Dear siblings,

“Peace be with you.” Now, let me say that again—but this time, try to feel it in your heart. Close your eyes and take a deep breath:
“Peace be with you.”

We are living in tumultuous times—both for our country and for the world. Tumultuous because a toxic theology and worldview have become mainstream in the halls of power. A worldview that tries to convince us that marginalized groups—whoever is “the other” for each of us—are to blame for everything that goes wrong. A worldview that wants us to fight each other for resources and for God’s love, as if God’s love were a pie to be divided among us.

Sometimes, it feels as though any hope for peace is far away. But that couldn’t be further from the truth.

For those of us who believe in the Gospel, this sense of hopelessness and fear might feel familiar. After Jesus' death, his disciples were in despair and fear. When the apostle of the apostles Mary Magdalene reported seeing the risen Jesus early on the morning of the resurrection, the7899 other disciples struggled to believe her, continuing to live in fear. That evening, the resurrected Jesus appeared to them, greeting them with "Peace be with you." He told them the Holy Spirit would come to them, yet they still remained afraid. It wasn't until Pentecost, which we celebrate today, that the Holy Spirit came, and their hope was renewed. Filled with the Spirit and with enthusiasm, they were transformed, boldly proclaiming the message of the Gospel.

The main event that filled them with enthusiasm was the realization that, despite their differences—in language and otherwise—they could finally understand one another. They finally had a shared purpose, understanding, and language.

As an LGBTQ Catholic, an immigrant, a woman, and a Latina, I have been part of some very inclusive spaces, but even in these spaces, there is often a lack of intersectionality. In some very inclusive immigrant spaces, I have not felt comfortable sharing that I am LGBTQ. Likewise, in some very inclusive LGBTQ ministry spaces, I have not felt welcome to share more about my immigrant experience or my experience as a person of color, much less about any past experiences with undocumented status.

Today, I feel called more than ever to be intersectional in all of these spaces—because we now share a common need and common language: the language of justice.

Civil rights leader Fannie Lou Hamer famously said, “Nobody’s free until everybody’s free,” followed by Martin Luther King Jr. who said “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.” They were absolutely right. Any attack on due process, any attack on human dignity, is an attack on all of us—because we are all part of the same mystical Body.

Any marginalization of women—who are the majority and yet still minoritized in society and in the church—is a loss to the entire Body of Christ. Any attack on the poor and marginalized is an attack on those who are at the very heart of the Gospel.

Today, we have a clear calling to a shared language and a shared purpose. The Holy Spirit is calling us to assemble all our God-given gifts and to stand together:

•          Immigrants and people of color, with our gifts of deep faith and resilience.

•          LGBTQ people, with our gifts of discernment and virtuous pride.

•          Women, with the gift of our ever-growing wisdom.

•          The poor, with our gift for multiplying loaves and fishes—and sharing them with others.

These are just a few examples.

Dear siblings: We have reason to be hopeful because the Holy Spirit—the Advocate—is calling us toward unity and intersectionality. She is moving the world in that direction—toward a refusal to let those who seek to divide us succeed.

We will not take part in hate—because God is love. Like the disciples, we must shed our fear—of each other and of this administration—and cast it out, replacing it with faith in action, in any way possible.

What are your God-given gifts? How will you turn those gifts into intersectional action—for justice and for the common good—today and tomorrow?

Now, let us pray together: “Mother, send out your Spirit, and, through us, renew the face of the Earth.”

‍