for all of life.”
So how do we climb out of the swamp–back to our moral center–our True North? Every moment is a moral moment. It gives us three choices:
Not me–I’m not getting into that. Basically, ignore it as if we are an independent member of society and humanity–denying it’s affecting our part of the universe.
Just roll over and say that’s the way it is. Let them do it–I’m sure it will all come out all right.
Deal with it. Become aware of what’s going on around us. (i.e. There’s a medical bill coming up for a political vote–create discussion groups to determine who’ll be affected and then magnify our collective voices; or when is that last time we’ve donated to a Save the Whale fund?) Get attached–find a cause to get passionate about;iIt’s about finding the courage to state the first word of truth in public that takes all the strength we can muster–in an obvious open and loving way.
We are in a transitional moment.
Still the world goes on, yearning for the genuine. The question is, where are you and I–the bearers of prophetic spirituality–will we find our uncommon courage?
Progress, not perfection Warriors!