Being a 'Witnessing Presence'

A colloquium on "Benedictine Life: A Vision Unfolding" was held at our monastery in Atchison, Kansas, this week. About 300 people from around the U.S. and several other countries attended via Zoom. Six speakers gave presentations on the history and future of Benedictine life. They issued challenges and spoke of new frontiers for Benedictines and those who draw strength from their 1500 year-old Rule.

  

One speaker, Debbie Asberry, talked on being a "witnessing presence," and used Dorothy Day, bell hooks, and Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy as examples. Their lives of strength, integrity, and boldness show how we are called to live in our world. She spoke of Day's willingness to live the Gospel in a way that went beyond the ordinary Christian. She showed how bell hooks, as a Black woman, spoke and wrote about racism, sexism, and feminism. She portrayed Zelenskyy as a man of courage and integrity in the face of Russia's unjust aggression. 

Being a "witnessing presence" is a mission with which many of us can resonate. We may not be able to be on the front lines, but we can stand for the values we believe in. We cannot allow lies, aggression, injustice, and selfishness to thrive in our world or our part of the world. I used to take democracy and just laws for granted in the U.S. After nearly losing our precious democracy on January. 6, 2021, I realize how fragile it is, how without the "witnessing presence" of the capitol police, the honest vote counters, the January 6 Special Committee, and others, we could have become like many third world autocracies. 

We certainly don't have to be a Benedictine to be a "witnessing presence," but it does take stamina and courage. We cannot allow injustice to flourish or even take hold. We need to support the Dorothy Days, the bell hooks, and the Volodymyr Zelenskyys in our world. And we need more people of integrity and fortitude like them to lead the way.