“Enlarge the space of your tent. Stretch out your tent cloth unsparingly.”
—Isaiah 54:2
Reflection:
“Building a future of freedom requires love of the common good and cooperation in a spirit of subsidiarity and solidarity … Our efforts must aim at restoring hope, righting wrongs, maintaining commitments, and thus promoting the well-being of individuals and of peoples … Politics is an expression of our compelling need to live as one, in order to build as one the greatest common good: that of a community which sacrifices particular interests in order to share, in justice and peace, its goods, its interests, its social life. I do not underestimate the difficulty that this involves, but I encourage you in this effort.”
—Pope Francis, Address to the U.S. Congress, September 24, 2015
YouTube:
This Is My Song to the tune of Finlandia (lyrics by Lloyd Stone, music by Jean Sibelius)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FCmdhQLtwag
Questions for Reflection and Dialogue:
We are challenged to stretch out our tent cloth unsparingly. What might that call look like in today’s world? What parts of my tent need stretching?
Individual freedom and sacrifice for the common good are often seen as competing “goods.” What would it take to come to a place where we know in our deepest being that the common good is my good?
Closing Prayer:
God of All Creation, in this year of election, in these days of discernment, inspirit us with your love. Instill in our hearts the courage to embrace dialogue that transforms and truth that frees. Kindle our love with kindness to heal divisions and reconcile relationships. Inspire our imaginations with insight to envision and create a world where all are one. Induce our actions of justice and peace to engage critical concerns and cherish all of life. Invigorate our lives with audacity and hope to risk all for God’s mission.
—Leadership Conference of Women Religious, Towards a More Perfect Union (slightly adapted)
—Ann Jackson, PBVM, Prairiewoods spiritual services coordinator