Many of you, as you read this, will find yourself recalling how special your times at Mercy by the Sea have been. Whether walking the grounds, sitting by the water or attending a program, you tell us that you experience the Center as a sacred space of peace and tranquility where your hearts are strengthened and spirits renewed.
I am sure you have thought, as I have, that you wished everyone could have this experience. We agree!
In October of 2017, a favorite blogger of mine and a friend of Mercy by the Sea, Omid Safi, wrote a blog on the On Being website, entitled How Can We Live Beautifully in an Age of Vitriol. I have been re-reading this lately as the vitriol in our country disappoints and demoralizes those of us who believe in conversation and an honest exchange of ideas.
Omid, Director of the Islamic Studies Center at Duke University, turned to his Muslim faith when struggling with the question of living in the age of venom and hatefulness. His blog focused on an incident in the Libyan resistance to Italian fascism between 1911 and 1931. I quote:
A few weeks ago, the Sisters of Mercy Northeast Community sent a letter to each member inviting us to engage in a “deeper reflection of our own internalized violence.” I am so grateful to my community for continually encouraging me to look deeper at my behaviors, language and motivations, but the interior exploration of personal violence is not an easy one.
When I originally began this reflection, I had planned to write about the Climate Study which had been released to the media. Within days of my putting pen to paper, Mr. Trump responded to North Korean threats with warnings of “fire and fury,” and we were suddenly on the brink of a nuclear war. Then came the threat of military action in Venezuela, quickly followed by the horrendous events in Charlottesville, Virginia. What’s a blogger to do? It’s all so overwhelming for me that I forget that also this week people were kind to each other, mothers gave birth, families enjoyed vacation time, students prepared for school, and most people continued to prefer love to hatred, violence and bigotry.