Maria Fafard
La noche oscura del alma (Dark Night of the Soul) is the title given to a poem by 16th century Spanish mystic Saint John of the Cross. These striking words seem to have been written to describe the very state of being for many of us today: loss, sadness, grief, despair.
It’s been a strange Lenten season and a trying time for our country. Day after day, we bear witness to laws passed and implemented that hurt the most vulnerable ones in the world and injure God’s creation.
What are we called to do as human beings, as Christians and as a church in these times of darkness? There are some voices that tell us that church needs to be a refuge from earthly concerns, a sacred, politics-free space. But this is not about politics. This is about right and wrong. Micah teaches us: “what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?” I believe that today we are called to stand firmly and to take our place amongst the forces of good. For if we don’t speak up and don’t act on behalf of “the least of these,” the ones that the Bible calls us to feed and clothe and protect, then who are we and what do we stand for? Every day, we choose the side we are on. We choose with our action. And our inaction. We choose with our words. And our silence.
As I reflect on the darkness surrounding us, a striking thought comes to me. Is it possible that what we are witnessing is not the night eternal, but the heavy darkness just before the dawn of resurrection: a resurrection of our spirit, of our country, of us the people coming together to fight for what is right, to protect the vulnerable ones, to stand with the good? And as the day of Easter draws near, I pray for such a God-inspired, man-made resurrection for all of us.