Salvation

“Solo el Pueblo salva al Pueblo.”

Roughly translated: “Only the people can save the people.”

I keep seeing that phrase, and I can’t get it out of my head.

People have been using this as a protest slogan around the U.S. as immigrants are being rounded up violently. To be clear, I’m not writing about politics today (plenty of other folks are doing that).

I’m writing about the deep wisdom of this saying.

The stories of the great faith traditions are almost always about the uplift of oppressed, struggling, desperate people. And while generation after generation waits for a savior on a white horse, they miss the point: the great spiritual teachers tell us we’re supposed to save each other.

The prophets say it plainly. In Isaiah 61 (one of the great liberation texts), God does not promise to swoop in and fix everything. Instead, God empowers the people so that they will rebuild, they will restore, they will renew (Isaiah 61:4).

In other words: God empowers us, and then we save each other.

Human connection is not a nicety. It’s the method. The mechanism. The miracle. It’s how God works in the world.

The people save the people.

Not because God is absent. But because God is present in us.

Right now, there are hungry people around you. Hungry for connection, hungry for hope, and hungry for food. You might be one of them.

Right now, there are thirsty people around you. Thirsty for togetherness, thirsty for peace, thirsty for the water of friendship. You might be one of them.

Right now, there are frightened people around you. Frightened for their families, their neighbors, their lives. You might be one of them.

Right now, there are suffering people around you. Suffering from anxiety, pain, disconnection. You might be one of them..

Let’s save each other.

Are you hungry, thirsty, frightened, or suffering, friend?

Do you know people who are?

How can I hold you prayerfully?