Monday Manna
Holy resistance (and see you later this summer...💛)
If you are new to Monday Manna, I’m so glad you are here. My prayer with this little pause on Monday mornings is to offer some nourishment (“manna”) for you — via my reflection, prayer, and painting — as you are nourishing the world around you. Together, we are watching for the ways God is with us and for us as we take one day at a time….
Good morning, friends, and deep hope and peace to your hearts this week…
I returned late last week from a brief time at the Siena Retreat Center (a bit more on that below), and was so grateful for the gift of that time and the presence of a good friend. There was so much swirling around me and in my heart as I headed there — I was especially feeling the heaviness of what is happening in our country and world right now. ICE Raids, Gaza, all of it. And this was before the events of Saturday, with the tragedies in Minnesota, a place so close to my heart. There are no words. How can we treat one another this way?
After dropping my things into my room at Siena, I meandered through the peaceful, quiet halls to get the lay of the land. One of the first things I noticed was this collection of 1,000 peace cranes…
I read the attached description detailing how a retired high school guidance counselor, Cookie Anderson, made these (plus tens of thousands more) for the retreat center after her visit to Japan in the 1970s.
Many of you have likely seen origami cranes. The act of folding them as a prayer for world peace and health began with a young Japanese girl, Sadako Sasaki, who developed leukemia from the radioactive fallout of the Hiroshima atomic bombing. While sick, Sadako committed to folding 1,000 origami cranes. She finished 644 before she died, and her classmates completed the rest. People today continue to make peace cranes in her memory and as a commitment to world peace. As a declaration of hope. As an act of holy resistance.
I’ve been thinking about how much these all go together — peace, hope, and resistance — its own kind of trinity, forming a braid, a rope, a lifeline for us to hold and find our way forward.
Thanks to my friend,
, and the beautiful writing he’s been doing on hope lately (check it out here), I was directed to Krista Tippett’s initial installment of her “Hope Portal” series. She defined hope this way…"Hope looks the world full on, it looks reality in the face, and it refuses to accept that things have to be this way. And then, this orientation of hope throws one’s intelligence, one’s energy, one’s persistence, one’s creativity and courage behind that insistence.”*
Her words opened my eyes to how oftentimes, hope is an act of what I would call holy resistance. It’s the declaration — one fueled by God’s love and dream— saying, “this is not who we are, this is not the world God dreams of. I will give everything I am and have for something better.”
The overwhelm is real, my friends, but you have power. What you tell your children, who you stand beside, how you speak to those who see things differently than you, what you give to God in prayer every day, choosing to smile at a neighbor, digging your hands in the dirt to help new life grow, putting more love out in the world in any way you can…all of these are ways to say a holy “no.”
Like many of you, our family headed to a “No Kings” gathering on Saturday. It was so powerful to witness all kinds of people, from multiple generations gathering together, knowing this was happening across the country. I was especially moved by the signs children held… “I want a kind president.” “I want a president I look up to.” One young woman stopped by twenty minutes before her Northwestern graduation.
We’re doing it, friends. And we’re doing it together. Even in the face of unbelievable, violent winds. One act of holy resistance at a time. I’ll end with these words I saw on a small card tucked by the retreat prayer room.
In a time of hate,
Love is an act of resistance.
In a time of fear,
Faith is an act of resistance.
In a time of misinformation,
Education is an act of resistance.
In a time of poor leadership,
Community is an act of resistance.
In a time like this,
Joy is an act of resistance.
Resist. Resist. Resist.
~ Loryn Brantz
A Prayer
Earlier this year, I was asked to write a prayer for the LGBTQIA+ community for the Garrett Collective. I felt inadequate for the calling, knowing so many Queer friends who, through their lived courage and experience, would be able to voice things so much better than I ever could. But God gave me the task, and I remembered that while I myself am not Queer, my life has been completely changed by the bravery and beauty of those who are. This prayer is inspired by their shared stories and witness to me. In honor of Pride Month, it felt like just the right time to share. And also, a form of holy resistance.
A Prayer in Celebration of Queer Identity, from an Ally
by Arianne Braithwaite Lehn
Light of the World,
Each time you finished another part of creation,
you called it “good.”
And when you made me,
you spoke the same.
Light was the very first thing you created.
and that light — your light —
blazes within me.
You are the light of the world, Jesus,
and when you looked into the faces of
your disciples, you said,
“and so are you.”
Your healing, transforming, liberating light
beams in the depths of me,
but the world wants that light
hidden under a bushel.
For a time, I did too.
I feared my own brightness.
I questioned whether the light
seeking every crack and crevice
through which to escape
was really your light.
The fearfulness of the world — of your church —
saturated me with shame,
pushing my light down deep.
But now....
Hide it under a bushel
No!
Help me, Jesus, to shine!
I pray my shining will reveal a fresh horizon
for all those around me,
illuminating how the greatest gift of our lifetime
is to become who we truly are.
So give me the grace, Jesus, to be surprised...
to remain both soft-hearted and strong-spined,
to call forth the spark in each and every person I encounter,
even those who cannot yet honor your light in me.
Help me trust that
your light is always pouring in,
always pouring out,
and that it blankets everything
with a baptism dissolving all binaries.
This little light of mine,
I’m going to let it shine,
Let it shine,
Let it shine,
Let it shine.
Amen.
* Genesis 1:3–5 * Matthew 5:14-16 * Ephesians 4:6 *
“You are the light of the world [...] let your light shine before others...”
~ Matthew 5:14, 16
Something that nourished me recently…
*Yesterday on Father’s Day, my husband and I helped organize a team from our church to run the “Race Against Hate” 5K. Each year, Race Against Hate, the largest racial justice run/walk event of its kind in the country, brings together thousands of people from all over Chicagoland and the country to run and walk in unity against racial hatred and violence. The event began in honor of Ricky Byrdsong, remembering and honoring those who have lost their lives or been harmed by racially-motivated violence. It felt like some holy resistance to run this with our kids.
*I shared about “The Path to Kindness” poetry book a few weeks ago, and have another beautiful poem to share, which I’ve read and re-read. I always miss my dad who died over ten years ago, but especially on Father’s Day. He was a Coniferous Father, for sure. Here’s to another form of holy resistance toward toxic masculinity…
Ash and Starlight, plus other good things…
*MY ETSY SHOP ~ While I continue to focus most of my attention on getting ready for my art show this August, I have a small assortment of prints, greeting cards, and originals for sale now in the Etsy shop, with more to come later this summer. You can view the shop here.
*SECOND EDITION OF ASH AND STARLIGHT ~ Find the updated edition of my book here at Chalice or at the Bookshop link.
*MONDAY MANNA ARCHIVES ~ You can view previous Monday Manna reflections here, or for the really old stuff, go to my website.
*WHAT DOES MANNA MEAN? ~ Check out an earlier post to learn how this little bit of “daily bread” got its name…
I’ll be taking a break from Monday Manna until the end of July as I enter into some travel as well as preparations for my Central Station Art Show. I am signing off now, friends, with love and prayer, sending you strength in your rest, joy, and holy resistance this summer.
Love and Light,
Arianne
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That peace crane display is wonderful. Remember that there is always one more than a thousand in the paper cranes - art always has a "nose":aka a flaw, becatonly Creator is perfect
Enjoy your summer adventures. By the way, I know your friends Beth Meyer and MaryAnn McKibben Dana! Beth became my friend when she and Bill served in Waynesburg, PA. Her children were small and my first child was born. We both moved around the country, but never lost touch. I have been a phone companion during Bill’s illness and death. She told me about your talents and website. Maryann McKenna Dana is my pastor here in Herndon/Leesburg, VA. May you find rest and refreshment during you time away from posting.
Susan in Leesburg, VA