Compassion: Toward a More Just Society
by Rev. Dr. Cari Jackson and Rev. Katey Zeh
Inspired by: How shall we sing God’s song in a strange land? (Psalm 137:4)
How do we honor Mothers in this pandemic
When many Mothers are dying without their loved ones near
And Others are grieving dying children they cannot touch?
How do we sing God’s song in this strange land?
How can we honor Mothers
When Mothers said to be “essential” do not earn living wages,
When “stay-at-home Mom” has new and overwhelming meaning,
And Mothers can only hug or be hugged virtually, if at all?
How do we honor Mothers
Whose laps and wombs are empty,
When no one sees their wounded hearts
That bear the scabs and scars of broken dreams?
How do we honor Mothers
When Mothers give birth with virus as their only companion,
When many have lost jobs and means to care for their families?
This is a strange land!
How can we honor Mothers
When Brown babies are ripped away from loving arms
To live in dirty, crowded cages where they cry for their Mamas?
“Give me your tired, your poor” does not apply.
How can we honor Mothers
When Mother Earth is groaning, overtaken by toxic waste,
As humans do not understand the connection of all living?
How do we sing God’s song?
How do we honor Mothers
When their children are behind bars or imprisoned by addiction,
When relationships with their children seem shattered beyond repair
And they cannot find their way to forgiveness?
How do we honor Mothers
When heartless politicians add abortion bans and immigration restrictions,
When the human dignity of Black folks, long-term care residents, meat-packing workers,
And people living in incarceration is disregarded by our own government?
How can we sing to honor Mothers?
Mama Ancestors learned how. Listen, now, to their songs,
Our Mama Warriors and Healers, Activists and Preachers
Who sang God’s song in this strange land.
Mothers of Union and Confederate soldiers who cried out,
“No more, do we want to raise our children only to send them to war!”
Theirs were cries of reproductive justice.
They sang God’s song in this strange land!
Mama Julia organized Mothers Peace Movement
With Mothers from nations around the world.
In different languages, they cried out, “Peace, not war is the answer.”
They sang God’s song in this strange land!
Mama Anna campaigned for a national Mother’s Day,
Not with empty sentimental or commercial words
But honoring life-giving, social-healing motherhood.
They sang God’s song in this strange land!
They sang their unstoppable songs
When Slave Women were raped into motherhood,
When children of Native and Black Mothers were robbed from their breasts,
When sterilization was forced on Black, Puerto Rican, and Native bodies.
They sang God’s song in this strange land
Where Mother’s Day was set aside but full citizenship was denied,
A land where Women were honored for giving birth, or
Nurturing the babies of others, but not for thinking, leading and healing.
Suffragists – sang in this is a strange land!
Black Mamas – Sojourner, Angelina, Mary C.T., Ida B., and Mary T.
Sang with White Mamas – Susan B., Elizabeth, Alice, Carrie, and Lucy,
Even though some were made to sing as back-up and back-stage
Some Mamas sang as they cared for World War I soldiers
As other Mamas continued to fight for voting rights.
Although in different ways, our Mamas sang.
They sang God’s song in this strange land!
How can we sing God’s song in this strange land
Where the skills of Black nurses were only valued
When the 1918 World Flu flooded the land with infested bodies?
Still they sang God’s song!
Wilson asked, “Shall we admit women only to a partnership of
suffering and sacrifice and toil and not a partnership of privilege?”
Finally, after war and pandemic, women voted
Because they kept singing in this strange land!
How will we honor Mother’s Day?
How will we sing God’s song today
As we are weary of pandemics and wars
Worn out by social injustices and greed?
What is God’s song in this strange land?
God’s song is reproductive freedom, social liberation,
Economic and environmental justice and human thriving for
All mothers and motherless, all children and childless.
We honor Mama Warriors and Healers, Activists and Preachers.
We sing God’s song now for today and generations yet to come.
As we sing, we give birth to hope and nurture new possibilities
In this strange land!
Together, in our different voices, identities, languages and life circumstances,
We sing God’s song.
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Thank you so much for sharing this. I’m going to add this to my playlist during mother’s day. God bless you!
We’re so happy that this spoke to you! Blessings to you, as well. <3