The Trinity is a vision to emulate, especially at this time in the United States of America—a time when we are struggling to be united and free of our original and ongoing sin of rank-ordering our common humanity according to skin color, sexuality, social class, ability, political leanings, mental health, or religious preferences. We are murdering each other, thanks to this sin-sick practice.
I do not need to rehearse the events in history or just last week; nor do I need once again to remind us all about the purposeful misinterpretation of the Creator’s charge to humanity to care for all creation. Dominion does not mean domination, unless rank-ordering is the ethic, a practice that destroys Oneness, Diversity and Goodness.
As a therapist and spiritual director and priest I know that deep wounds interrupt the flow of Life itself. There are many ideas out there about what America’s wounds are. Racial injustice tops the list right now. I agree, yet I think the deeper wound is that we Americans are afraid.
-afraid of ourselves
-afraid of each other
-afraid not to be great
-afraid to be great
-afraid to weep rather than shout,
-afraid even to touch our wound.
Slowly, yet deliberately,
I touch the painful place.
I don’t know why;
I just need to.
Is there a strange kind of comfort in acknowledging the
pain?
The wound?
Strangely, the rollercoaster slows.
I hear the words,
“Pay attention. This is your life. This is Sacred.”
Mary Ann Bigelow, Spiritual Director, above words first published in
Presence, International Journal of Spiritual Direction, March, 2020
I touch the painful place.
I don’t know why;
I just need to.
Is there a strange kind of comfort in acknowledging the
pain?
The wound?
Strangely, the rollercoaster slows.
I hear the words,
“Pay attention. This is your life. This is Sacred.”
Mary Ann Bigelow, Spiritual Director, above words first published in
Presence, International Journal of Spiritual Direction, March, 2020
To heal our wound we—together— must touch it, hallow it, give it belonging, a voice, bless it, talk about it in conversation, pray it, make it holy. This is spiritual intelligence. This is Trinity.
P.S. Happy 86th Wedding Anniversary, Mom and Dad.
