Early every Friday morning we gather in the St. Bakhita Chapel, light a candle, and offer up our hopes and prayers for the people we love. The earnestness and beauty of the thoughts and prayers of women who have been hurt so badly never ceases to amaze me. They are so very spiritually keen. I am convinced this is due to the fact that they viscerally feel, so much more than most, that we are all so utterly dependent on something much higher than ourselves. I am in awe of their resilient and loving hearts.
And that is not the only lesson I am blessed with at these gatherings. They are an important reminder of one of the foundational and fundamental challenges of living the life of a Catholic Worker—to see Christ in each and every person. Can you imagine how this changes everything? It changes everything we think and believe, everything we feel, and most importantly, every action we direct toward another. Wouldn’t our world look dramatically different if we truly loved ourselves in a healthy manner? If we loved our neighbor as ourselves? If we made loving one another the primary focus of each and every day?
Yet, in the words of St. Paul, we now see through a glass darkly. Because we cannot fully see Christ in ourselves, it is sometimes a huge challenge to see Christ in others. And yet, we must try. I would suggest that it’s our greatest call here on Earth. The women here work so hard on this and remind and inspire me to do likewise.
St. Augustine stated that we belong to angels, that through the Spirit we are rescued out of the darkness. This makes me think about an oft-repeated observation people make when they visit St. Bakhita House. They mention that they can feel the warmth here. I cannot help but think that this warmth is generated by the energy spent working to see Christ in ourselves and others. I know that this type of spiritual perfection will only be achieved in the fullness of time. But in the meantime, what a gift it is to be entertaining angels!
So, as we joyfully celebrate Independence Day, may we never, ever forget both our dependence and our interdependence.
Blessings and peace,
