"Many of our people create for themselves a permanently maintained happiness in the midst of so much public suffering. That state is based on an illusion about the nature of reality. It can only work if we block ourselves from a certain degree of that reality. That's what's meant by denial."(R. Rohr "Radical Grace" p. 20)
Generally speaking I consider myself a happy person. On most days I love my family, my job, even myself. There are of course moments when those three create some angst for me, but I muddle my way through.
Now when you compound those days with the onslaught of news and just the regular pastoral crisis' that show up, it is hard to maintain that happiness. I do find that one way to keep my emotional equilibrium is through prayer. I can't solve all the world's problems, but I can ask for the strength to take care of those things which are within my control. What I'm not invited to do is ask to be shielded from the suffering. To have spiritual blinders put on so that I don't have to face the fact that not everything in the world is as it could or should be.
I won't deny that I still see aspects of racism, sexism and heterosexism occurring in sometimes subtle and sometimes not so subtle ways. The question becomes will I have the courage to name these when they occur in my presence, or do I just shrug it off.
Blessings,
Ed
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