The anguish and distress I feel when I hear about current events is deep. It can feel like salt being rubbed into a wound—flaring up waves of pain within me with each news report. From the suffering in Gaza and Ukraine to mass shootings, from the viciousness of public dialogue to the dismantling of safety nets and treatment of our immigrant brothers and sisters—All this raises up a deep and palpable cry within me.
I want to turn it all off. I want it to stop. But I know even deeper I cannot shut it out. I must find a way to live with eyes wide open. I must dig even deeper to find wholeness, reclaim my center, and act in love.
Archbishop Edward Weisenburger, leader of the Catholic Church in Detroit, Michigan, encourages us: “We need to be a voice that speaks in solidarity with all victims of war and violence. We can be a prophetic voice that raises the hope for a just and lasting peace.” Yet he also challenges us: “To accomplish such a task…can begin only by opening our eyes and allowing ourselves to be confronted and even wounded by the truth. Quietly ignoring the reality…is immoral… To see the truth is to begin the process of change. And so I ask people of good will everywhere…to be willing to see the pictures, read the articles and take to heart the suffering revealed in the extensive media coverage.”
Pope Leo XIV encourages us. As we are driven into the desert and feel the pain, we encounter one another on a deep level of solidarity and love. Together, we “become a ‘house of peace’ where one learns how to defuse hostility through dialogue, where justice is practiced and forgiveness is cherished.”
Pope Leo states: “Peace is not a spiritual utopia: it is a humble path, made up of daily gestures that interweave patience and courage, listening and action, and which demands today, more than ever, our vigilant and generative presence.”
So, how do I care for myself so I can endure these days? How can I ground myself and remain in love, and not filled with rage and hatred? Indeed, there is much pulling our collective hearts and minds into division. I read a call from a pastor in Texas who wrote, “Christians must learn to hate again.” And a theologian who leads a network of churches stated, “This is not a time for love and peace.”
Pope Leo states: “Let us pray that we might again learn how to discern, to know how to choose paths of life and reject everything that leads us away from Christ and the Gospel.” He says, “I ask you for the grace to learn how to pause.” He offers a model of his personal prayer, “to become aware of the way I act, of the feelings that dwell within me, and of the thoughts that overwhelm me, which so often I fail to notice.” He encourages us to pay attention to our own heart and mind—to pray that our choices, thoughts, and actions will lead us “to the joy of the Gospel” even amid times of doubt and fatigue. We can continually begin anew.
St. Vincent de Paul, one of my spiritual mentors, preached the importance of a balance in life between prayer and action: The more he embraced the discipline of prayer, the greater his ability to act in love. Even as he embraced humility, he had the audacity to act in bold ways to help those suffering and in need.
The times we are living require each one of us to live fully and compassionately. Individually and collectively, we are to pray and to act—to be open to transformation of our heart so we can actively work to transform society in light of the Gospel of love.
Let us walk together in confidence and love—with eyes wide open.
Janice Andersen
Director of Christian Life