This past week has been a celebration of our National Indigenous Heritage, as well as the first steps on the journey to Truth and Reconciliation. The Anglican Church of Canada put out a series of videos ranging from Native bishops up to the Primates reflections on what truth and reconciliation mean to me. This in turn got me thinking about what Truth and Reconciliation mean to me.
For me truth is the honesty of admitting past wrongs, prejudices, discrimination, and injustices. As a nation, a church, and even as a person of a younger generation these to me acknowledged. Part of that falls to education, and social justice work. It also means apologizing for these sins and continuing re-examination to intentionally move as a nation, as a church, as communities, and as individuals in a different direction. This is our history, and our cross to bear. We must acknowledge, we must repent, and we must walk in a new way. Hopefully, as we change our country and world will change. Change does not always come quickly, forgiveness and trust, also do not come quickly. However, this is the path we must go and maybe one day generations from now our brothers and sisters can walk hand in hand “in the land that God has planned where love shines through”.