the
Courage to
WISDOM Metanoia is a process of change, of deepening conversion. Francis and Clare can be models for us today as we try to live out the Gospel in our own challenging times.
T
his year has been all about courage and change. Facing a new coronavirus with no vaccine or cure, we now see its ripples spreading unemployment and economic insecurity for millions and upending the education of a whole generation. The uncertainties, stress, and suffering try our souls. COVID-19 has exposed some uncomfortable human truths: We need each other more than we acknowledge; and our radical commitment to one another and our willingness to collaborate are critical to our survival. The devastating impact of this virus should steer us toward hard questions: How will I commit myself to what really matters? Where should I devote my time, energy, and talents to make a lasting, positive impact on the world? How can I work with others to create greater stability and see the fruits of wisdom, goodness, and love? What systemic change is this time calling forth from us? Now is the time to ask these questions together in a process that draws out our capacity for goodness and empowers us to engage the profound changes that our world requires—a process called metanoia. Metanoia is a thorough, holistic process of change, rooted in a deepening commitment to goodness. Empowered by God, we place our whole selves in the service of something beyond the mere self. We grow into a coherent, compelling process of change as we see that we are part of a larger picture. Metanoia is the change in our hearts, choices, and actions as we see ourselves as part of a rich and diverse human family. Courageous change is set in motion as we seek to honor God and one another, taking our place as stewards in the web of creation—trying to love it as God loves it, caring for it and for one another, attending deeply to the well-being of
Text by Gillian T.W. Ahlgren 26 • August 2020 | StAnthonyMessenger.org
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