We’re only weeks or months into this marathon of a pandemic, and I am tired. I am tired of not being able to hug my parents or have our weekly meal with friends. I am tired of Zoom meetings and no childcare for my toddler. I imagine you have your list of ways in which you are tired, too.
My rudimentary understanding of Ramadan includes that it is the month in which the Quran was revealed to Muhammad. During Ramadan, in the Cedar-Riverside neighborhood of Minneapolis, the call to prayer will be broadcast five times a day. As I understand it, this is something new- not only in Minneapolis, but in much of the U.S. What a way to allow for some sense of community, even while encouraging social distancing!
Both Muhammad’s receiving of the Quran and the call to prayer in Cedar-Riverside might serve as examples that there is always the possibility for something new. These new things may not be as dramatic as these, certainly.
Still, whether you are participating in Ramadan and the prayer and reflection that come with it, or whether you identify with another religious tradition or none, I urge you to find space and time for listening. We may be weary, and many of us are anxious or grieving, but new things are breaking forth all around us and within us. There has always been the possibility for something new, and now is no different. For this, I am grateful. I pray that you will find glimpses of the possibility and the new, too.
Hannah Campbell Gustafson ’09
Associate Chaplain for Christian and Interfaith Life