Blessed are they that mourn, for they shall be comforted. (Mt 5:4).
Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness, for they shall be filled. (Mt 5:6).
Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the children of God. (Mt 5:9).
The above well known verses are from the Sermon on the Mount, KJV.
I had hoped to be the first to quote these verses in conjunction with the events surrounding the murder of George Floyd. But the Rev. Michael Curry, presiding Bishop and Primate of the Episcopal Church, beat me to it this evening. Yet and still, I must plead my case.
We are mourning, tonight in America. We mourn the senseless murder of George Floyd, a black American who happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. He tendered a twenty dollar bill to a merchant for a small purchase. The merchant, who decided the bill was counterfeit, called the police, and the rest we know. A police officer in the employ of the city of Minneapolis, Minnesota killed this man, asphyxiating him by placing a knee on the man’s neck, as he lay on the ground, for eight minutes and forty six seconds, preventing him from breathing. George Floyd died after saying repeatedly, “I can’t breathe.”
We mourn the senseless deaths of others who have been killed for no reason other than their differences. In my city, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, we mourn the death of teenager Antwon Rose, killed by police for being black. We also mourn the deaths of eleven Jewish worshippers at Tree of Life Synagogue, killed for being Jewish. We mourn.
We all know what has since happened since the death of George Floyd. Even as I write this, I have one eye on the news stories of massive protests on the streets of American cities. These protestors are marching for George Floyd, for the rights of all people of color in the United States, and for the freedom of all Americans. As I write, I am seeing pictures of US Army troops in Washington, D.C. , dressed in riot gear, holding back protestors. The 82nd Airborne has been called to bunker in Northern Virginia, carrying rifles equipped with bayonets. Will these elite soldiers fire upon their fellow citizens who are pursuing righteousness, otherwise known as justice?
I write tonight to beg us all to use our heads, to be peacemakers. If the 82nd Airborne follows unlawful orders and fires upon fellow Americans, we are lost. If the 82nd Airborne follows unlawful orders and fires upon fellow Americans, our current administration will achieve its goal, open warfare upon the American people. If the 82nd Airborne follows unlawful orders and fires upon fellow Americans, we will lose our democratic republic.
Peacemakers talk to one another over coffee. Peacemakers negotiate. Peacemakers see all points of view and try to bring them together in liveable harmony. Peacemakers reject the rhetoric of war, the armaments of war, the hatred that inspires war. Peacemakers are motivated by love. We are children of God. We are all children of the same God, whether you call that God God, or Father, or Allah, or YHWH, or Sofia, or the Universe. They are all love.
Our brother Jesus came to us as the emissary of love. He came to tell us that there is a better way. Hatred, fighting, reducing the other…these are not the ways of love and peacemaking. He gave us many Commandments. But the greatest commandment is to love one another. Feed the hungry. Clothe thé naked. Visit the imprisoned.. Comfort the mourning. But love one another.
Paul writes, in 1 Corinthians 13: “Faith, Hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.” We are made to be social creatures, in harmony with one another. We throw that aside when we hurt others, most especially when we do it out of hatred. Our prejudices, our jealousies, our fears of the “other” , drive us to do crazy things to one another.
I believe that the majority of protestors on the streets of American cities are motivated by both a thirst for justice and a thirst for loving kindness. I applaud their willingness to get out there in spite of risk of contracting Covid19. The protestors are placing themselves on the line in their quest for justice. They are protesting in time-honored American tradition. I don’t want to see them or anyone get hurt.
I respectfully ask all those who are able to protest to avoid doing anything stupid. Follow the directions given by the police, many of whom have knelt in solidarity with our cause. If you get arrested, deal with it in a peaceful way. Don’t be tempted to tempt fate. Remember that we can accomplish more with love than the troublemakers can with violence. We don’t want to see the 82nd Airborne on the streets of our cities.
A not to the troublemakers: GO HOME!
Blessed are the peacemakers, for we shall be called the children of God.
Until next time, blessings.
Anne Keller. annekeller01@gmail.com