Both/And

Earth PictureOn a recent walk I noticed a sign posted in someone’s yard. My guess is that a police officer lives there or is a relative to someone who lives there. The sign read, “Blue Lives Matter.” Having a police officer in my family, I would have to agree. As I walked on, I offered a prayer of gratitude and protection for all our first responders. I also began to ponder. Blue lives matter! Black lives matter! Children’s lives matter! Gay lives matter! There are numerous groups using this phrase. While I agree with the message these various signs convey, I have to wonder about the emotions that compel a person to hold a sign, post a sign in the yard or on a car, or chant any of these sentiments in a group. Fear and distrust are emotions that call us to division and hate. Must we live in an either/or world? Don’t all lives matter? How about recognizing the God-given humanity of each person. How about really recognizing the preciousness of all life. Whether Muslim, Jewish, Hindi, Christian . . . our faith calls us to embrace love, to recognize the sacred that lives at the core of each person we encounter. Life doesn’t have to be either/or! How about embracing the both/and!

– Blog entry by Sister Patty Kremer

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