All Saint’s Day
Nothing that is worth doing can be achieved in our lifetime; therefore we must be saved by hope. Nothing which is true or beautiful or good makes complete sense in any immediate context of history; therefore we must be saved by faith. Nothing we do, however virtuous, can be accomplished alone; therefore we are saved by love. No virtuous act is quite as virtuous from the standpoint of our friend or foe as it is from our standpoint. Therefore we must be saved by the final form of love which is forgiveness.
—Reinhold Niebuhr, The Irony of American History
Esteemed CAC teacher and colleague Dr. Barbara Holmes (1943–2024) draws wisdom from theologian Reinhold Niebuhr:
Reinhold Niebuhr’s words ring true. Although we wish it was otherwise, the struggle for justice is never completed in one lifetime or one rebellion. The shifting of systems, the turning of hearts, the forgiveness of oppressions and the dissipation of anger (righteous or not) takes time. It is not easy to confront injustice. It requires solidarity and the inevitable loss of life. It requires that each generation aver, “we are ready to be free by any peaceful means necessary.” [1] …
No matter how desperate our personal or communal situations seem, we are oscillating at both high and low frequencies between the good and the grotesque. We cannot always see the path toward the common good; often it seems that evil has won the day, and sometimes the leap of faith required to bridge chasms of disagreement seems to be a [desperate] choice.
And yet, even during our worst times, there are opportunities to facilitate human flourishing through the creative exchanges of ideas, authenticity, culture, and religious expression. The contemplative turn is necessary because the illusion of reality that frames our everyday life limits the in-breaking of Spirit and dims discernment. [2]
Holmes connects spiritual practice with the common good:
For me a spiritual practice that matters includes social renewal. Instead of blaming others about the state of our union, instead of blaming one political party or another, we can reflect on our own complicity and support of systems that abandoned the poor, warehoused our children in failing schools, and failed to provide adequate health care. As a spiritual practice, we can wake up to the possibility of building a new order. We can improvise those possibilities; try them out in the creative microcosm of a shared public life, realizing that our way of life could be improved so that all members of society thrive….
I quote from an article I wrote titled “Still on the Journey”: I believe that as a spiritual practice we can imagine and create “a political system responsive to the people and respectful of global neighbors, a health system that is comprehensive in scope and not profit driven, an educational system shaped by innovation, improvisation, technology, and practicality.” [3] Can we be honest now about what is not working? Can we re-envision new options? I believe that we can, if we want to. [4]
References:
[1] Barbara A. Holmes, Joy Unspeakable: Contemplative Practices of the Black Church, 2nd ed. (Minneapolis, MN: Fortress Press, 2017), 158.
[2] Holmes, Joy Unspeakable, 175.
[3] Barbara A. Holmes, “Still on the Journey: Moral Witness, Imagination, and Improvisation in Public Life,” in Ethics That Matters: African, Caribbean, and African American Sources, ed. Marcia Y. Riggs and James Samuel Logan (Minneapolis, MN: Fortress Press, 2012), 238.
[4] Adapted from Barbara A. Holmes, “Love of Neighbor and the Practice of Social Renewal,” Wisdom in Times of Crisis, May 4, 2020, Center for Action and Contemplation, video, 4:46.
Image credit and inspiration: Eyoel Khassay, Untitled (detail), 2020, photo, Ethiopia, Unsplash. Click here to enlarge image. We plant trees as an offering of communal good for the future.
Story from Our Community:
For the past weeks, I have experienced a lot of suffering because of my health. As I lie in bed, I offer my prayers of grace and gratitude for the goodness I have received each day. I place my fears into the ears of my God, so I can have the space to contemplate joy and peace in the time of difficulty. Thank you, CAC, for helping me understand my suffering as a way to be one with others—to be a part of our suffering world.
—Catherine R.