Grace

John 8: Jesus responded to them saying,

“Let him who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.”  

This past week we were all surprised if not totally shocked when protestors challenging the American Presidential Election stormed the Capitol Building in Washington, D.C.  It was difficult to fathom how protestors could make it inside the Capitol and that members of the House of Representatives would be hiding under their desks, fearing for their lives. Many of us wondered what might have happened if protestors from  “Black Lives Matter” had tried to do the same thing.  

A group of us were discussing it during a Zoom conversation and someone in the group pointed out that perhaps we were being a bit “judgey.”   I think this person might have a point.  America has faced many challenges this year – one of the most controversial elections in its history, a president who refuses to accept the outcome of that election, riots and protests ignited by racially motivated police violence against people of colour, a pandemic causing unprecedented loss of lives.  

None the less, I think my friend is correct; pointing fingers and judging Americans in the midst of their crisis may help us, as Canadians, feel superior but really does little to help the situation.  No country is immune to fundamentalists trying to disrupt governance through violence.  Fundamentalists come from all religions, cultures, political systems and secular objectionist groups.  The one thing they all have in common is at the core of fundamentalism is --- I am right and you are wrong! This means that judging and accusing only deepens their resolve and strengthens their ideology that they are right.  And you know what that makes us!  

Understanding comes from an appreciation that periodically all democracies have to face challenges from within, if they are to change, to grow, to strengthen.  I still have images from the FLQ crisis, when I was a young Canadian in the late 70’s.  Who can forget the pictures of tanks rolling down the streets of Montreal, or soldiers with machine guns in Quebec City, or hundreds of citizens arrested without due process or the horrifying images of political prisoners found dead in the trunk of a car?  Remember how hate and vitriol spewed forth from one Canadian against another during the Meech Lake Accords?  Why are Canadian politicians leery of even saying the phrase, “Senate reform?”  Who among us can forget the backlash and hatred towards our Canadian Muslim brothers and sisters after 9-11? So indeed, my friend is correct, we are in no position to judge other countries.  

Many of us are worried about next week and the Inauguration of the new President and the possibility of violence in the streets of America. But rather than judging them, perhaps we should pray for them.  Compassion and understanding go a long way in defusing situations that can be accelerated by “pointing fingers.”  During these times of COVID, I’ve discovered that a little bit of grace and forgiveness go a long way, so let us pray for peace, for understanding between combatants and hope for a smooth transition of power in a country whose future is inexorably linked to ours.

Amen.