Through it all, Kibben said she worried little about her own safety. Instead, she felt something she hadn’t experienced since her time in combat: a sort of spiritual “covering” that allows her to be present for others.
“It’s a sense of ‘God’s got this,’ and I am but an instrument of bringing God into this moment,” she said. “Ministry in crisis was not new to me. This idea of engaging people at a level where you’re just taking them where they are and what they’re willing to share at that moment — I mean, that’s what we do.”
After law enforcement finally cleared the mob from the building at about 6 p.m., Kibben returned to her office where she reunited with her executive assistant. Two hours later, as Congress reconvened to continue their work, she joined them once again.
“I will tell you, the tenor in the room changed significantly,” she said. “There was clearly a sense of, ‘Our lives are important. Our business is important. The welfare of the country is important.’”
When the joint session finally concluded around 4 a.m., it was Black who offered the closing prayer.
“Lord of our lives and sovereign of our beloved nation, we deplore the desecration of the United States Capitol building, the shedding of innocent blood, the loss of life and the quagmire of dysfunction that threaten our democracy,” he said. “These tragedies have reminded us that words matter and that the power of life and death is in the tongue. We have been warned that eternal vigilance continues to be freedom’s price.”
Even with the crisis behind them, Kibben said her work continues. After taking a day to rest, she returned to the Capitol to be available to those in the building — something she noted is offered irrespective of one’s faith, assuming they claim any tradition.
Emotional and spiritual wounds from the attack will take time to heal, and many are in mourning. She has been especially attentive to Capitol police, who lost one of their own, and has “deputized” those who insist they are “fine” to keep a lookout for others who are struggling.
“I feel very privileged to be here in this time and that it is my first week,” she said. “It doesn’t faze me but instead actually confirms why there is a chaplain here in the House and why that’s so important. It’s not related to a particular faith tradition, it’s that there is somebody here who comes alongside in this moment.”
For Kibben, the experience of this Wednesday only strengthens her belief in the value of chaplaincy.
“It’s important because … our daily lives are not separate from God’s involvement in them,” she said. “God is very much present and very much has come alongside each and every one of us as we labor in the vineyard. And if that labor is tedious, God understands the tedium. If the labor is under siege, God understands the crisis and walks beside us in still waters — as well as in the shadows of danger.”
She added: “Faith matters. It mattered on Wednesday, it matters today and it’ll matter tomorrow.”
This article originally appeared on ReligionNews.com.
