PILGRIMAGE FOR UNITY
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Day 4 for Sat Jan 21, 2023
Jim Gilroy, Pilgrimage Steering Team Member,
Chair of the Ecumenical Commission of the Archdiocese of Santa Fe, New Mexico
Readings
Eccles 4:1-5     Again I saw all the oppressions that are practiced under the sun. Look, the tears of the oppressed – with no one to comfort them! On the side of their oppressors there was power with no one to comfort them
Mt 5:1-8           ...Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted...

Reflection
“Look, the tears of the oppressed.”  One can imagine that the writer has witnessed atrocities like this before with sickening regularity.  And yet perhaps this is the first time the writer has truly seen the tears of the oppressed, has fully taken in their pain and their subjugation.  While there is much to lament, in a new looking and a new seeing there is also a seed of hope: maybe this time this witnessing will lead to change, will make a difference.

A young woman looked and saw the tears of the oppressed.  The video she shot on her phone of the murder of George Floyd in May 2020 was seen all around the world and unleashed a holy rage as people witnessed, and finally acknowledged, what African Americans have experienced for centuries: undue subjugation by oppressive systems in the midst of privileged blind bystanders.  Acknowledging this painful reality has led to a global outpouring of overdue compassion both in the form of prayer and protest for justice.
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The progression from simply looking to seeing and understanding gives encouragement for us as actors in this earthly reality: God can remove scales from our eyes to witness things in new and liberating ways.  As those scales fall, the Holy Spirit provides insight, and also, conviction to respond in new and unfettered ways.  One response the churches and communities made was to establish a prayer tent at George Floyd Square, the place of his murder.  In this way, these churches and communities were united in offering comfort to those who mourned and were oppressed.

Christian Unity
Matthew’s account of the Beatitudes begins with Jesus seeing the crowds.  In that crowd he must have seen those who were peacemakers, the poor in spirit, the pure in heart, men and women who mourned, and those who hungered for justice.  In the beatitudes Jesus not only names people’s struggles, he names what they will be: the children of God and inheritors of the kingdom of heaven.  As Christians we are called to see the holy struggles of our brothers and sisters in Christ.

Challenge
How have you engaged with Christian groups addressing oppression in your neighbourhood?  How can the churches in your locality come together to better show solidarity with those suffering oppression?

Prayer
God of justice and grace, remove the scales from our eyes so we can truly see the oppression around us.
We pray in the name of Jesus who saw the crowds and had compassion for them. Amen.
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The Pilgrimage for Unity and the 3-day New Mexico Pilgrimage for Unity are committed to healing and building up the Body of Christ by providing opportunities for profound, shared spiritual experience and dialogue.  
Support the Pilgrimages for Unity!  Your donation helps heal and build up the Body of Christ by removing financial barriers to participation in the pilgrimage for pilgrims of limited economic means!

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Contact:  info@nmpilgrimage.org

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  • Home
    • Contact
    • FAQs
    • Donate
    • Founder
    • Community
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  • 2023 WPPCU
    • 2023 WPPCU Merton
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    • 2023 WPPCU Resources >
      • 2023 WPPCU Day 1
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  • Past Pilgrimages
    • 2022 Offering Of Gratitude >
      • 2022 OOG Resources
      • 2022 OOG Pic Upload
    • 2022 Pentecost Pilgrimage >
      • 2022 PPIP Letter
      • 2022 PPIP Resources
      • 2022 PPIP Pictures
    • 2022 WPPCU >
      • 2022 WPPCU Pictures
      • 2022 WPPCU Devotions and Resources >
        • 2022 WPPCU Devotions Keynote
        • 2022 WPPCU Devotions D1
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        • 2022 WPPCU Devotions D4
        • 2022 WPPCU Devotions D5
        • 2022 WPPCU Devotions D6
        • 2022 WPPCU Devotions D7
        • 2022 WPPCU Devotions D8
    • 2021 11 Offering of Gratitude >
      • 2021 11 Offering of Gratitude Pictures
    • 2021 06 26 Golden Way >
      • Golden Way pictures
    • 2021 Pentecost Pilgrimage >
      • 2021 PPIP Daily Devotions
      • 2021 PPIP Blessings
      • 2021 PPIP Pictures
    • 2021 WPPCU >
      • 2021 WPPCU Intro Video
      • 2021 WPPCU SongsCards
      • 2021 WPPCU Daily Devotions
      • 2021 WPPCU Photos
    • 2020 Pentecost Pilgrimage
    • 2019 Pilgrimage >
      • 2019 Dedicated To Mike
      • Archbishop's Radio Interview
      • 2019 Participants
      • 2019 Route - Pictures
      • 2019 Schedule
      • 2019 Steering Committee
    • 2018 Pilgrimage >
      • 2018 Participants
      • 2018 Route - Pictures
      • 2018 Schedule
      • 2018 Staff and Volunteers
    • 2017 Pilgrimage >
      • 2017 Participants
      • 2017 Route - Pictures
      • 2017 Schedule
      • 2017 Staff & Volunteers
      • 2017 Sylvia's Resources
  • Resources
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    • Resources For Reflection
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