And Justice for All

July 6, 2010 Leave a comment

Lords Prayer

This past weekend Samantha and I went to what I would call a “movement wedding.”  Our friends Justin Francese and Doyle Canning, who co-founded smartMeme, decided it was time to tie the knot.  It was a beautiful event and there are many highlights to share, but there is something in particular that has stuck with me since.  Towards the end of the ceremony they invited us to join them in praying “the liberation theology version of the Lord’s Prayer,” and I feel like I’ve been contemplating this line since –

“Forgive us for keeping silent in the face of injustice and for burying our dreams of justice for all”

I am aware that we come at this work from different spiritual, religious and even cosmological perspective – and that some of us come into it with a very intentional stance to stay away from all that stuff.  I want to honor the diversity among us even as I invite you to join me in contemplating how it is that we might be burying our dreams of justice for all.

It is striking to consider that why might subconsciously get used to the idea that justice for all is not actually possible.  We might consider it pragmatic to let go of this dream and to settle for what we can get.  We might even think that burying this dream is an effective way to abate our own suffering when we consider the horror of the world’s suffering.  And yet people who choose to say this prayer are actually asking for forgiveness for the times they do just that.

This has left me wondering – how do I bury my dreams of justice for all?  How do the people I work with?  My clients?  My colleagues?  The social sector as a whole?  Do we compromise too much when we bury such a dream? Are you burying your dream of justice for all?  What would it mean to reclaim it?

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  • Jen Willsea says:

    Thanks, G! I’ve never seen the Liberation Theology version of the Lord’s Prayer, which is curious. This line is profound. I am guilty of letting my pessimism or overwhelmedness take over sometimes and thus my dreams for justice for all do get buried. The acknowledgment that we do this because we are human seems to be an important part of reclaiming and revitalizing those dreams!

  • Federico says:

    gracias! Interesting reflection and deep thoughts about how to move in and out of our sleepwalking mode. I think about justice everyday and try to stay involve in various organizations working to promote peace and social justice. It is difficult when we are bombarded by so many other things. I hope to reclaim it by surrounding myself with people who constantly working to promote what is right all the time.

  • Charlie says:

    Gibran:

    Quite evocative… only a deity could have the capacity to forgive us to the extent we must be forgiven. Too bad that line doesn’t do more than ask forgiveness for failing to show up. Perhaps we should pray for the strength carry forward when our inclination is to knuckle under… just a thought.

  • Gibran says:

    Thanks for your thoughts Jen, Federico and Charlie – I am glad to see how much this can bring up. So important to look into our own complicity and even more important to seek the impetus to stand for our dreams of justice.

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