During my two months here, I have encountered something that I naively did not expect. Just below the surface of many relationships, implied by nonverbals and unspoken words, apparent in the looks of the occasional stranger, is a undercurrent of resentment because I am white.
I don't fully understand the offense I have committed, I haven't been here long enough to wrap my mind around it. I can't fully grasp the pain, the suffering that fuels it. I am not sure what to say. When I smile and greet a woman and am ignored, I want her to understand that I am sorry, that I don't want things to be this way.
How can you serve penance for a crime you did not commit? Or did I? Is it now my responsibility to make amends?
The one thing I know for sure is that Jesus is the only one who can bring comfort to us, in the midst of this tense and sensitive climate. Without him, there is no redemption, healing or love.
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