Here is a river flowing very fast now

I received a copy of a reflection given by Sr. Joanna Burley, OSB, prioress at the Benedictine Sisters of Virginia in Bristow, VA. She gave the reflection on one of the community’s “Silent Sundays,” which I gather is something (maybe like a retreat) the community holds periodically.

In the reflection, Sr. Joanna calls her sisters to look at their “monastic heart,” especially the ways their monastic community is providing safety and support during the pandemic. She shared a letter - more like a poem - written by the Elders of the Hopi Nation that I really like:

Here is a river flowing now very fast.
It is so great and swift that there are those who will be afraid,
who will try to hold on to he shore.
They are being torn apart, and will suffer greatly.
Know that the river has its destination.
The elders say we must let go of the shore.
Push off into the middle of the river, and keep our heads above water.
And I say as well, see who is there with you, and celebrate.

Necessary disclaimer: I have tried to find the origins or context of this poem and have turned up nothing reliable. So I am not endorsing any context here, especially if it is political; just the meaning.

Anyway, the image of a fast-running river feels perfect for our time. It is hard to keep up with what is happening, how quickly life has changed, even what we know we can believe. And we are in it, and moving, for better or worse, and very quickly.

This phrase: know that the river has its destination. What a reminder. In other words, God knows what he is about. This is a phase or a season, and it is not meaningless. There is an end; there will be resolution. This is all moving toward something.

To let go of the shore: stop fighting. Go with the flow. Accept life for what it is. Easier said than done.

See who is there with you, and celebrate. Maybe this is the easiest thing, as we all have the constellation of family and friends we have been speaking with and checking in with over the past few weeks. Have any of your relationships changed as a result of what we’re going through? Did some friendships rise or become surprisingly prominent? Did others you thought you could rely on fall through? Are you celebrating, together? Maybe alone?

It is not on me to say, okay, God, we have all learned the lesson. Whatever it is. Time to ease up on us here. (I wish I could do that with any difficult thing I endure.) I am not sure I know what the lesson is, anyway. I suspect there is more than one, and it varies by individual. We have probably all learned to, at the very least, slow down. But if we have learned the lessons of facing reality for what is and letting go, well, there’s that.