It’s like in the great stories, Mr. Frodo. The ones that really mattered. Full of darkness and danger they were, and sometimes you didn’t want to know the end. Because how could the end be happy? How could the world go back to the way it was when so much bad happened… Those were the stories that stayed with you. That meant something. Even if you were too small to understand why. But I think, Mr. Frodo, I do understand. I know now. Folk in those stories had lots of chances of turning back, only they didn’t. Because they were holding on to something… That there’s some good in this world, Mr. Frodo. And it’s worth fighting for.
—Samwise Gamgee, The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers
Goodness is worth fighting for
A reflection by Angie Howard-McParland of the Mercy Justice Team
I know the quotes atop our action alerts are typically reserved for history-making faith leaders and clerical documents, but the hope and light we so desperately seek has lately surprised me by showing up in the books I read aloud with my children and on family movie night as we work our way through The Lord of the Rings movie trilogy. Hope and light keep sneaking in through music and hobbits and talking animals and art when political parties and separations of powers seem to be flailing.
I think it’s because stories themselves carry light, they help us imagine what is possible and ignite creative problem-solving. Art and literature can speak to our heart when our brains are exhausted from rhetoric.
The same goes for the stories we hear of sisters continuing to show up for immigrants and our schools not giving up DEI initiatives. Their examples continue to bring light and hope to all of us across the Mercy world. These non-fiction stories, too, are full of darkness and danger with so much xenophobia and hate given permission to rule. But as Sam explains to Frodo, our sisters and Mercy community continue to hold onto the call to serve those made vulnerable and the belief in the Beloved Community. And that goodness is indeed worth fighting for.
This is one in our recurring series of Friday reflections, where one of the Mercy Justice Team’s members shares some hope and encouragement, and the team gives you an opportunity to respond to any recent calls to action you might have missed. This week, you still have the opportunity via the alerts below to engage with joy and hope to work for change in unjust systems. Click the link for any of the messages you might have missed this week and add your voice: