to stand beneath the cross like mary...

Today is a cool, gray day in the Berkshires: autumn has truly arrived. The reds and yellows are popping ever more vibrantly in the wetlands and the pumpkins are ripening on the vine. Every morning I behold this beauty and try to hold it alongside whatever vicious, ugly or mean-spirited reality has currently risen to the surface of this regime's reign of shame. 

Woman-hating mixed with willful stupidity, addiction to the tyranny of the normal, and a celebration of brutality now rules the day. The charade "hearings" taking place in Washington, DC mock the word justice. The Republican majority is drunk with male power, determined to force their brutish authority down our collective throats before the American public can weigh-in at the November midterm elections. Yes, strong women and citizens of conscience are calling out these bullies. Political and ethical challengers to the status quo are emboldened and unafraid to speak truth to power. Further, the loyal opposition is rallying the clout of organized people of compassion to shut down the power of organized money. Anxiety is palpable throughout the republic. The Rev. Dr. William Barber reminds us that if the current political majority forces through the Kavanaugh nomination, it would be the fourth time in our generation that two presidents who were not elected by the American majority added rigid ideologues to the bench of the Supreme Court. 



The late Henri Nouwen once wrote about times these - in our generation as well as times past - and his wisdom demands a hearing. He told us that "mature people in faith stand erect in the face of world calamities."

The facts of everyday life are a rich source for doomsday thinking and feeling. But it is possible for us to resist this temptation and to stand with self-confidence in this world, never losing our spiritual ground, always aware that "sky and earth will pass away" but the words of Jesus will never pass away (see Luke 21:33). Let us be like Mary, the mother of Jesus, who stood under the cross, trusting in God's faithfulness notwithstanding the death of his beloved Child.

To be able to do this consistently and with conviction, Richard Rohr reminds us that: 

This can only be done by plugging into a larger consciousness through contemplation. No longer focused on our own individual private perfection—or what Merton called “our personal salvation project”—we become fully human... by opening our hearts to God.

I love Nouwen's image of living like Mary, the mother of Jesus, standing under the cross. She is honest, compassionate, heart-broken and trusting all at the same time. She didn't hide in fear, but made her love public and visible. She didn't curse or condemn, but stayed the course even in the most agonizing moment of her life. She held the promise of God's grace in tension with the brutality of the regime trusting that God's love is greater than human evil. 

One of my commitments in these later days is to support younger activists for compassion, truth and hope. Some are clergy, a few are musicians and others are simply young adults who want their lives to make a difference. My counsel is simple: like Gandhi said, we must become the change we desire. We must do our inner work, tapping into God's grace with such authenticity that we are able to take on the outward work of soothing another's pain and righting wrongs. If we don't know our shadows - if we believe that all the evil is out there and not also within - we'll give up the ghost in cynicism or despair. 

That is why I keep returning to Mary under the shadow of the Cross. Lord, may she be our guide and a presence within and among us, for your mercy's sake.