I recently came across a quote by Wendell Berry, thanks to this post from Krista Tippett’s On Being (which, by the way, is wonderful, and you should check it out). Here’s the quote:
“Stay away from anything that obscures the place it is in. There are no unsacred places; there are only sacred places and desecrated places. …”
Imagine if that was the framework? It’s important to not conflate “sacred” with “religious.” Sacred simply means connected to God. And if we believe that God is Love, then sacred means connect to Love. To go further, then there are only places that are connected to love, and those places which were connected to love but have been violated (that is desecrated).
If a place has been violated and its connection harmed (maybe almost severed), it can be redeemed, reconnected, renewed. It might be hard to see in some instances, but it is true.
I wonder then, if this is true with places, is it equally true with people?