Interconnected. Mutual. “What affects one directly, affects us all indirectly.”

Issues overlap. We’ve talked about this a number of times at my church. For instance, I’ve been known to say something like this, “If we want to talk about ending homelessness, we have to talk about the lack of affordable housing. If we want to talk about the lack of affordable housing, we have to talk about society’s negative attitude toward the poor or anyone who needs help. Talk of affordable housing also requires us to talk about racism in the real estate market — both officially and unofficially. Talking about racism requires us to talk about privilege.”

Or, another instance, if we want to talk about ending the sex trafficking of minors, we have to talk about teen homelessness. To talk about teen homelessness requires us to talk about teens who come out as gay getting kicked out of their homes. To talk about that requires us to talk about the role Christianity plays in creating homes where being gay is literally unacceptable.

Our social/societal issues overlap. Which, admittedly, can make them seem ever more daunting and insurmountable. Conversely, perhaps, admitting interconnectedness can open up multiple avenues for addressing those problems.

Today’s case in point: poverty and criminal sentencing. Recently, our Bishop, Rev. Dr. Sally Dyck joined with three other Chicago-area bishops to offer this editorial in the Chicago Tribune. Here’s a taste:

As bishops in Chicago, far too many of the communities we serve bear the devastating repercussions of mass incarceration: increased poverty, fundamental insecurity, generations paying the price of one person’s mistake and a deep sense of alienation from the very system meant to protect and serve all citizens. Ultimately this comes at a real cost to all Americans, as we are robbed of the potential that millions of people have to contribute to building a stronger country…

We are encouraged by developments such as the coalescing on Capitol Hill around bipartisan solutions to unjust prison sentences like the Sentencing Reform and Corrections Act, which would overhaul excessive sentences for low-level crimes, introduce more judicial decision making and lay the groundwork for programs that prepare prisoners for successful reintegration into their home communities and, equally important, cut down on recidivism. Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., like many of his Republican and Democratic colleagues, has sponsored the bill. We hope Sen. Mark Kirk, R-Ill., will do the same. [read the rest]

Reading that encouraged me because just a few days before that op-ed appeared, Bread for the World organizer, Zach Schmidt and I submitted this letter-to-the-editor at the Daily Herald:

Last week, Rev. Dr. Otis Moss III wrote an op-ed calling for reforms to our criminal justice system. He wrote that as a result of our “overzealous” drug policies, “no other nation locks up more of its own people than the United States.” That is not how to live up to our motto as “the land of the free.” The cost of our prison population is staggering – about $30,000 a year for each federal inmate. For 219,000 federal inmates that comes to over 6.5 billion dollars annually. Does anyone think we are winning the “war on drugs” with this cost? 
 
Current policy requires lengthy sentences even for non-violent drug offenses, and judges are often unable to take other influencing factors into consideration. Their hands are tied. As Rev. Moss says, “we should be helping our neighbors find redemption, rather than seeking retribution for what are often victimless crimes.” In addition to reducing disproportionate drug sentences so men and women can reenter society as productive citizens, we need to provide better support upon their reentry. Justice is about much more than punishment—it is about protecting the security, dignity and flourishing of all people.
 
To help right our misguided sentencing policies, I join with Rev. Moss and hundreds of faith leaders across the state in calling for U.S. Senator Mark Kirk to cosponsor S. 2123, the Sentencing Reform and Corrections Act. So far, 28 members of the U.S. Senate have already signed on in support—with equal numbers of Democrats and Republicans. This bill is the right step for Illinois and for our nation, and now is the time.

Unlike our bishop’s, my letter never appeared in the paper or on the website. Which makes me all the more grateful to see our episcopal leader collaborating with other faith leaders, using her and their voice on behalf of marginalized people — and calling on the power of the federal government to do the same.

Faith in action.

Yes, as this week’s Psalm of Lent says, we should “wait on the Lord.” But it seems to me — as our Friday study group said — ours is to be an active waiting, doing all we can to create Kin-dom moments “on earth as it is in heaven.”

What moments of interconnection did you notice this week?