By way of a response to the political debate held this week, we invite you to view and engage some local initiatives that inspire hope and conviction to lift voice for those in greatest need. This week the Nuns on the Bus toured the state of Iowa to highlight incredible initiatives and to lift awareness of the importance of voting.
NETWORK Advocates for Justice Inspired by Catholic Sisters is hosting “Nuns on the Bus.” Sister Simone Campbell, SSS, and several other sisters are driving thousands of miles across the United States to prophetically speak for justice and advocate for adequate federal policies.
This fall’s Nuns on the Bus tour is raising the most pressing issues in the nation, elevating the lived experiences of those facing the greatest challenges, and preparing participants to vote for the common good on election day. The virtual tour across the country includes virtual Rallies, Town Halls for Spirit-Filled Voters, Site Visits, and Dialogue Across Geographic Divides.
Please click this link to watch or participate in a virtual tour across the state of Iowa (https://networklobby.org/bus2020/).
Happy travels!
Toward a More Perfect Union: Soulful Politics
“Politics, according to the Social Doctrine of the Church, is one of the highest forms of charity, because it serves the common good. I cannot wash my hands. We all have to give something! A good (person) meddles in politics, offering the best of him or herself, so that those who govern can govern.”
—Pope Francis, Sept. 13, 2013
Reflection
In a fall 2017 article entitled “A Moment for Something More Soulful than Politics,” Benedictine sister Joan Chittister, OSB, offers insight regarding the precipice at which we collectively as a global society reside:
“In every life there is a crossover moment after which a person will never be the same again. Somewhere, somehow the challenge comes that sets us on a different path. The path of purpose. The path of integrity. The path of transcendence that lifts us—heart, mind and soul—above the pitiable level of the mundane. It is the moment at which transcending the expected, the petty, the daily, becomes more impacting, more holy-making than any amount of political success.
“As a culture, we may have come to that point in this culture en masse. It is a call to all of us to be our best, our least superficial, our most serious about what it means to be a Earth citizen. The system we have divided from itself must be put together or we may never really be One, be united as a people, again.”
—Joan Chittister, OSB
(Read more at https://www.joanchittister.org/articles/moment-something-more-soulful-politics)
For more inspiration, check out “Keep Your Eyes on the Prize,” a beautiful song by Sweet Honey in the Rock (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D_tcZAqQUAg).
Questions for Reflection and Dialogue
How would you name the prize (“Keep Your Eyes on the Prize”)? What does it mean to live the deepest values of the Gospel in the exercise of citizenship? Where might spiritual and civic selves meet?
In the midst of the polarization and disunity that seems to surround us, where might we find hope for our souls and the soul of our nation?
—slightly adapted from the Leadership Conference of Women Religious, Sept. 29, 2020