"While an image of wholeness emerges, it does so from brokenness, from the sharp and irregular edges of glass, when they are illuminated, reflected and acted upon through structures that promote interaction and engagement."

On the final day of the Leadership Conference of Women Religious assembly Aug. 10, sisters explored the diversity within the image of God and lessons for religious life, marched to the Old Courthouse in St. Louis and bore witness against systemic racism, and honored Daughter of the Heart of Mary Sr. Anita Baird, the first black recipient of LCWR's Outstanding Leadership Award.

"Those still burdened by the legacy of slavery know in a deep and visceral way what it feels like to be aliens in their own city, to see their lives given little account. Yes, we need to pray today for the gift of peace, a gift that God yearns to give us. But we must heed to God's challenge to build justice."

Sisters from the Servants of the Blessed Sacrament came to Pleiku City, Vietnam, in 2000 to serve ethnic minority villagers. Today, they provide care at their convent for children with physical disabilities from poor families. "We believe they are sent to us by God."

A close Gospel reading reveals service as a root metaphor for the Christian life, a life lived in Christ. Service establishes members of the new community. In this light, service also becomes the metaphor for the Christian community.

"All of creation is part of a whole that is Love and is part of the unfolding of Love. And so, we must also understand ourselves to be one, to be entangled with all humanity, with all creation.

As the Leadership Conference of Women Religious assembly continued into its second day, keynote speakers developed the assembly theme of being the presence of love and the power of communion, raising issues of religious life governance, societal fragmentation and racial justice.

"In the presence of constant and painful reminders of the deep roots of racism in our country, [LCWR pledges] to go deeper into the critical work of creating communion, examining the root causes of injustice and our own complicity, and purging ourselves, our communities, and our country of the sin of racism and its destructive effects."

The temptation is to write off goodness and grace in the face of disfunction and discord. That, though, is when the power of communion, the presence of love, and the critical work of celebration are most needed.

"It's not up to the protesters to have a list of demands. It's up to the people whose skin looks like mine — the people with power and authority — to say, 'We're changing this because this is wrong.' Not because they want the protests to stop."