I bow to the one who signs the cross.
I bow to the one who sits with the Buddha.
I bow to the one who wails at the wall.
I bow to the OM flowing in the Ganges.
I bow to the one who faces Mecca,
whose forehead touches holy ground.
I bow to dervishes whirling in mystical wind.
I bow to the north,
to the south,
to the east,
to the west.
I bow to the God within each heart.
I bow to epiphany,
to God’s face revealed.
I bow. I bow. I bow.
— Sister Mary Lou Kownacki, OSB, Benedictine Sisters of Erie, PA
Sharing Grief for our Broken Humanity
As a community of faith, our hearts enfold the family and loved ones of George Floyd. We grieve with them for their loss. Our sorrow flows from this tragic reminder of how broken we are in our shared humanity—and how we remain fragmented as our brothers and sisters of color live and suffer as targets of racism.
There is much within our humanity that needs to be transmuted and, because of our shared shortcomings, we live with this ongoing tragedy of neglect, ignorance, and hate. Decades ago, the African-American author and philosopher James Baldwin gave us this powerful insight:
“One cannot deny the humanity of another without diminishing one’s own”.
We all share life and humanity. We are called to be the caretakers and guardians of one another. As individuals, we each need to recognize our shortcomings in order to begin working on the change so needed by all. From our faith, we need to draw insight and courage to heal the broken; we need strength to hold and cherish what cannot be healed. We need compassion so complete that we are transformed and can touch the whole fabric of humanity.
May it be so.
May we be amongst the ones who make it so.
The FaithBridge Board