Jesus Calls Us to Make Love, Not War

“I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another.” (John 13:34-35 NRSV) These words of Jesus are very clear. He speaks of love, not hate, retaliation or retribution. We are to love one another. Yet for centuries Christians have killed in the name of Jesus Christ in the Crusades, the Inquisition, the Salem Witch Trials, the conflicts in Northern Ireland between Catholics and Protestants, and even the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. The Holocaust of the Nazi regime was due to racism and religious intolerance. Conservative Christians of today engage in bullying and hate crimes against gays, lesbians, bisexuals and transgendered persons because the ‘bible tells them so’.

The news today seems to provide and highlight an endless stream of senseless violence: bullying, brutality, hate crimes, murder and the horrors of war. Innocent children are gunned down in schools, defenseless teens like Trayvon Martin are gunned down on the streets, defenseless Afghan families murdered in their homes allegedly by U.S. Staff Sgt. Robert Bales, car bombings kill and maim innocent bystanders, and world leaders wage war in the name of God. There are a plethora of violent, life-like video games allowing us to vicariously shoot and kill to our heart’s content.  Hollywood continues to create blockbuster films strewn with violence, blood, gore and death. We cannot seem to escape it. But we can and must stop it. Violence begets violence. Its constant bombardment in our daily lives can only serve to fan the flames of anger and hatred into a raging inferno. We must snuff out the flames before they consume us all.

I have to believe that we can change attitudes, behaviors and the course of history if we simply highlight more positive than negative. To listen to and seek out negativity merely enables the vicious cycle of violence. There is a profound imbalance between positive and negative in world news. Heartwarming stories of goodness, benevolence and kindness seem to be pushed aside, buried or ignored. Let’s accentuate the positive and focus on real life heroes, rather than criminals.  

“No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.” (John 15:13 NRSV) And we have heroes, like Spc. Dennis Weichel who have done just that. In fact, Dennis Weichel laid down his life for a complete stranger recently. Dennis was serving in Afghanistan with the Rhode Island National Guard. Weichel and his comrades were getting children out of the road and out of the way of their convoy. One little girl went back into the road to pick up more brass shell casings, placing herself in grave danger of an approaching armored vehicle. Weichel pulled the little girl to safety and was struck and killed by the vehicle himself. And let’s not forget about all of the gifts of life provided by blood donors and organ donors. Let us remember all of those who voluntarily give of their time, talents, blood-sweat-and-tears to help unfortunate victims of violence and natural disasters. Let us remember volunteer fire fighters and ordinary people who risk their lives to pull people and pets from burning buildings. Let us lift up the benevolence of strangers in the checkout line who offer to pay for the groceries of someone who cannot afford them. These are news-worthy heroes one and all.

If we could filter out and eliminate much of the negative, displacing it with positive, perhaps the clouds of despair would dissipate. Perhaps the fires of anger and hatred could be extinguished. Perhaps we could foster a world filled with peace and harmony. If it is to be, it’s up to me. “I am only one, still I am one. I cannot do everything, still I can do something. Let me not refuse to do the thing that I can do.” (Helen Keller)  Each of us must do our part to make a positive impact in the world around us. No excuses.  “I can do no great things, only many things with great love.” (Mother Theresa)  If we do not do our part, however great or small, nothing can or ever will change. As individuals, we may not have the power to generate sweeping global change. But collectively we CAN change the world.  Love CAN conquer all. But it can only happen if each of us makes a conscious, concerted effort to facilitate and foster love. “Love one another” … not an easy task. But one that is far less traumatic and deadly than the winds of war. Each day, as we go about our daily lives, let us seek out just one thing that we can do today (each and every day) to make a positive difference in someone else’s life. Let us turn off the negativity and love one another … yes, even our enemies. Only we can break the cycle of hatred and violence and foster Peace.

Bad Words in NCAA Tournament – Racism Alive & Well

It was late in the first half of Thursday’s second-round NCAA tournament match-up between Kansas State and the University of Southern Mississippi. Kansas State’s point guard, Angel Rodriguez, was fouled … not merely by a player on the court, but by Southern Miss band members in the stands who chanted “Where’s your green card?” These young adults need a lesson in history and geography, and a strong lesson in conduct. 

Yes, Rodriguez is from Puerto Rico … a U.S. commonwealth, whose Chief of State is the President of the United States of America. Mr. Rodriguez doesn’t need a green card. Even if he were from a foreign country, would it matter? It shouldn’t. The conduct of these band members is deplorable. It echoes a long American history of racism and xenophobia (fear of “strangers”, “foreigners”). 

As a privileged, white American woman I would love to believe that racism in this country ended with the civil rights movement of the 60s. Unfortunately, it hasn’t. The President of Southern Mississippi apologized to Mr. Rodriguez and vowed to take “quick and appropriate disciplinary action against the students involved in this isolated incident”. Regrettably, this is not an “isolated incident”. Sadly, bigotry, prejudice, racism – however you want to name it – is alive and well. These band members brought it out of the shadows into a very public arena. Just like a bumper sticker that I saw today which read: “Don’t Re-Nig in 2012”. I am appalled at both. There is a racial undercurrent in this country that all of us need to be mindful of and that we must cry out against when it rears its ugly head. 

The Southern Miss band members involved need to be reprimanded and reminded of Ephesians 4:29 – “Let no evil talk come out of your mouths, but only what is useful for building up, as there is need, so that your words may give grace to those who hear.” (NRSV) In other words, if you haven’t got anything nice to say, then don’t say anything at all. Don’t get me wrong. I fully believe in freedom of speech, provided by the First Amendment to the Constitution. What I don’t believe in is the use of any form of language that belittles, denigrates or harms any person. That’s just wrong. And I do not believe that racial epithets are what the authors of the First Amendment had in mind.

“Rash words are like sword thrusts, but the tongue of the wise brings healing.” (Proverbs 12:18, NRSV) 

What we need is more healing in this country and around the world. Only sincere dialog, rather than throwing painful words like hand grenades, can begin the healing process. Healing and social transformation are precisely what Martin Luther King, Jr. began with his Dream and the civil rights movement. But, racism, like so many diseases is insidious. Too many of us ignore subtle symptoms until we suffer devastating and irreparable consequences of the disease and succumb to it. We cannot ignore the symptoms of racism. We cannot permit those symptoms to go unchecked. We must continue striving toward the Dream, so that one day it will be realized and we will live together in peace. 

Merciful God, we pray for courage and diligence, to quiet those who would oppress - those who would harm others with their rash words of intolerance. Soften their hearts to see and appreciate the diversity of humanity that you created, so that they may finally love their neighbors as themselves. Amen.