Reflection
These past months we seem to have gone from one national crisis to another. There has been little time to absorb one incident when another happens. We ask ourselves, “What are we becoming?” We grieve. We are filled with sadness and anger. We want it to stop. Will these events shock us into changing? Can we achieve a national honesty that really works for positive change? Can it really happen? Or will shock fade again until the next time? Will next time be too late?
Prayer
May we join as a nation to work toward understanding one another and choosing the common good..
Action
Try to live nonviolently and inclusively not only in action but also in thoughts and attitudes. Discuss this period of national life with others. What are some of the major issues rising? Organize opportunities for prayer and discussion if possible. Join in a group action toward change.
Suggested Reading
Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone.
John 8:6
Even today we raise our hand against our brother… We have perfected our weapons, our conscience has fallen asleep, and we have sharpened our ideas to justify ourselves as if it were normal we continue to sow destruction, pain, death.
Pope Francis
A time of crisis is not just a time of anxiety and worry. It gives a chance, an opportunity, to choose well or to choose badly.
Desmond Tutu
Crises are often resolved only through a new identity and new purpose, whether it’s that of a nation or a single human being.
Rebecca Solnit
Crisis is a messenger.
Bryant McGill
So when you spot violence, or bigotry, or intolerance or fear or just garden-variety misogyny, hatred or ignorance, just look it in the eye and think, ‘The good outnumber you, and we always will.’
Patton Oswalt
Nonviolence means avoiding not only external physical violence but also internal violence of spirit. You not only refuse to shoot a man, but you refuse to hate him.
Martin Luther King, Jr.
Let us remember we are all part of one American family. We are united in common values, and that includes belief in equality under the law, basic respect for public order, and the right of peaceful protest.
Barack Obama
Patriotism is when love of your own people comes first; nationalism, when hate for people other than your own comes first.
Charles de Gaulle
There is nothing wrong with America that cannot be cured with what is right in America.
William J. Clinton
We’ll probably have to have a few uncomfortable conversations to sort of get things right, so everybody can walk and enjoy America like it’s supposed to be enjoyed.
Jamie Foxx
We have to wake up to the fierce urgency of the now.
Jim Yong Kim