Becoming beloved community requires concrete, collective action and the tender-hearted work of transformation and healing.  Hierarchies of human value leave an imprint on our souls. Trauma, shame and fear lead us to retreat toward safety, comfort and even denial, impeding our ability to build multicultural, anti-racist communities. Explore contemplative prayer as a resource through which God can offer healing of troubled pasts, courage to engage in the present and strength to become repairers of the breach.

The Rev. Peter W. Gray is university chaplain at the University of the South in Sewanee, Tennessee. Among other things, his perspective is informed by trainings with the People’s Institute for Survival and Beyond, Pauli Murray Center for History and Social Justice, and W.K. Kellogg Foundation.