Resurrection

It being Easter, I’ve been thinking a lot about resurrection. Not the literal resurrection that many believe in, the restoration to life of the actual body of the crucified Jesus, but the kind that I think that the Passion story was meant to teach us. The resurrection that occurs when we are hopeless and lost, when we have been emotionally, spiritually or mentally crucified, and yet, we see our way clear and are reborn in a way we could never have imagined when we were in the grips of our darkest hour.

I am reminded of the many times I have felt defeated and confused, despairing of ever figuring out what I should do to find my way. Yet somehow, through varied venues and many amazing and surprising displays of grace, I have been able to see the path out, to struggle, to persevere and to ultimately triumph over that which I once thought to be an insurmountable obstacle. I have also witnessed complete transformations in the lives of many others, often in the face of barriers that I cannot even begin to imagine.

That’s the resurrection I believe in, one that does not involve the direct action of a divine being, but rather one that calls to all that is Holy in individual people, that which drives otherwise ordinary folks to dig deep within themselves and to rise up and achieve extraordinary things, to act in ways that enable themselves or others to transform their lives in most amazing and unexpected ways. Those are the miracles I look to when I need a reason to go on and they are taking place each and every day. That hopefulness, those displays of resilience and persistence, of tenacity and courage are what I believe is the point of the story of resurrection in the Gospels.

Here’s my Easter benediction:

As we celebrate today the newness of life, the rebirth of the earth and the continuance of the circle of life, let us be reminded too of the resurrection
Not the raising from the dead of a single person through a divine miracle, but the resurrection we see each day in our midst
From the glimpse we get of one we have loved and lost when we look into the eyes of a child, to the rebirth that we witness when those around us triumph over challenges great and small.
May we rest assured that the resurrection is indeed a promise
Not a divine one, but one that we make to one another.
Let us hope that each day we can find a way to keep that promise
And be agents of resurrection for each other.

Courage for our separate journeys to a collective resurrection,
Suzanne

We Refuse to Face the Truth

I have spent much of the last twenty four hours listening in disbelief, both to the Rev Jeremiah Wright , whom I once held in esteem, and to the pundits who have declared this “scandal” to be “the end” of the of the “messianic” rise of Barack Obama. (Pastorgate anyone?) I have decided that, rather than rocking back and forth holding my head, I will write this missive. It may turn out to be incoherent, but I hope to feel better for having written it.

First, I have listened to much of the material of Rev.Wright which people find objectionable and I do take exception to his inflammatory tone, his gross mischaracterizations and occasional exaggerations and his racism. However much of what I have heard on talk radio (and not of the right wing variety) is criticism of the substance of his remarks and many are expressing outrage at statements which are, in their essence, true.

For instance does anyone really believe that our government is NOT currently under the control of a group of paranoid, rich, white men? Or that the events of 9/11 were partly brought about by our long term policies regarding Israel and the Palestinian people? Or that the number of innocent people we have killed on foreign soil in the name of democracy dwarfs the number of Americans that have died? For God’s sake someone was even complaining about his remarks about the government’s complicity in the Tuskegee experiments on black men, something the government has admitted!!

It is my humble opinion that Rev. Wright could have said these things in a conciliatory tone and people would still be outraged because, even though I object to the way he said it, Rev. Wright spoke the truth and he has had the audacity to tell of things that we Americans, by and large, do not wish to believe, despite overwhelming evidence. Further, I believe that until we look that beast square in the face, until we accept that we, as a nation, have committed these horrible atrocities, we will be unable to prevent them from being fomented in our names in the future.

I also believe that many white Americans cannot accept criticism of the fundamental policies of the United States from a black man, because, despite all the layers of political correctness we put on it, many white folks feel that “they” should be grateful for all the things “we” have “given them”. And to speak the truth in such a confrontational way, well that’s just not what we expect from people who should be grateful. In truth, white America believes that Rev. Wright should be more like Barack Obama; he’s the sort of black man we like. I’m sorry this is so, but I believe it is.

On the question of whether this will affect Barack Obama’s chances to win the nomination, I will only say this: Rev. Wright was the Obama family Pastor. He was not their spokesperson. If we can hold candidates responsible for everything that anyone they associate with says, then we better fold up this democracy and head north.

I, for one, do not choose my friends and advisors on their likeness to me, on the likelihood that they will be a mirror for everything I hold dear. I rather like the idea that Barack includes people with disparate beliefs in his opinion circle, for it has been my experience that listening to others who hold very different opinions than mine is always a learning experience and rarely a bad one. If we are to weave a stronger, more peaceful America in coalition with those who are not like us (which is what Barack is saying), then listening to the “other” is a darn good place to start.

I remain hopeful about this election and hope this is simply a sandstorm in our collective sojourn out of the desert of the soul in which we find ourselves.

Strength and Courage for the journey,
Suzanne.