Journeying Toward Freedom and Equity

  https://ignatiansolidarity.net/blog/2021/04/02/good-friday-the-price-of-integrity/ He is Risen! On Good Friday, Bryan Massingale reminded us that we are cheaters in the sense of this Holy Week, because we know not only of Jesus’ death, but his resurrection.              This made me think about Mary and how she would have felt on Good Friday. Just as we feel anytime we lose a person close to us, Mary would have felt an immediate sense of grief and pain. And she lost her only son after he himself went through so much pain and suffering. Mary did not have the hopeful promise that we have about Jesus’ resurrection.             This leads me to thinking about those who have lost a family member or close friend due to COVID-19 or other illnesses. How can we possibly find a hopeful promise or peace in that?             It is certainly not an easy answer, and grief is felt and dealt with in many ways. Even finding hope, it takes time to get over loss. Mary was probably still

  https://ignatiansolidarity.net/blog/2021/04/02/good-friday-the-price-of-integrity/ Reflection on Good Friday The Price of Integrity   The CEO of one of the consulting companies I once worked for was not particularly present over the years to company employees like me who were multiple steps down the corporate “ladder”. But one day he spoke to a group of us that were in training and he told us, “Never lose your integrity.” I will forever respect him for making that statement so I could hear it. Another way I view that statement today, many years later, is to become aware and then stay awake to your true self as a child of God.   Our scriptures say clearly that we are children of God. Wow! You and I and all of us are children of the all-powerful and all-wondrous God!! With our trinity God, there is infinite inclusion, infinite mercy, and infinite forgiveness to go along with infinite goodness. We have been called as God’s children to become our true selves as people like Jesu

https://ignatiansolidarity.net/blog/2021/03/31/gods-mercy/   “There but for the grace of God go I” is a popular phrase often used to express humility and thanks for being blessed and thus avoiding your own negative or bad situation. It could be as simple as slipping on ice but not getting hurt like your neighbor did. It could also be a reason to give thanks after observing a severely handicapped person or a terminally ill friend. Could the same apply to meeting a person convicted of a crime? We all make mistakes.   In a recent ISN reflection the author cautions us not to prejudge Judas pointing out we should also consider a few “lesser-known facts”. She goes on to recount that Judas was chosen by Jesus, that Judas left everything to follow Jesus, that Jesus loved him, and he was part of his inner circle. Judas was not an obvious suspect in the betrayal of Jesus and from all appearances, he was a typical apostle. Nevertheless, the author goes on to beg the question why a “devoted follow