Today, the United States elected a new president. Looking at the vote tallies, I am struck by what a divided nation we are. It is as if there are two (or more) understandings of the US, and the chasm between the two is wide and deep. I have heard from people who are no longer speaking with parents, who have unfriended friends, and who have been maligned by those who live in that “other” America.
How do we close the chasm? How do we share a vision for an America that is for everyone?
The poet Adrienne Rich wrote about “The Dream of a Common Language.” The poet felt that poetry, art, and feminist ideas could create a common language to unite a fractured humanity. As a Christian, I, too, yearn for a common language. This language, for a Jesus-follower, is Love.
Love is the language that helps us enter into another’s worldview.
Love is the force that causes us to open our hearts to another’s pain.
Love is the energy that drives us to build a better world.
Love keeps us growing, pushes our world to expand beyond our comfort zone to include those who don’t live, love, or look like us.
Whether you are cheering the election results or feeling despair, learn the language of Love. Lean into this Love as you greet your neighbor who had the other candidate’s signs on their lawns. Listen with love. Bring your full self into this moment, and step into Love’s demands.
One of the poems in Rich’s book holds up a model for us of how we begin to speak a common language together:
“I choose to love this time for once with all my intelligence”
Be well! Stay safe! Wear a mask!
With Love,
Bishop Karen Oliveto
Bishop Karen
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