Francisco Burgos, Pendle Hill’s Executive Director

May 26, 2021

Am I aware of the wounds in my life? How am I embracing healing for both my personal and societal wounds? How do I welcome the Spirit in seeking and healing my wounds?

Both personal and societal wounds are very common in our life journeys, and they impact our experience of being in the world in multiple and diverse ways. The manner in which we relate to one another, how we create community, and the way we take care of ourselves – these are just a few areas that can tell us about our personal wounds and how we deal with them. In the societal arena, wounds are often reflected by how we create or fail to create space for inclusion and welcoming in our societies, how we address our long history of injustices, and how we create or fail to create a sustainable, healthy, and peaceful world.

Of course, each wound in our lives can be transformed into a learning experience. It is not that we must be wounded in order to learn, but rather that there is space for meaningful and loving transformation despite the ugliness, sadness, and pain associated with the stories that our wounds represent. I think, for example, that the painful wound of violence and the many consequences that it creates across generations can and must be healed by a prophetic commitment to peace. I firmly believe that we can learn from and transform the many wounds associated with racism, discrimination, economic inequalities and inequities as well as from the deep wounds of hate based on religious beliefs. All these wounds can be healed if we seriously commit ourselves to do the grounded healing work it requires.

The healing of a wound always requires touching it. By touching I mean having a conscious encounter with the wound while doing as much as possible to provide the care it demands. This is a practice well known among many spiritual traditions, in which the process for self and communal transformation begins by connecting with – touching – the experiences that prevent us from having a meaningful, loving, and generous life.

There is no doubt that our current times are thirsty for this type of healing touch. All of us can contribute greatly to the necessary task of personal and societal healing. We must do this in ways that value mutual support and accompaniment while recognizing the beauty within our diversity. At Pendle Hill, we create space for this type of accompanied transformative experience that contributes to personal and communal healing as we imagine and work toward a just and peaceful world. I know that we are not alone in this journey, and I hope that you, my Friend, continue accompanying us as we open ourselves to divine guidance and search for healing with love and creativity.

In Friendship,

Francisco

Francisco Burgos
Executive Director