CALLED TO BE WITNESSES TO RADICAL HOPE
Sr. Brenda Walsh, Racine Dominican
We use the word “witness” a lot in writing
and conversation. Jesus said: “Go forth and be my witnesses to the
ends of the earth.” What does it mean to be a witness? How am I to
understand it? “Witness means giving the whole of my life, the whole
of our lives as a faith community. It is not a nice coat or suit we
wear on Sundays or special occasions. It is the whole thing – who we
are and what we are about. It means to know, to experience someone
or something in a personal way and to give testimony to that
experience by my speaking, my acting, my caring and loving. When I
experience life and goodness, I am compelled to share it. In a sense
that experience never leaves me alone.
Gustavo Gutierrez, in his book “We Drink
from our own Wells”. speaks about the experience this way.: “We are
on a journey where we have already met the one we are searching
for..” So the meeting is not just a one time event. It is ongoing.”
“In “Jesus the Stranger”, Joseph Donders
reminds us: “ To be a witness is not something we do all by
ourselves. The initiative comes from God, the success belongs to God
and the credit goes to God.” God speaks to you and me in the
ordinary, everyday events of our lives. How do I know it is the
real, authentic voice of God? We will know the answer deep within
ourselves. There are different ways God speaks to us. That reminder
of Joseph Donders comes to my mind often when I am involved in a
challenging endeavor – The reminder that the initiative comes from
God, success belongs to God and the credit goes to God. It keeps
things in perspective.
In Nature: Take a few moments to look at
and enjoy the beauty around you. We are told that “The heavens
declare the glory of God.” This beauty is available locally and
globally. It calls us to take care of the earth, to enjoy it and
pass it on without abuse to future generations. George Manley
Hopkins reminds us the “world is filled with the grandeur of God.”
That kind of speaking and listening can nurture us day by day.
God speaks through the people and events
in our lives. God spoke to Mary and she had complete trust that God
would accomplish what was promised. Abraham heard God’s voice: “Get
up. Leave your country and go into a land that I will show you. I
will make you the father of many nations. Sara, your wife will bear
a child even in her old age.” Abraham and Sara put their future in
God’s hands and the promise was fulfilled.
Can you think of a time when God spoke in
a challenging way to you? I recall one that happened several years
ago. It was a Sunday afternoon at the parish where I worked in
downtown Racine. I had just finished arranging all the program for
children and adults for the Fall. We were all set to go. The phone
rang: “Brenda, will you consider having your name placed in
nomination for community leadership? You have 30 minutes to get out
here and share your values and insights and hopes for the
community?” After a time of prayer and struggle with the question,
I said “Yes.” It was a challenge. The day by day “Yes” to the call
over the years was also a challenge to keep the response fresh and
generous. I’m sure many of the readers can give examples of how God
spoke forcefully to you and topsy-turvied your life as mine was.
Sometimes the voice of God comes gently
and sometimes loud and clearly. God is willing to be put in a
vulnerable position, depending on our response. It is up to you and
me to be listening continually and not let God’s word fall on deaf
ears. My ears and eyes and hearts must be open to hearing the voice
of God in the cries and pain of the poor and powerless, the hurting,
marginalized and weary. I am called to be present to them in the
same way God is willing to be present to me. I cannot impose my
timeline, my manner of responding, my expectations or standards on
them. Neither can I give up on any person. Everyone is called to
life and goodness and wholeness just like I am. I need to remind
myself that success comes from God and the credit for any good
response goes to God.
The invitation to us is to be a witness to
radical hope. We are living in a time
of great threat to our very existence,
nuclear threat, war and famine, lack of health care and more. Yet in
the midst of this we are hearing of great creativity especially
among the young. Many are taking responsibility for creative
solutions to the problems and pushing to the brink of a new way of
thinking, relating, living and acting.
Where have you witnessed radical hope? I
saw it in India. There were crowds, staggering numbers of people
everywhere teeming with hope. They had simple hopes … bread on the
table, that most of their children would live, that they might be
able to learn to read or write and more. I also saw hope driving
with a friend a few years ago, through a town devastated by a
tornado. The people were out with a bulldozer going through the
town, ready to build again. Radical hope! I saw it in a woman who
had kidney failure, both legs amputated and other major health
problems. I asked here one day how she was doing: She started with a
long litany: “Oh I am so blessed, I have good caregivers, a great
family, faith and more. I am so blessed. Radical hope!
Gutierrez also said, we must be distilled
by suffering if we are to be authentic witnesses .When I look back,
pain and suffering has helped me keep the emphasis on the right
things. The challenge is to see pain as a friend and not an enemy
Another challenge is not doing something for the poor but with the
poor. I walk with them, stand with them, and together push back the
boundaries in both of our lives.
We give thanks that we live in this time
of pain and challenge and great grace. We are called to hope as
people have never hoped before, to struggle and pray and work for
God’s outcome and always remember that the call comes from God, the
success belongs to God and the credit goes to God. We pray that
God’s plan will prevail and not ours. We know that love is stronger
than destruction and death in our own lives, in our communities, our
church and our world. We are all called to be witnesses to radical
hope.
