Dear One’s of St. C’s, 

As people begin to get vaccinated, I am hearing a buzz of what does that mean now.  Is there a “normal” to return to?  What from our old life do we want to leave behind?  What wisdom that we have learned do we want to bring with us?  What has been brought to light during our desert time that has left us changed? 

As I see my time in the desert coming to a close there are two lessons that I am trying to stay diligent on keeping close to the surface of my consciousness.   The two lessons are how vulnerable we are as humans and how connected we are to one another.

I am beginning to notice the places I have believed two lies that are prevalent in the United States.  The first lie is that I am self sufficient and do not need others for survival.  The second lie is that difference exists to divide us and separate us from each other. 

This pandemic has revealed to me that both of these lies could not be further from the truth.  And has left me wondering how these two lies have formed me and what I need to repent from.  I desire to turn towards God, turn towards my dependence on God and on humanity.  God made each person in God’s image and calls each person beloved.  This is a foundational belief to our Christian faith and yet we live in a society that tries to separate us by difference.  This is especially prevalent when it comes to race and class, but it can be found all throughout our society.  

During this pandemic our country has had to face again and again that prevalent racism exists in our country. The most recent being the mass shooting that occurred on Tuesday in Atlanta.  6 of the 8 women targeted were of Asian descent. The Circle for Asian American Literary Studies (CAALS) put out a statement that can be found here.  I stand in agreement and support their statement.  In it they said, “Therefore, we write to strongly condemn the horrific attacks in Atlanta, Georgia that have left eight people dead, including six Asian/Asian American women. We express our sorrow and alarm, and we stand in solidarity with the victims’ families and communities. Each of the murdered women was a unique individual with hopes, dreams, and loves—and, most of all, a right to live in safety and peace. Yet structural factors, including intersecting racism and misogyny, rendered these women vulnerable and contributed to their violent deaths.”

Knowing what we now know, that we are all vulnerable and we are all connected, how will we respond to these horrific acts that happened on Tuesday?  What happened on Tuesday will impact people within the Asian/Asian American community differently than people who are not as connected. It will impact people differently who live in the United States versus those who live further away.  We have to remember that our difference does not need to separate or divide us. When all people sit with how connected we all are to each other, we are reminded that when one community suffers we all experience suffering.  It begs the question, how do we participate in one another's freedom?  Now that we know we are all connected, how do we allow our differences to bring us into solidarity with one another? 

Remember dear ones, living in the desert this last year has taught us some hard earned lesson.  As we begin to see our time coming to an end let’s all reflect on what we want to take with us as we forge ahead to what life will look like in the weeks, months, and years come.

with hope, 

Meghan