Unimaginable Tapestry

My plan is to not write on Sundays, but here I am. The Christmas season began one month ago on December 25. I was overjoyed by the warm welcome offered by the people of Opelika, Alabama to the Venerable Buddhist Monks on their Walk for Peace. As I wrote then,

“On this Christmas night,

I am moved by witnessing

the metaphorical pouring of sweet tea

for these monks by my neighbors,

the people of Alabama’s heart.

There is a deep hunger in the land

and in the people stirring this

overwhelming outpouring of presence

for the monks’ practice of loving kindness

as a way of being, of living, of thinking.”

As a native and resident of the state, it was grace to witness the sangha of Buddhist men in brown bodies as they intentionally crossed the Deep South. They are not walking for fame, pleasure or wealth. Their noble walk is a prayerful response to the intentional cruelty, brazen inhumanity, and unnecessary suffering inflicted by the government on the people of this nation and of the world. These men are inviting us to remember our own humanity by living in peace. As our hearts are reawakened, we mourn the killings of Keith Porter, Renee Good and Alex Pretti

The Walk for Peace brings to mind the election of Pope Leo XIV who was born in Chicago. The late Cardinal Francis George declared that there would not be a pope from the United States unless the nation fell into political decline. One need not be Catholic or Christian to recognize George’s prophecy. We have reached the milestone of which he spoke. As I wrote on April 26 of last year, “Cardinal George was correct. The view from the peripheries is clear. In fact, it is very clear based on the lived experiences of the many who are weeping and mourning. This is no secret. It is common knowledge. The world knows. God knows. The United States of America is in political decline.”

Over the past three evenings, I have watched the critically acclaimed film, Sinners. To be clear, I viewed the entire film thrice. It is a masterpiece worthy of the awards and nominations received. Ryan Coogler, the film’s writer, producer and director, as well as the cast and crew honor our ancestors and their lived experiences with compassion, innovation and intellect. Sinners models how film and music have the capacity to address difficult topics in profound ways by bypassing the common dualistic ways of expression. Our common ways of being, of living, of thinking have been tainted by distortions and lies that run deep in our history and our systems. Often dualism is used to affirm the status quo regardless of how flawed it may be.

The hope of Christmas; the suffering of humanity; a nation in decline; the Buddhist monks’ Walk for Peace; the killing of Keith Porter, Renee Good and Alex Pretti; the election of Chicago-born Pope Leo; and Sinners are profoundly interwoven. Together they present an unimaginable tapestry that transcends our understanding of the human heart much like The Incarnation. I do not mean the picture perfect image used for magazine covers, or the one portrayed by kindergarten students in the parish play. I mean the Incarnation of love expansive enough to include our human suffering. What is my response? What is mine to do?