Courageous Love in Action Zoom

The invitation is simple: come, breathe, pray, and reflect together. On Thursday, January 29, a group of Episcopalians from across the Diocese of San Diego gathered for something you won’t see on the news–intentional stillness in community. We are called to courageous love, and this brief offering became a clear expression of courageous love in action: choosing presence over panic, prayer over polarization, and compassion over fear.

Many of us are carrying a heaviness tied to recent events surrounding immigration enforcement, violence, and the anxiety that follows uncertainty and aggressive tactics. I am tired of scrolling, tired of arguing, tired of feeling powerless. Thursday’s Zoom call did not pretend to erase those realities–it acknowledged them honestly while asking a different question: How do we remain grounded as Christians when the world around us feels so unbalanced? 

Courageous love does not ask us to ignore pain or injustice; it asks us to face them without surrendering our Christian identity. For those twenty minutes on Zoom, the answer was not louder speech but deeper listening–to God, to one another, and to the quiet movements of grace that often go unnoticed when fear dominates the conversation.

The structure was intentionally modest. Participants joined from their homes, workplaces, and cars, some with cameras on, others choosing the comfort of anonymity. There was scripture, prayer, silence, and a brief reflection from the Rev. Paul Klitzke that connected lived experience with spiritual practice. Resources were shared–not as directives, but as invitations–offering pathways for those who wanted to engage through prayer, pastoral support, or informed civic awareness.

The tone was neither urgent nor passive. It was steady. It created space for people to feel their feelings without being consumed by them. In many ways, this steadiness is what courageous love looks like in daily life: not dramatic or performative, but faithful, intentional, and rooted in Christ.

For me, taking the time to pause often feels unproductive or even indulgent. Everything in my human-ness wants to react with righteous indignation. (Appropriately so at times.) But spiritually, I don’t operate the same way. Prayer and reflection are not retreats from responsibility; they are the foundations. When prayer and communal discernment come first, my actions are more likely to emerge from clarity, empathy, and a deeper sense of purpose. Courageous love insists that our spiritual lives matter–that courage is sustained not by adrenaline but by rootedness in God’s presence.

What came out of this first (of three) Courageous Love in Action Zoom was a gentle centering–a reorientation toward love, courage, and compassion–even when circumstances feel chaotic. The world didn’t rebalance. Headlines did not change. Policies didn’t shift. But something within me did. There was a collective exhale, a reminder that balance is not the absence of turmoil but the presence of grounding practices that keep us oriented toward hope.

Twenty minutes on a Zoom will not fix the world. But twenty minutes intentionally spent in community can change how we move within it. This is what courageous love looks like–deciding to follow Christ in times of turmoil, and intentionally seeking out a lived practice.

So what is Courageous Love in Action? It is a steady, compassionate, and intentional action that reminds us that even in uncertain times, we are not alone. Courageous Love in Action is knowing we are never without the capacity to love boldly and faithfully–to risk loving others as we love God, as we love our own families and friends.

The EDSD Courageous Love in Action webpage offers tangible ways to move from reflection to faithful response.  These curated resources include guided prayers, nonviolent presence training opportunities, information on immigration accompaniment, and suggestions for congregations and individuals seeking to stay spiritually grounded while remaining thoughtfully engaged. These tools are not political statements; they are invitations to live out compassion with intention. These accessible, faith-based resources create a series of small, consistent practices that shape how we show up for one another and for our neighbors.

Join us on Thursday, February 5 and February 12 for the two remaining Zoom calls. These short opportunities to spend time together helps.