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Showing posts from February 18, 2018

Ash Valentine’s Day

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Wednesday  was a mixed-bag.  I joked with a colleague that the ashes on my forehead felt apropos for a vowed celibate on Valentine’s Day.   But the day held the truth of paradox on a much deeper level.   I awoke to the distribution of ashes and a special morning prayer with my community—a wonderful way to begin the day in holy communion.  Later, I got to visit with Congresswomen Maloney (CA) and Jayapal (WA) along with Sr. Simone Campbell to thank them for their service and for scoring 100% on NETWORK’s Voting Record.  Both women—testaments to the strength of love-in-action—inspire and demonstrate the “good” that can manifest on the Hill.   Then the news broke about another mass shooting at a school in Florida—17 students killed—and the grieving set-in.  A reminder that evil is also manifested on the Hill in the form of harmful policies, blame, greed, and vitriol.   I’ve never felt more in need of “sackcloth-and-ashes” than I do heading into Lent this year.  Has mass repentanc