ReVisioning

On the first day of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission here in Canada I asked if there was much point in going through the exercise, given the resistance on the part of some Native individuals and groups. We are aware of the complicity of Christian churches in the residential school system which was a form of cultural genocide, but would the commission get us anywhere as a nation and would it be a vehicle for redress with those who were harmed the most.

I happened upon a segment of the CBC radio program ReVision Quest last Saturday and I got at least a partial answer. http://www.cbc.ca/revisionquest/episodes/ I listened to Native speakers at commission hearings who spoke with great dignity and gravity about their experiences. One man, now a government minister, spoke about the sexual abuse he suffered at the hands of a priest, and how his life careened toward destruction before he edged back from the brink. He talked of how he had forgiven despite the pain inflicted.

A woman spoke of how she had not been in a residential school herself, but her parents had. Their inability to express love, to nurture children, to live productive lives, had a profound effect on her as a next generation sufferer. She went on to say that through the Roman Catholic church and her Christian faith she had experienced the unconditional, embracing love of Christ and had begun the journey of healing. She had learned to see her parents and herself in a positive, hopeful light. It was also freeing her to reclaim traditional ways as a form of empowerment and identity.

As I listened I sensed that the opportunity to speak the truth of their lives was necessary for both of them. I was very grateful for what they had to say and their honesty and witness was a gift.

Have you been paying attention to the hearings? Any thoughts on the ReVision Quest program?