“Compassion constitutes a radical form of criticism, for
it announces that the hurt is to be taken seriously, that the hurt is not to be
accepted as normal and natural but is an abnormal and unacceptable condition
for humanness.”
Walter
Brueggemann
________________________
Ah Lord
May I call you that?
I am crushed, sickened.
I am soiled
As if I have trod through the ooze and slime
And old decay (CS Lewis)
Of human greed, and megalomania
Of anger turned to enmity
Worry turned to hopelessness
I feel like I no longer see a way forward
Through the dumpster fire of
Resentment, envy, and discontent
It feels like hate has won
Voted into power, dominating and retributive
As if the world is spinning apart
its heart breaking
the center, the core
Of decency, morality, truth,
disintegrating
Until good is evil, and evil is good
Truths are deemed lies, and lies are accepted as truths
Justice is deferred and denied
Equity is a joke, and
Equality is a threat to be assailed
We have handed ourselves over
To fools
To people who would manipulate, misinform, and destroy
Gloom permeates the air
Like a winter fog
I want to lash out
But how does one hit fog?
Blows are useless
I try to speak the truth in love
But the love seems to be missing
And my words, my passionate writings
My earnest pleas
My kind words, my angry words
My measured words, my bitter words
Do nothing (Good)
What can I do, Lord?
How do I resist?
Perhaps there is a lesson
To be learned from your quiet entry into the world
A lesson to be learned from your living
And your dying
Your refusal to answer hate with hate
Violence with violence
Domination with domination
Perhaps the answer is to found
In your compassion
For all people
No matter who they were, or what they had done
No matter what lies they had believed
Or choices they made
Even when they chose a thief, a killer
Over you
You remained compassionate
I think the lesson is there Lord
Compassion is resistance.
Resistance to the darkness.
Resistance to all the things that hurt, and divide.
Compassion is a radical form of criticism,
It insists that hurt, in whatever form it comes
Is not acceptable
That greed and abuse are abnormal
That injustice must be taken seriously
But compassion is also a strategy
It is what leads us to feed the hungry,
clothe the naked,
fight for justice
protect the vulnerable
welcome the stranger
Lord
Wash the anger, confusion, and resentment
From my soul
Fill me with love and compassion
In your tender mercy, come like the rising sun
Shine on us, living in this darkness
In the shadow of death
And guide our feet into the path of peace (Luke 1)
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