Accompaniment
The accompanist lingers in the background among a musical ensemble, supporting soloists and other instruments in their melodic expressions. But there are moments when the accompanist emerges, unifying the entire ensemble and leading through with a strong voice. This unifying presence draws on leadership, empathy, and experience.
This past week, I spent time on a pilgrimage in El Salvador, remembering the 45th anniversary of St. Oscar Arnulfo Romero’s martyrdom. With a group of about a dozen other clergy and lay people, we visited sacred sites in the city of San Salvador, sat in the homes of the people who carry on Romero’s legacy, and worshipped with our whole selves as we prayed and marched and remembered Christ’s call to serve the poor.
El Salvador is an interesting place these days. Their massive prison has been in the U.S. news, where a large group of deportees are reported to have been sent. The Salvadoran president, Nayib Bukele, has entered his second term of office outside of the regular succession of power, and according to many of the people we met, his “state of exception” order has brought the country to a state of martial law. Yet the Salvadoran people persist in taking care of one another, supporting the needs of the poor, and advocating for justice for those who have been detained and disappeared.
What is the role of the church in such settings? How can we extend Christ’s love to those in need when it threatens our sense of stability or safety? Romero and his followers teach us that the church’s role in such times is to be close with, love, and serve the poor. The poor give us a pulse for how the world is. The poor teach us how to adapt and thrive under pressure. The poor show us a mirror, revealing our own needs and hunger.
The word that speaks this into reality, for me and for Romero, is “accompaniment.” The impulse to get close to the poor may make us anxious as if we have to just DO something to help. Instead, the wisdom we must learn is that it is only through accompaniment (friendship, partnership, listening, spending time together, leading through support) that we can understand and rightfully support one another, especially the poor.
I am grateful that we have an inkling of this at St. James, the church where I serve. We’re not perfect at it, but many of us understand the good news of being with those of us who are poor. And so we serve, we give, we advocate. I hope that in the years to come, we can continue to deepen our interaction and care for the poor among us. We all have poverty of some kind…let’s be honest about it and seek to come close to one another for healing and hope.
Grace and peace,
Pastor Seth
