It was 4 a.m. and I was groggy-eyed on the way to catch a 6 a.m. flight, when I heard about the massacre of 50 worshipers in New Zealand. I confess that initially I only felt numb. One more shooting. We all know what follows: talk of sensible gun laws and improved mental health services. It is easy to move on to the next headline.
But two aspects of this tragedy pierced the barrier to my heart. One was learning that the murderer was motivated by white supremacy. He posted the crime video online so that others who share his ideology of hate would be motivated to perpetuate more hate. It gave me pause to picture this worldwide community of people who share my skin tone, banding together to destroy all who are different. It made me wonder in what ways I subtly and unknowingly contribute to a culture where some are assumed to be good and others bad. And it renewed my passion for teaching what the Christian scriptures teach: “You shall love the stranger” (Deut. 10) and “There is no longer Jew or Greek, there is no longer slave or free, there is no longer male and female, for you are all one in Christ.” (Galatians 5).  What are the ways that you and I can, in our everyday lives, sow seeds of compassion, justice and respect for those who are different from us?
The second aspect that pulled me in, was the story of a woman in the mosque who immediately started saving others by getting them safely out of the way of the gunfire. Then she went back in the mosque to get her husband who was in a wheelchair. And she was mortally wounded. I cannot tell you a lot about her Islamic faith, but I know from this action she took to save others that she behaved like Jesus who said that there is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. She loved like Jesus loved.
And for me, that is enough to make us sisters and fellow strugglers in the journey towards peace.
Grace and peace,
Carla