"There are enough of you Mennonites that if you would all get together, you could get something done!" This is the second challenge I hear on this heartbreaking day. The first comes when a Facebook friend comments, "Why are my White friends silent?" I am stunned and outraged by the killing of Black men and the killing of White officers in apparent retaliation. Stunned and silent.
Why am I silent? I am silent because I don’t know what to do. This is my initial response. Looking deeper into myself, I am appalled to name another reality. I am silent because I have the option, within my middle class, majority White, Midwest, Mennonite life, to distance myself from the violence and pain others are experiencing.
Why am I silent? I am silent because I do not feel that I am enough. There are Mennonite theologians, peace activists, and bloggers who can say it much better than I can. But today, different than yesterday, I also know that it is time to dare to be enough. Others cannot say what I have to say. Only I can do that.
It is my voice as a modern, contemplative, and trained spiritual guide that I offer to our hurting world. So, I am breaking my silence.
Four Christian contemplative prayer forms can be found at Spiritual Practices of a Peacemaker on the Peace and Justice Support Network web page. Mennonite spiritual directors have prayerfully worked with peace and justice leaders to create this resource. As with all skills, spiritual practices need to be "practiced" to be learned, developed and expanded to their full potential. Along with other Mennonite spiritual directors, I am available to lead you in practicing these prayers for peacemakers. Consider your workplace, circle of friends, place of worship, or regional leadership groups. If these prayer practices are new to you, I can introduce them. If they are familiar to you, I can join you in developing them further. If they are already well practiced, I can join you in exploring their expanding depths.
When we are crying out for change in the world, why choose contemplative prayer practices? It is in times of crisis and desperation that we most need prayers that ground us in Scripture and Jesus’ example of living, foster gratitude and compassion, prepare us for spiritual discernment, and bring inner healing and glimpses of the divine, which prepare us for restorative action in the world. These quiet, persistent prayers direct and shape our passion into a powerful force for healing rather than harm.
In my work with Mennonite Mission Network, I am available as a resource for congregations, conferences and groups. I offer my life of prayer to you to introduce, and expand your use of these Spiritual Practices of a Peacemaker. This is what I bring to break the silence.
How about you? No gift is too small. What do you have? What one small gift has God given you that you can offer? Name the one thing you can do to break the silence. Write it, paint it, dance it, sing it, bake it, play it, plant it, build it! This is my prayer of invitation to you.
"There are enough of you Mennonites that if you would all get together, you could get something done!"
Join me in breaking the silence.
