Dear Friends,
We hope that you are safe and well!
Our Interdependence Day Meditation today lets our National Holiday echo with reflections by Joan Chittister and Alla Renee Bozarth.
We invite you to join us as we commit ourselves to working tirelessly to end systemic and structural racism in our society, in healthcare, in the workplace, in the Church--wherever it shows up so that everyone may come to have more abundant life. May this meditation nourish our contemplative-active hearts and sustain all of us in action.
In the spirit of our philosophy of co-creating community and our awareness that the Spirit speaks through each of us, we invite you to share your meditations with us as well. We truly believe that in God’s economy of abundance, when we share our blessings, our thoughts, our feelings, we are all made richer.
We hope and pray that you and your loved ones experience genuine peace of mind and heart, and remain in good health during this challenging time.
As Summer unfolds, may you find peace, healing, hope, and the infusion of joy in your life!
With our love and care,
Ron & Jean
MEDITATION 402: Interdependence Day echoes with Joan Chittister and Alla Renee Bozarth
Read Sister Joan's holiday reflection on Patriotism.
“God is the creator of all the earth, caring for all the nations.” --Ps. 47
There are two concepts in U.S. history that deserve to be revisited in these times. The first is “patriotism.” The second is “jingoism.” They are not synonyms, much as we are sometimes inclined to make them. Patriotism is love of country, literally the “father” land. Jingoism is chauvinism, a love of country that lacks a critical eye. Or better yet, perhaps, a love of country that lacks a loving eye. When we love something to such a degree that we lose the capacity to compare it to its own best potential, we don’t really love it at all. We idolize it.
Jingoism is destructive idolatry, the kind of national fetish which can, if taken to its limit, end in the holocaust of Jews, the genocide of Bosnians, the decimation of Palestinians and the massacre of Native Americans. But the psalmist is clear. God cares for all nations. What we do to people in the name of “Americanism” will be weighed in the light of what is good for all creation, our own and those whose lives as a nation we touch.
Songs of the Heart by Joan ChittisterPatriotism on the other hand, is a commitment to the ideals for which, as a people, we say we strive. Real patriotism welcomes, encourages, commits itself to the great national debates. Patriotism asks hard questions: Are we really putting enough money into education in this country? Do Black lives really matter here? What exactly does an ethic of life require at all levels, at all times? Should we still be putting over half the national budget into the military establishment? These questions engage the patriot with honesty and courage. These questions and others just as difficult, just as scalding, will determine the real direction of this country.
—from Songs of the Heart: Reflections on the Psalms by Joan Chittister (TWENTY-THIRD PUBLICATIONS)
A Prayer for Our Country
Beloved God, who has given us this good land for our heritage: We
humbly ask your Grace that we may always prove ourselves a people mindful of your favor and glad to do your will. Bless our land with honorable industry, sound learning, and considerate manners. Save us from violence, discord, and confusion; from pride and arrogance, and from every evil way. Defend our liberties, and fashion into one united people the multitudes brought here out of many countries and languages. Endue with the spirit of wisdom those to whom in your Name we entrust the authority of government, that there may be justice and peace at home, and that, through obedience to your holy law, we may show forth your light among the nations of the earth. In the time of prosperity, fill our hearts with thankfulness, and in the day of trouble, do not let our trust in you to fail; all which we ask your Divine Spirit. Amen.
Adapted by Alla Renee Bozarth from The Book of Common Prayer, 1979.
God, source of all freedom,
this day is bright with the memory of those
who declared life and liberty are your gift to every human being.
Help us to continue a good work begun long ago. Make our vision clear and our will strong:
that only in human solidarity will we find liberty,
and justice only in the honor that belongs to every life on earth.
Turn our hearts toward the family of nations:
to understand the ways of others, to offer friendship,
and to find safety only in the common good of all.
We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen
--from Catholic Household Blessings and Prayers