There is so much to sift through and so much to process during this holiday. I am balancing love with the selfishness of wanting to be "liked" or hoping that I can love others with no cost to my social life. And I am learning that it is not possible.
I came across an article in Commonweal which reminded me of my friends who oppose abortion, and the challenges they have faced from their evangelical communities after voting for Hillary this year. Though I am not Catholic, this article spoke to me and for me. Stephen J. Pope urges his fellow Catholics to put their allegiances in order:
Premature calls for political reconciliation miss the point. At times like this, we need to remember that Jesus himself was divisive: “I came to set men against their fathers, daughters against their mothers, daughters-in-law against their mothers-in-law” (Mt 10:35; Lk 12:53). Jesus was clear that those who follow him should expect strife. When they stand in tension, fidelity is prior to reconciliation—and even its necessary condition. Forgiveness, reconciliation, and healing are central to the Gospel, but they are corrupted when not coordinated with fidelity, justice, and truth. All of us must be willing to support reasonable compromises that advance useful public policies, but only within the bounds of what is consistent with universal human dignity. We must try to understand everyone, but not turn a blind eye to bigotry. We must will the good to offenders, but not reconcile with unrepentant racists. Instead, we must struggle against injustice and those who promote or countenance it. As John Paul II insisted, wrongdoing “must be acknowledged and as far as possible corrected … [because an] essential requirement for forgiveness and reconciliation is justice.” We are light years away from justice.
Non-violently resisting the actions of a morally dangerous president does not warrant treating his supporters unjustly. It is indefensible to bully those who voted for a bully. We must instead listen with compassion to his supporters to better understand their concerns and aspirations. St. Paul hit the right balance when he urged the Ephesians to “speak the truth in love” (4:15). None of us knows all truth and none of us loves with perfect purity of heart. We must all repent, exercise humility, and honestly admit our own blind spots. At the same time, we can neither ignore the grave threat of the “Trump movement” and his “alt-right” allies nor downplay the complicity of those who support them. Doing so is denial and moral evasion. This is the time for soul-searching repentance and prophetic honesty. Loyalty to Christ comes before loyalty to any other cause, including that of the “rulers of this age” (1 Cor 2:8).
Reconciliation is the end—not the beginning—of a process that leads all parties into greater truth, justice, and solidarity. Karol Wojtyla did not reconcile with the Communists, Bonhoeffer did not reconcile with the Nazis, Romero did not reconcile with the Salvadoran oligarchy, and King did not reconcile with the KKK. Neither did they enter into dialogue with those who were brutalizing the marginalized. They spoke the truth to power, witnessed to God’s solidarity with the poor, defended human rights, insisted on justice, and called their opponents to conversion. We should expect to be called to do so if the incoming administration attempts to realize Trump’s worst instincts. Twentieth-century Christian prophets were able to do what they did because they participated in networks of solidarity—the Polish trade union movement, the German Confessing Church, Salvadoran base Christian communities, and Southern Baptist churches. We too need to cultivate such intentional communities of conscience.
A personal need to feel reconciled with what has happened should not trump our commitment to justice. At the risk of displeasing the turkey lobby, I need to remind myself gratitude should not be limited to one day of the year. Or one week. On that note, it's important to discuss the extent to which this election tossed large segments of our country into a trash-bin.
Jenee Desmond Harris points out that many of us will not be able to "play positive" this Thanksgiving. The turkey worship comes at the price of national repentance for what we have done in electing a divisive, threatening, cruel bully to lead this country:
That’s why I’m unsettled by the barrage of articles helping people “go cold turkey” and “table political talk” to avoid “ruining the day.” These articles have become a predictable staple of post-election, pre-Thanksgiving content. The timing makes these pieces completely understandable, and there’s certainly an audience for tips and tricks to change the subject back to turkey when controversial conversation topics are raised (always by some belligerent uncle at every holiday table).
But this genre of advice ignores the perspectives of many nonwhite, non-Christian people in America. This type of oversight, harmless as it may be, is the kind that will become even more essential to avoid under Trump’s administration and the discrimination against already marginalized groups it threatens.
This holiday season, plenty of people will need to talk about politics, if only to feel less alone in the world, and there’s nothing wrong with that.
As for talking, there is an irony in pilgrim propaganda and turkey wreaths given the continued abuse of Native tribes in this country. I encourage fellow homeschoolers and mothers to mourn and protest the economic racism of Standing Rock. Here is a free Standing Rock Syllabus to explore the issues with your family. Our America was built on suffering and untruths. The only way to remedy this is to do better. Whitewashing history and lying to our children about some golden age in which Native Americans "knew their place" does not equip young persons to be better citizens. Instead, it equips them to perpetuate the historic mistakes.
More than ever, I believe HISTORY BEGINS AT HOME.
