“After this year, will we be better able to recognize a pilgrim in the visitor, a seeker in the stranger, a neighbor in the foreigner, and fellow travelers in those who are different? The way in which Jesus encountered and allowed himself to be approached by all people teaches us to value the heart’s secrets, which only he can read.”—Pope Leo XIV, Homily, Solemnity of the Epiphany, Closing of the Holy Door.
The world has always had problems and yet I have hoped during my lifetime that we humans were slowly but surely evolving in our understanding and concern for each other. I have watched the roles of minorities and women become more and more important during my seventy seven years on this earth. I no longer feel the need to hide my intelligence lest it be misconstrued by men who believe that my place in the grand scheme of things should be to take care of children and cater to the needs of the male half of the population. I have come to know people from many different races and cultures as my brothers and sisters in our journey on the earth. It has felt wonderful to believe that so many human prejudices that were in abundance during my childhood have been set aside for a more inviting view of people with many different faces and beliefs.
I have never been naive enough to think that we had reached a state of perfection. There is still much to be done, but in general the ugliness that was so ever present when I was young seemed to have melted into the past. The kind of general prejudices and beliefs that were so common when I rode on a segregated bus to downtown Houston as an eight year old appeared to be fading away. Little did I realize that my lack of attention to reality was hiding the anger of those who somehow think that our brave new world is monstrous. They were quietly and persistently advocating for a return to a time before my parents were even born. They longed for a guided age of wealthy white men who were smart enough to rule the the earth and keep the rest of us in our appropriate places.
I was suppose that I was so giddy about the progress that I observed that I failed to notice the buildup of angry people who felt that women like me were a threat or that my Black neighbors needed to go back to the communities from which they came. I rejoiced that people from around the world were moving into my state and bringing their customs and cultures with them. I embraced them the way that my mother and her family should have been embraced when they were instead victimized with slurs and injured by hurled rocks simply because they were immigrants. I rejoiced in the pilgrims, foreigners and fellow travelers who made my city of Houston one of the most diverse places on earth. I did not notice the whispers from people who instead held a grudge against them. I blithely celebrated what I saw as a steadily growing arc of acceptance for all people, even those who had once been treated as pariahs.
I suppose that I actually was indeed as naive as many of my friends insist. I was so busy embracing the idea that we would never again return to the horrific times when eugenics and segregation and sexism were commonplace that I did not realize the extent to which an angry group of people were embracing a bully raging in a pulpit of vindictive hatred. I thought that surely everyone would see that the man who is overseeing our democracy for the second time is unfit for the job and enough of a criminal that he should face the consequences of his egregious deeds. It is incomprehensible to me that he has even one supporter for the anger that he fosters like a madman and yet here we are. I have no idea what to do other than to use the tiny voice that I have to spread the warning alarm that must be raised.
I don’t just suspect, I know that many of the people around me would prefer for me to be silent. They believe that if we just take a deep breath and have some patience this too will pass. They are certain that things will right themselves and we will be able to move forward again without much ado. Sadly I once agreed with them but I see the horrors of what is happening so clearly now that I understand that silence is the enemy. We have to voice our concerns with truth and conviction or the beautiful world that was only beginning to unfold will take decades to repair.
I suppose that I sound like the little girl crying “wolf” with a puny voice that mostly goes unnoticed. I am an annoyance more than a crusader dedicated to a good cause and yet I read the words of Pope Leo and know in my heart that I have to repeat them and live them or I am no better than the souls who have bought into the lies and anger of our president. Our focus on this earth should always be in leaving it better than it was when we first arrived. Surely we know that the miracle of Jesus lay in his teaching that all people are sacred and worthy of our love.
I will not be afraid to say what I mean and mean what I say. I can’t go back to pretending to be demure simply because I am a woman. I cannot return to a time when people were judged by physical appearances rather than the content of their hearts. I will speak out for a return to providing every person with the dignity that should automatically be theirs. Mine is a message of hope and a warning that we have so much to lose if we simply look the other way when we see the wrongs that are multiplying by the day. Our voices must overcome the daily roar coming from the White House. We must push back or ironically lose our freedoms in a year that was supposed to be a celebration of our democracy and progress in achieving the ideals of our Founding Fathers. Let us hope that we will not bow to the whims of a man who seems only to be concerned with his own power and wealth much like the kings of old. Let’s take off the blinders now!
All It Takes Is A Little Love 