Repairing the World

Today a common topic of discussion is why there is so much division between people in the United States. The teacher and author John O’Donohue has an answer: “We have fallen out of belonging.”

The scriptures teach us that we belong to God and we belong to each other in the Body of Christ. That basic sense of being connected to God and others gives us a foundation of security and eases our loneliness. It also mitigates inflated feelings of superiority and inferiority; everyone belongs. No one is excluded.

Somehow, the image of a judgmental God who condemns certain people has come to supersede the truth of a merciful and compassionate God. That false image of a dismissive God has created the illusion that we too can decide who is evil, expendable, inconsequential, and/or unworthy of our attention and resources. Not surprisingly, the people who are excluded often become angry and bitter and lash out at their oppressors. Both sides point to the bad behavior of the other and believe they alone are in possession of the truth.

How do we get out of this mess? The first step is to “Be still and know that I am God.” Recently Sr. Bettina Tobin told me an anecdote about Sr. Mary Ann Fessler, who taught her first graders that God lives in a house within their hearts. Each day she asked them to be quiet for a few minutes, go into their hearts, and visit God. If first graders can learn to be contemplative, so can we. And when we encounter God within ourselves, we are met with a love and mercy so powerful that we are inspired to extend those graces to others.

Another step is to admit what the COVID-19 pandemic and climate change have revealed: We need each other. We need everyone to wear masks to prevent the spread of the virus. We need undocumented immigrants to harvest our food and factory workers to manufacture personal protective equipment and vaccinations. We all need to switch to renewable energy, stop our wasteful consumption, and plant trees to slow down the global warming that is feeding drought, fires, and hurricanes. In pandemics and environmental degradation, we have a common enemy that unites us in our desire to survive and leave a habitable world for our children.

We who have fallen out of belonging can each choose to participate in what the Jewish people call Tikkun Olam—repairing the world. By practicing contemplation and acknowledging our kinship with all people, we reveal Christ who is at the heart of everyone and everything and affirm our universal web of belonging, which will help us create a more peaceful and harmonious world.