For a younger priest, who asked me to comment on on recent catastrophic election:
Let us remember the teaching of
the holy neo-martyr Dietrich Bonhoeffer, that grace is without price but not
without cost. Ours is an apocalyptic faith, which regards times of crisis as
times of grace. The End, in fact, is near. Only a fool would predict the final
outcome of the current crisis. Whatever it may be, the world as it has been has
ended. Platitudes about the sun still coming up are meaningless. [The sun rose
every day over Auschwitz — situated, by the way, in a lovely place].
Nevertheless, we understand hope to mean that whatever happens Divine Love is
ultimately victorious.
This does not mean that the United States of America will continue as it
has been — or even at all. Self-congratulatory faith in America as the “last
best hope" is also fatuous. 3,000 years ago the psalmist advised “put not your trust in princes.” For us, that
means not to place our faith in the American experiment, however noble we may
imagine it to be. But we can trust in the abundance of grace, costly grace.
Signs of this grace appear all
around. Be vigilant for them. Remember the Buffalo herd that came to visit the
protectors at Standing Rock. God is with the just. That doesn’t mean success in
the short term. It doesn’t mean we will not lose everything. Whatever happens,
let us remember that, as long as we are genuinely on the side of the poor, God
is with us, because God dwells among them. Fifteen legions of angles fight with
us.
Meanwhile, we must not simply
wait to see what happens. We must grieve — for a time — but grief can turn into
a form of depression. Let us remember Joe Hill’s last words before he was
murdered by the State of Utah more than 100 years ago: DON’T MOURN — ORGANIZE!
It is time to get busy. Go to meetings. Go to demonstrations. Give whatever you
can to organized non-violence resistance. I would say that qualifies as
almsgiving, because the end is the defense of the poor and helpless. Intensify
all your practices of spiritual warfare, because our struggle is with "spiritual
wickedness in high places." So, give alms, fast and pray. Fast twice a
week and give the money you save to the poor or to those who defend them.
Increase your time -commitment to prayer, standing (or sitting) with the mind
and the heart before God. Invoke the Holy Name of Jesus with respirations. And
then go out and join the organizing.
We may do all of this in a spirit
of joy and gentleness, because we cannot lose. I don’t mean that we MUST not
lose, but that we literally CANNOT lose,
because our Divine Savior has already won. Even If We Die, His Victory is our
victory.
Yesterday, I promised a Somali
friend that if they came to get him, they would have to take me too. As you may
know, Trump came to Minneapolis specifically to threaten our Somali community.
We had better not imagine that this will never happen. The unthinkable has
already happened.
Our apocalyptic roots can serve
us well in this evil hour. Whatever the cost, we may lift up our heads and
rejoice because our redemption is drawing near.
Blessed are they who consider the poor and needy,
The Lord will deliver them
in the time of trouble.
- Ps. 41
