Minister’s Message

November is the month of healing, and within this frame it would seem entirely sensible to imagine open wounds that become closed scars. That might work in our bodies much of the time. It is not so clear that wounds heal into scars within our psyches and our spirits.

Dr. Rachel Naomi Remen reminds us that “Wounding and healing are not opposites. They’re part of the same thing.” Much as we might like to think our hurts can be healed once and for all, it doesn’t seem to work that way. And that can be a good thing. As Remen says, “It is our wounds that enable us to be compassionate with the wounds of others. It is our limitations that make us kind to the limitations of other people.” Those aches and sorrows we may wish to have scarred over, their openness, painful as it is, helps us to connect to other people in sympathetic and empathetic ways. Even when I feel shaky about it, I can say with Remen that “I have served people perfectly with parts of myself I used to be ashamed of.” That’s surprising and humbling and so importantly human as we acknowledge our imperfections, make peace with them, and try on new ways of being in a time calling out for compassion, honesty, and dedication to more good in the world. It can be hard work, to face ourselves, and yet we never do it alone, held as we are in a cherished and cherishing religious community. May you remember this, as you remember, too, today and every day, that you are loved, you are worthy, you are welcome, and you are needed. May you feel it so, and may it be so.

Blessings, Rev. Rita