Renewal Week Five
LIBERATION LECTIONARY ~ LATINE HERITAGE MONTH
World Communion
“Because I, a mestiza, continually walk out of one culture and into another, because I am in all cultures at the same time, alma entre dos mundos, tres, cuatro, me zumba la cabeza con lo contradictorio. Estoy moreteada por todas las voces que me hablan simultáneamente.” Gloria Anzaldùa
Daily Scripture Readings
Sunday Psalm 31.1-2 “In you, O Lord, I seek refuge; do not let me ever be put to shame; in your righteousness deliver me. Incline your ear to me; rescue me speedily. Be a rock of refuge for me, a strong fortress to save me.”
Monday Psalm 31.3-4 “You are indeed my rock and my fortress; for your name’s sake lead me and guide me; take me out of the net that is hidden for me, for you are my refuge.”
Tuesday Psalm 31.5-6 “Into your hand I commit my spirit; you have redeemed me, O Lord, faithful God. You hate those who pay regard to worthless idols, but I trust in the Lord.”
Wednesday Psalm 31.7-8 “I will exult and rejoice in your steadfast love, because you have seen my affliction; you have taken notice of my adversities and have not delivered me into the hand of the enemy; you have set my feet in a broad place.”
Thursday Psalm 31.9-15 “Be gracious to me, O Lord, for I am in distress; my eye wastes away from grief, my soul and body also. For my life is spent with sorrow and my years with sighing; my strength fails because of my misery, and my bones waste away. I am the scorn of all my adversaries, a horror to my neighbors, an object of dread to my acquaintances; those who see me in the street flee from me. I have passed out of mind like one who is dead; I have become like a broken vessel. For I hear the whispering of many - terror all around! - as they scheme together against me, as they plot to take my life. But I trust in you, O Lord; I say, ‘You are my God.’ My times are in your hand; deliver me from the hand of my enemies and persecutors.”
Friday Psalm 31.16-20 “Let your face shine upon your servant; save me in your steadfast love. Do not let me be put to shame, O Lord, for I call on you; let the wicked be put to shame; let them go dumbfounded to Sheol. Let the lying lips be stilled that speak insolently against the righteous with pride and contempt. O how abundant is your goodness that you have laid up for those who fear you and accomplished for those who take refuge in you, in the sight of everyone! In the shelter of your presence you hide them from human plots; you hold them safe under your shelter from contentious tongues.”
Saturday Psalm 31.21-24 “Blessed be the Lord who has wondrously shown Their steadfast love to me when I was beset as a city under siege. I had said in my alarm, ‘I am driven far from your sight.’ But you heard my supplications when I cried out to you for help. Love the Lord, all you saints. The Lord preserves the faithful but abundantly repays the one who acts haughtily. Be strong, and let your heart take courage, all you who wait for the Lord.”
Reflection: We Are the World
For many congregational traditions, the first Sunday in October is World Communion Sunday. For people who are not part of the Latinx diaspora, to honor the identities, traditions and cultures of Latine people is a distinct opportunity for fellowship across lines that history and supremacy would prevent us from crossing. Some churches do not consider it necessary or just to hold neighboring cultures in high regard. We fail to teach our children to honor God’s good creation in humans who do not look like us. Some churches appreciate the grand scale of God’s imagination, that language, art, community and culture can be so different through so many times and places, yet and still we are not sure how to move this appreciation into spiritual practice. For the english language speakers who are writing this devotional, we are committed to grounding in prayer then moving in solidarity. We are committed to stillness for sacred learning, and energy for the sacred work.
As the United Church of Christ observes: “This day of global fellowship and solidarity offers congregations a distinctive opportunity to experience Holy Communion in the context of the global community of faith. The first Sunday of October has become a time when Christians in every culture break bread and pour the cup to remember and affirm Christ as the Head of the Church. On that day, they remember that they are part of the whole body of believers. Whether shared in a grand cathedral, a mud hut, outside on a hilltop, in a meetinghouse, or in a storefront, Christians celebrate the communion liturgy in as many ways as there are congregations. World Communion Sunday can be both a profound worship experience and a time for learning more about our wider community of faith.”
What are the corners of your world where you are sending solidarity? What places in the Latin diaspora do you desire to connect with? Where are the peoples whose cultures, histories and futurism you do not know? How can you commune with the people of those places in the past, and in the now?
Prayer: Women’s Voices of Liberation
This week’s prayer comes from Maria da Silva Miguel, and Salomé Costa, two women of the Latiné liberation theology movement. Mother Maria is a Black Brazilian great-grandmother to six, who lived with her and learned the bible through her poems and songs. She is active in the land movement, the health justice movement, the local Bible study group and is passionately involved in local women's rights groups. She is a formidable lay leader in the faith-rooted struggle for Black power in Brazil. Sister Salomé is feminist activist who advocates for women and femmes to study theology and would seek to become a priest in the Catholic church if it was allowed. She is passionate about scripture and learning, but without material access or opportunity for formal priesthood, her education comes mostly from Bible meetings, grassroots workshops and seminars. ~
"The People is Poet" By Maria da Silva Miguel
“One day a woman cried, "I am a Warrior!" and the echo of her voice was heard beyond the borders. I am Woman-Mother and Warrior, the stove is no longer my limit. I am called queen of the home, but I am greater than ocean and sea.
I am Mother, I give life, I am a Woman, Pain. I am a Warrior, a Bird—I sing! I raise up my people and pull them out of slavery, my name is Liberation! Whoever wants to find me, I'm not only in the home, I'm in the struggle, I'm a Warrior! I am Black, I am Poor, I am Old and nearly Illiterate, Everyone knows me— I am the remnant who dreams of happiness and love I am merely Maria Miguel!”
Litany for Faith-Rooted People Power, inspired by quotes from Salomé Costa
“Some churches tell the people not to participate in the grassroots struggle! They think that the church alone is everything, that the Reign of God is only within, that life is only praying, only spiritual. No, we have to have action. We have to go outside of the church to search for life! This is in the Gospel.”
Forgive us O God, for the repressions the church has caused, claiming to do so in Your holy name.
"The struggle" is the survival of the people. Through the struggle we discover the strength we have. We are searching for life. For survival. And no one is going to "donate" this life to us. If we sit around waiting for it, it will come too late. We have to search for it and claim it!”
Invigorate us O God, to take hold of the power we possess, by Your holy promise.
“You see, a small group of people dominate our system—the business people with all the wealth in their hands. And the great masses of poor people aren't aware! In the Word of God you discover that these things aren't right. For example, you discover your street isn't paved. So, the street group animates the neighborhood people to struggle for this improvement. We don't only pray with the families, but we do things—together. Once we discover that we're important as persons, we'll begin to struggle. That's how we'll get out of poverty!”
Teach us O God, to know the dignity of our personhood and to demand what we deserve, in Your holy passion.
“We call our Bible meetings "street groups." We go out of the church and into the streets to gather families and reflect on the Bible in the light of our lives. And the situation of our lives is horrible! In the favela [slums], one tiny hut has twelve or fifteen people living in it. It's awful! To have food, the mother has to work, and many women are single mothers because the men leave them, so she has to leave her children unattended, and then the children get into trouble with drugs and street life. These are really big problems.” Renew us O God, for the work of liberation, to join the fight for full freedom, following the path and purpose of Your holy Presence.
“We feel the presence of God because we know each other's' lives and struggles. We can continue without getting discouraged. My hope is that we always dwell in this faith. In this struggle. Faith and struggle. You see, when you discover faith, you're involved in politics. That is, when you are searching for life, you're engaged in a political act. The church provides the communion we need to go out and struggle for what we need to live.” Amen and Ashé
Resources:
About Black Liberation Theology
Origins of the phrase: Hispanic Heritage Month
Art
Niege Borges “Meal” // Niege Borges - Cadernos Colaborativos // Niege Borges - RuPaul's Drag Race