April 26 - “ An Unbroken Chain of Garlands, Cherry Blossoms, and Grape Arbors”
An Unbroken Chain of Garlands, Cherry Blossoms, and Grape Arbors
Meditation April 26, 2026
Kyle Tong
Good Morning! Deb and I recently were on a trip to Florence, ITALY. The
medieval city is gorgeous, constructed with the wealth and patronage
of the Medici Family during the Renaissance over 500 years ago. In
many ways, one could say that the Medicis underwrote the
Renaissance, its beauty, and its revolutionary views on how the people
viewed humanity and the human form.
The incredible humanizaFon of the individual—the inner light—both
the ethereal in Michelangelo’s David and the untold suffering in the
unfinished works in the hall of the slaves, will both haunt and stay with
me.
But the lasting impression is one of doors. Great care and time went
into the doors of the churches and cathedrals and those meant for the
walls of the city—so large and ornate—they became a centerpiece of a
museum.
Even though the human form was to be celebrated in Renaissance,
Florence—it was designed for just some people. The walls were built to
exclude. The Protestant movement was the subsequent result of this
elitist impulse. The scripture was brought to everyone through the
innovation of the printing press and the Good News was accessible to
all. O how history repeats itself as the exclusionary doors close again.
This Fme the people on the outside are “the contemporary other”;
people of color, immigrants, the LBGTQ community, and even women as
a group.
The second lasting impression occurred at passport control as we leY
Italy. I handed my passport to the official-he looked-then smirked in a
condescending way and said, United States”.
This being shortly after the initiation of bombing in Iran I had nothing to
say. I bowed my head, took my document and moved on.
One was an attitude etched in the past—exclusion; the other a new one
brought on by the actions of my country. Both are powerful—and
painful—antithetical to the mores and beliefs held dear throughout a
lifetime.
The questions one asks oneself as we sit bolt upright in the dead of the
night or walk the paths and country roads of this bucolic region seeking
solace and inner peace is two-fold. One secular and one spiritual.
How does one represent their country when their country does not
represent them?
And how does one evangelize for the Church when Christianity in the
popular domain is hypocritical and does not reflect their core beliefs?
As articulated by historian Jill Lepore in her work entitle These Truths,
our country was founded on core utopian beliefs of equality and the
common good. We have never attained them-not even close- but the
aspiration to reach these truths has inspired the generations and those
who have flocked to our shores. We are imperfect and flawed but that
acknowledgement and the will to keep going onward drives us.
Our present circumstance is as a nation to look in a mirror that has no
background. We are self-centered, narcissistic and selfish. We are blind
to the detritus we create and the suffering that it causes. Our
democracy created this through our elections. What have we done?
The Church of my lifetime is one of compassion and caring. One that
seeks to draw people closer to God by their actions and kindness. A
Church that is non-judgmental and allows for each person to find God through their own journey.
The Christian megaphone today is dominated by people who say “No”.
To say no to people in need. No to actions that could save lives. No to
anything that is perceived as different. The no is intended to exclude
and define. It puts a narrow face on WHAT A CHRISTIAN LOOKS LIKE—
literally and spiritually. It has become xenophobic--driven by fear. It
hearkens back in a way to the time of Jonathan Edwards and Sinners in
the Hands of an Angry God.
What I do when these moments come to fill my mind with angst is I
turn within to my friends for council and imagine time with them while
breaking bread. I imagine having dinner with great minds of both the
spiritual world and the secular who can give insight through their
wisdom and experience. I have given this imagining a poetic voice so...
Bear with me as I share a poem (this being National Poetry Month)
describing this inner dinner!
We are not alone. We have those who have travelled before us fighFng
the good fight for the common good. We have fellow travelers seated
with us, among us, throughout this wonderous world, and we have God
the Creator who has been, is, and will be present and loving in the lives
of all. What a wonderful foundation for hope, comfort, and faith in the
world in which we live.
An Unbroken Chain of Garlands, Cherry Blossoms, and Grape Arbors
as we look to the hills
our hearts attempt to lift as well
with a promise of a cleansing
of the earthly clutter of our
fallibility
this is a dark place
spurred on by events and callous
decisions
made by individuals who view self over
stewardship
greed over goodness
selfishness over service
cronyism over the common good
false idols over faith
when I despair I take
an internal journey
to seek council in my mind’s eye
breaking bread with fellow seekers
who have searched to find peace
in their world—both secular
and religious
these folk some insiders, some outsiders
share a common trait
they are not people who deconstruct
rather they are synthesizers
as Gandhi sits he pushes away the chair
and settles on the floor
an angular gentle man in comfort
how do we face these trying times
I ask
He looks at me and gestures—spreading
His hands
A truth is a truth and a wrong is a wrong
One must not accept a wrong—but
Not correct it with a wrong
The power of your conduct and your faith
Will be a beacon—for others to see and
Draw strength
but at some point we must protect
the most vulnerable
Dorothy Day strode to the table
the bohemian suffragette turned catholic
champion for the impoverished
had seen suffering
suffering of the hungry, the disenfranchised
and the violence against women
to see these things one must act
to change them
Dorothy, I agree said a robust cleric
sitting at the tables end
Reinhold Neibuhr, Christian theologian
and activist held that faith and its rigor
turned into secular action
Christian truth morphed into the political
common good
hence fundamental change in society
FDR wheels to the table
cigarette holder clamped firmly in his mouth
pure Christian faith is a power for good
twisted faith is a weapon for evil
I’ve seen it used to divide races and creeds
exclusive not inclusive—be careful of the soothsayer
at the edge of the room a deep voice
boomed
there will be false prophets, said Martin
but for the oppressed that is not a reason
to concede
we need to humanize hatred
hatred is most often conducted in isolation
directed to fear and what one knows not
if you demand closeness you become part of
the family of humankind
and with that intimacy comes the roots
of caring
a man stood up towering over all
with a laconic smile
that engaged, disarmed, and pulled in
Mandela knew of twisted faith
he was imprisoned for being
one of the people of Ham
who dared to be equal in apartheid
twenty-seven years of pounding rocks
he never left the tiller of his ship nor blamed
others for his lot
persistence in search of the truth led to
a new South Africa
attained peaceably through persistence, reconciliation, and---
love
love is the word you want Nelson
the diminutive Mother Theresa gently
touched his hand and said again
love—unconditional love of all living things
life is a sacred journey to be celebrated
and supported by all
the last to the table is a Latina woman
a woman of presence, Dolores Huerta
I ask all of you what to do with
anger and shame
I have fought the good fight for the common good
but I was betrayed and violated
in the most heinous of ways
forgiveness and grace will get me so far
how can I –and others
have peace
many have answers
some raise even more questions
such is the fate of the human quest
--the pursuit for meaning—in sometimes meaningless pursuits
--the search for faith—in a world of cynicism and faithlessness
--the quest for unconditional love—amongst many who demand to have
strings attached
our diners provided in unbroken chain
in this need for understanding
glimmers of hope, courage, meaning, and caution
to add a link of life and love
to the chain
