Whenever a person is defined, categorised and made in an “other,” we are ignoring what is real about them. We are avoiding seeing their fullness, their hidden goodness.
What is it about our humanity that insists on stunting our openness to possibility and growth? Perhaps we can only feel confident when we are under the illusion that we know and understand. Perhaps sticking others into tidy containers is one way we try to control and navigate the mystery.
I don’t remember where I heard it or where I read it, but it’s been rattling around in my mind a lot lately that the healthiest and holiest people are the folks who are conscious of the power of paradox. These good ones can love those they disagree with and want goodness for those who have harmed them. They are the saints who can hold two contradictory truths together, who aren’t threatened by inconsistencies.
I wonder how different our church and our world might be if we were taught from a young age that prayer is a type of communion with the mystery, that it is the practice of embracing opposite truths as they coexist. Opening ourselves to seeing every side and knowing we will forever be limited in our knowing is another way we can touch the cross of mystery; it is a way we get to put our fingers into Christ’s side.

Sr. Julia Walsh, Wisdom from the Global Sisterhood

Sr. Julia Walsh is a Franciscan Sister of Perpetual Adoration and part of her congregation’s formation team, serving women who are discerning their vocation. She co-founded The Fireplace, an intentional community and house of hospitality on Chicago’s South Side. She blogs and podcasts at MessyJesusBusiness.com.