Dear The Well Community,
If you are like me, you have watched in horror as vast, uncontrolled wildfires cause untold destruction throughout the Los Angeles area. With wind gusts over 100 miles per hour, these fires have led to multiple deaths, over 100,000 people being displaced, and homes being burned to the ground. The devastation from these fires will surely continue to rise in the coming days. Our changing climate, which has caused months of inadequate rainfall in Southern California, has extended the wildfire season which once ended in November, into January and beyond. Truly, all of creation weeps.
The Well prays for all firefighters risking their lives to combat these fires and everyone whose homes were destroyed and have been forced to evacuate. Furthering our mission of unity and interconnectedness, and in the name of our supporters, The Well has made a donation to the recovery efforts in the area through Catholic Charities of Los Angeles.
The picture below is from a hike I took in the summer of 2023 in an area that is now consumed by fire. I have been contemplating this picture and wondering where to find any hope amidst this unspeakable tragedy. In my prayer, I came across this quote from Norman Wirzba, a Professor of Christian Theology at Duke Divinity School. It reads:
“Hope germinates wherever and whenever love goes to work. It grows as love takes root in one’s world and in one’s life. It flowers and fruits when people feel the power of love nurturing and healing the communities through which they live. Hope and love are inseparable because a hopeful way of being depends on the experience of mutual nurture and the feeling that one’s life matters and is worthy of protecting and celebrating. Hope withers in contexts of anonymity, abandonment, and abuse.”
Perhaps today, we can let love take root in our lives to protect not only the lives of the people in Southern California but all of creation. May this love increase our conviction to educate, act, and promote the importance of our sacred earth. Because it is worth our time, talent, and treasure, to protect it.
Let us continue the work of love,
Luke Sullivan
Executive Director
