The sky was gray but the spiritwas high on the steps of the State Capitol this morning. Hundreds of peopledressed in black gathered to mark the end of the biennium in a moving event,"Called to be Faithful Minnesota: A Witness of Lament," sponsored by theMinnesota Council of Churches and Saint Paul Area Council of Churches. GovernorPawlenty has announced that as of tomorrow, July 1, he will use his "unallotment"authority to slash health and human services, care for the poor and funding foreducation, because he was unwilling to engage in effective negotiations withthe state legislature to jointly craft a solution to the state's budgetcrisis. Today's crowd gathered inlament, in solidarity and in protest against the governor's plannedaction.
It was a brief and exquisiteceremony, a powerful and prayerful experience.
The rabbi cried repeatedly,"Enough!" and evoked the Torah's evocative teachings on healing. TheAfrican-American pastor had the crowd calling out with him, "It Ain'tRight!" Our newly ordainedCatholic bishop spoke of care for the body as well as care for the spirit, andthe Hindu leader chanted sacred Sanskrit words of justice and compassion. The speakers all spoke powerfully andeloquently, each from his or her own tradition, in his or her own particularstyle. Among the most movingmoments was the sound of the chanted Islamic call to prayer, wafting across theCapitol steps, as we stood shoulder to shoulder, demanding justice.
Speaker after speaker challengedthe distorted thinking that divides Minnesotans into "us" and "them." We were reminded yet again that all ofour traditions teach devoted care for the disadvantaged of society. All of our religions teach that we areconnected to one another, and that our commitment to justice demandsattentiveness to the needs of the poor.And the reality is that every one of us is but one health crisis awayfrom poverty. Virtually all thespeakers invoked a vision of Minnesota as a great state with a venerabletradition of social justice, making the current impasse all the moreintolerable.
We stood, huddled against thedamp morning air, listening to our shared commitments to justice sung out in mylanguages, metaphors and voices.But the message was the same.It is long past time for our state to return to its historic tradition asa model community concerned with the needs of all people. We hope that the Governor heard ourvoices. I am certain that theDivine – the Heart of justice and compassion in the world – heard our prayers.
