Life In Exile

Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, to all the exiles whom I have sent into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon: Build houses and live in them; plant gardens and eat what they produce. Take wives and have sons and daughters; take wives for your sons, and give your daughters in marriage, that they may bear sons and daughters; multiply there, and do not decrease. But seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the Lord on its behalf, for in its welfare you will find your welfare. - Jeremiah 29:4-7

I’ve had countless conversations over the past months where deep concern about the divisions in our country and the world has been front of mind. People are anxious; they feel disempowered and overwhelmed. With the news delivering daily onslaughts, it is hard to know where to begin. This is before people even describe their personal struggles, which have hardly abated. Family fracture, illness, and financial concerns, to name a few, have not gone away amidst the constant upheaval and threat of violence. Rising anxiety, coupled with unprecedented isolation, has made people feel uprooted, dislocated, and fearful.

People of faith are not immune from these challenges, nor should we feel ashamed when we succumb to despair and fear. We are human, called to live in this world and care for it. When we feel powerless, we cannot always appear as unflappable people of faith—and perhaps that would not be a helpful witness to the world. The people who have most influenced my journey are those who name the real struggles of faith and demonstrate the grit and resilience to persevere. That grit often shows up not as grimacing, resigned countenances, but as quiet strength and a capacity for joy. Feeling ourselves in exile is part of the human experience. It is not our preferred place to inhabit, but it is inevitable. The longer we live, the more we understand that periods of exile are often important times of preparation. We gain insights and strength that will eventually bear fruit in unexpected ways.

So, what do we do in exile? The prophet Jeremiah offers guidance: do not stop living just because you are not where you want to be. While in Babylon, however we define it, we still need to tend to the tasks of life each day. We need to create homes for those we love and be generous with them. We need to feed ourselves and others. Even when we don’t recognize the places of exile we inhabit, we need to seek the welfare of those places. Serving others, especially when we feel alienated, helps us discover our interconnectedness. Our St. Mark’s community knows how to do this, as we embody our core vocation to Feed San Antonio with the Bread of Life. Our community can seek strength from one another, especially if we cannot recognize the place we are in during these times. Name your feelings of exile, then seek the welfare of those around you and offer prayers for those not immediately proximate. It will be worth the effort and make our return from exile more joyful when that day comes.

Peace, Beth +