I Did Not See This Coming

Lately, I’ve been feeling confused and insecure like never before.  I did not see this coming. For most of my life, I’ve stood firmly on the solid ground of being a proud U.S. citizen, certain of a person's inalienable rights, trusting in the balance of power, and treating the constitution like sacred scripture.  But now, the ground beneath me is moving. As someone who lives in earthquake country, the global political shakeup finds me frozen in place, waiting and wondering if the shaking I feel is the “big one,” or just another occasional rumble. Visions of the fall of Rome dance through my head.

But what is most unsettling is the fact that I don’t know what to believe, or how to feel.  Today’s cultural zeitgeist is like the AI-generated images flooding my social media feeds; I can no longer tell if what I’m seeing and hearing is real or artificially generated.

When I feel unmoored, what tends to ground me is focusing on what truly matters the most to me. These “interesting times” remind me of 2002, when the Boston Globe’s “Spotlight” team exposed widespread sexual abuse in the Archdiocese of Boston and the Church’s consequent cover-up.

The investigation led to years of lawsuits, criminal prosecution and scandals throughout the Church in the U.S. and around the world. As a practicing Catholic, I had to discern what there was about my faith that was true, and what was illusion. In the end, I chose to hold on to what truly mattered to me: the community and the mission of Jesus.

Twenty-three years later, I am again living through a time of upheaval, and trying to focus on what truly matters to me – not as a Catholic but as a U.S. citizen.  To my great surprise, my answer remains the same: community and the mission of Jesus.

Community

Jesus modeled how to build and participate in a diverse community built on love and shared purpose. I am blessed to be part of a parish community that tries to embody what Jesus envisioned.

Every Sunday I gather with people I know and care about – people with different political views, diverse backgrounds, and life experiences. Yet, we all share in the same Eucharist. The parish is our spiritual home, providing us with structure, meaning, and a place of belonging. The liturgy reaffirms our values, providing comfort and stability in these uncertain times. It serves as a place for us to refuel, and prepares us to go out and do good. By contributing to my parish in various ways, I believe I am helping to foster a model of community wholeness - or as Parker Palmer might call it, a "community of truth."

Jesus’ Mission in the World:

In the Gospel of John (13:34), Jesus says, "A new commandment I give you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another." It’s a tall order. As the philosopher, Jacques Maritain, once wrote “Only two kinds of people think that love is easy: saints, who through long years of self-sacrifice have made a habit of virtue, and naïve persons who don’t know what they’re talking about.”

Loving as Jesus loved is about actively choosing love, even when it's challenging, and allowing it to shape our actions and perspectives. I’m trying, Jesus, I’m trying.