Like every citizen, I watched the events as they unfolded in our capitol building, a symbol of our democracy, being stormed by an angry mob of fierce supporters of the President. Their actions were violent, being incited by our president who encouraged this volatile response with his speech near the capitol building. To think that foreign terrorists didn’t cause this disgusting situation but our own citizens.
We, as citizens of this great country, are filled with anger and sadness at how the very foundations of our democracy were threatened. And the rest of the world watched in horror, for we are supposed to be a beacon of hope that democracy can work peacefully. This must be our wake up call opening our eyes to the type of people we elect to lead us and govern us. The character and integrity of the person running for office are factors we must take into account.
What should be our response, right now? To sit in prayer, opening our hearts to the Spirit of Christ who walked into the synagogue in his village, read from Isaiah the prophet and declared himself as the one to bring good news to the poor, freeing the captives and the oppressed and giving sight to the blind. Jesus fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah, and began his mission of inaugurating the Kingdom in humility and compassion.
Let us rest in prayer, letting the same Spirit that filled Jesus as he spoke to the people, fill our hearts. From this place of prayer, we can respond by boldly facing some ugly truths that surfaced in the rioting. Racism was clearly evident with the presence of confederate flags. The violent rhetoric in social media needs to stop. And on all sides. May our prayer help us to respond as disciples of Christ.
Peace,
Fr. Frank