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Day 22: Questioning a Theology of Possession

White America’s interpretation of today’s reading has rendered it a text of terror with destruction in its wake. The idea "that you may live, and may enter in and take possession of the land which the LORD, the God of your fathers, is giving you" (Deut. 4:1), provided scriptural warrant for Christians to claim the land that would become the United States. This presumably God-given blessing provided powerful symbolic justification for conquest, echoing throughout Christian reasoning to dispossess First Nations peoples and build America as a white Christian nation.

Day 21: The Power to Heal

We can all agree that America is in need of race reconciliation. But how do we begin to heal from our past? I believe it requires three important actions that we can take from today’s reading. First, by acknowledging the sins of our past and present. We fall short if we only acknowledge the history of racism in America. We must also acknowledge the current structures of racism including police brutality, violence against minorities, under-resourced schools, inadequate and hazardous access to natural resources, and disproportionate rates of unemployment. It is also crucial to recognize white privilege and acknowledge that one’s skin color has afforded opportunities or access that is withheld from others.

Day 20: Working for Justice Amidst Suffering

Last Sunday, on the way to mass at St. Sabina on the South Side of Chicago with some students, I reflected: What today would make the Spirit burn within us? the famous black preacher? the powerful music? a parishioner?