In her address to the Dominican Symposium in 2007 held in Adrian Michigan, Ann Willits quoted Jamie Phelps, OP, who said “though it is common to speak of our living today in a global reality, all too often we do so with ‘eyes that see but not see and ears that hear but not hear.’¹ Many of us are inattentive to the life conditions, history culture, literature, art, and religious traditions of our brothers and sisters that live in Asia, central and southeastern Europe, Africa, and Latin America.
“A posture of hope challenges us to remember God’s presence and promise in other times of struggle and to be attentive to what new energy is emerging.” -Lorelle Elcock, OP
Not only are we blind to our global neighbors, we are often inattentive or indifferent to our own next door neighbor as well. Native-born African, Hispanic, Asian, and Native Americans who are citizens of the United Sates, along with recent immigrants, often remain a mystery to the European American majority as well as to one another. Until the struggle of oppressed groups in this country and beyond becomes the struggle of us all, we will continue to live in contradiction to Jesus’ call for a universal communion of divine love made possible by God’s indwelling Spirit.”
Ann Willits suggests that, if we are to be today what our missionary brother Dominic was in his day, if we are to be today what our mystical sister Catherine was in her day, we must become God’s justice in our fractured, divided world. We must find a way out of the impasse. We must see that something is wrong; we must say so. But we must do it in a way that does not widen the gap, create deeper division, and rip apart what is already torn. We must always set out to right the wrongs, but we must not make more enemies in our pursuit of justice and peace. There is only on way. We must build a bridge.