St. John’s Episcopal Church in Washington, DC, located immediately across from the White House, has been prominently featured in the news this week. Those of us who are members of the Episcopal Church (as I have been the entire sixty-four years of my life) took particular note.
For those unfamiliar with the Episcopal Church, one of the things we are known for is the beautiful and poetic language of our Book of Common Prayer. There is one particular prayer from our prayerbook that has been on my mind this week.
That prayer is the Prayer of Confession, and I pray it these days as a confession of my own failure to address the sin of racism more fully in my life. From my personal and professional experience, I know that an honest accounting of one’s shortcomings and blind spots is at the heart of authentic spirituality. This is a truth shared by all religions. While not sufficient in and of itself, honest confession and repentance is a first and necessary step in creating change.
These are the particular words from the Prayer of Confession that speak to me right now:
“…we confess that we have sinned against you
in thought, word, and deed,
by what we have done,
and by what we have left undone.
We have not loved you with our whole heart;
we have not loved our neighbors as ourselves.
We are truly sorry and we humbly repent.”
When I think of the sin of racism, I find it essential to remember that it can take the forms of “thought, word, or deed” and how my own shortcomings include not just “what I have done,” but what I have “left undone.” This week I have become particularly aware of much that I have left undone when it comes to proactively dismantling systemic racism.
Acknowledging my shortcomings is the first step, but as I already said, it is not sufficient. One of the teachings in our Living Compass wellness programs is, “You have to do different to get different.” That is my commitment going forward.
What is happening now in our country provides a mirror for all of us to look into and reflect honestly on our thoughts, words, and deeds. It is a time to reflect on what we have done and what we have left undone. And as the quote from Maya Angelou at the top of the column says, it is a time to do better, once we know better.
Article by The Rev. Dr. D. Scott Stoner, Living Compass
