Standing in solidarity
Recently, Father Denny returned from a retreat given by Fr. Ben Berinti, C.PP.S., and he found himself wanting to continue to reflect on the presentation: “Mary STOOD by the Cross of Jesus.”
As he shared some of his thoughts, my mind went to our PBMR mothers standing by their son or daughter, blood pouring out onto the ground, standing by caskets, standing alone in their grief.
On March 8, we celebrated International Women’s Day (IWD) by standing together wearing our IWD shirts created by one of our young women. We offered a safe place for women to share their stories and challenge one another to “accelerate action.” We carried this spirit throughout the month of March (Women’s History Month) by providing a morning café for our neighbors and numerous circles and concluding with an evening of intergenerational conversations around how we stand together for equality and inclusion!
As I continue my Lenten 2025 journey, I ask myself: Where shall I stand? For what shall I stand? With whom shall I stand? I remember one of my dear PBMR friends who stood by her suffering husband for 14 months and poured out her love day after day, always longing for just one more day in his presence.
The other day, a young woman who had spent 31 years incarcerated for a crime she committed at 14 came to our women’s chat room. She very freely shared her story, expressing her regret for the harm she caused and yearning for forgiveness from her victim’s family. She stands waiting. In the meantime, she has reached out to the young man who killed her own brother — just two months after her release. She stands by him and offers him her forgiveness, hoping that someday that grace will be given to her.
Today as our world, our churches, and even our families seem more and more divided, we remember that we are called to stand by the suffering in our world. We are called to stand for reconciliation, for forgiveness, and for unity. Our Precious Blood spirituality calls us to bring “those far off, close.” We are each called to stand by the homeless, the imprisoned, the hungry, the refugee, the marginalized, the blind, and all our sisters and brothers who feel “other,” unwanted, and outside the circle of love and community.
I will conclude with several verses from a poem written by Kelly Gissendaner, a woman on death row in Georgia who stood in shame for her crime and stood in solidarity with the imprisoned, the outcast, the homeless until her execution in 2015. She writes from her prison cell: A strong woman works out every day to keep her body in shape, but a woman of strength kneels in prayer to keep her soul in shape.
A strong woman has faith that she is strong enough for the journey, but a woman of strength has faith that it is in the journey of surrender to God that she will become strong.
Mary stood by the cross of Jesus. Where do you stand, with whom, why?
Sr. Donna Liette, C.PP.S.
Sr. Donna Liette, C.PP.S., is in full-time ministry at the Precious Blood Ministry of Reconciliation, serving on the Family Forward and Healing Teams.