We Must Die

I once was blessed with a visit from a monarch butterfly.  One of its wings was tattered, and as I stood there in a crowd at a summer festival, it took a moment to rest on my chest.  It stayed there for quite awhile, and then it continued on its journey.  I know that this was a message of transformation in my life, and I am often brought back to this memory at this time of year.  Next Sunday, Western Christianity will begin Holy Week, when we experience the death and resurrection of Christ in a most profound and deeply moving way.  But if we were to view death as being something solely related to the body, than we would be missing the point.

In this past Sunday's gospel reading, Jesus says to his disciples, "Very truly, I tell you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains just a single grain; but if it dies, it bears much fruit." (John 12:24, NRSV).  As he often does, he is speaking on two levels.  Yes, he is going to be put to death, and in his death, new life will grow.  But there is another death, one that all of us must undergo if we are to truly live our lives as people of God.  We must die to our fear.

Fear is what holds us back from welcoming the stranger.  Fear is what strangles us from speaking out against injustice.  Fear is what binds us in a poverty of spirit that darkens our very soul.  And it is that darkened soul that spews forth acts of violence, both verbal and physical, against others.  It is the breeding ground of ignorance and hate.

Earlier this month, a teenager, Trayvon Martin, was killed.  In the 911 calls, the man who killed him seemed consumed with fear, and even though he was told not to follow Trayvon, he did...and he shot him. 

There is a play touring now called "8" that depicts the courtroom testimony in the account of the Federal District Court trial of Perry v. Schwarzenegger, the case filed to overturn Prop. 8, which eliminated marriage equality in California.  The television cameras were blocked from the original trial after the defendants (those opposing marriage equality) fought to keep them out.  Why?  Because, as is clear when one hears the testimony, what was being put on trial there was fear and hate.

Like the butterfly, who must die to its former life as a caterpillar in order to be born anew with the ability to fly, we must also die.

We must die to our fears in order to live fully into who we are as children of God.  Just as in baptism we die into Christ's death and are re-born into Christ's life, we must die to all that binds us, all that traps us in a life of hate, violence, and anger toward our brothers and sisters on this earth - and for that matter, for all of creation.  We must die to our ignorance, our willingness to look away from the horrors of our actions in the world against other human beings, helpless creatures, the land, the sea, and the air.  

And when we die to the fear, we will be reborn to a life of light and love.  We will see the stranger as our brother or sister, the animals in the world as part of a flock over which we watch, and the earth as a precious gift.  Imagine a world such as that! 

Wishing you all the blessings of a Holy Week that brings you into the fullness of death and the resurrection to come.  May the transformation bring new life to you, that you may fly with the wind!

Chaplain Diana

The Legacy of Tyler For the World and the Church

It has taken me some time to move to a place where I could write about the events of the past several weeks, and the tragic loss of young lives.  There are no words to describe the spiritual pain of those driven to suicide, nor that of those left behind mourning them.  It seemed any attempt to write about it would never do justice to what has become a growing injustice in our society - and perhaps that is fitting.  But, I know that another reason I could not respond was that I was just too angry and too saddened to find the words.

What has happened to us?

I will leave it to the sociologists and psychologists to scientifically explain why one person would mistreat another person, or an animal, or why that seems to be escalating in the last several decades.  I am much more interested in saying what I feel needs to be said everyday by everyone.

GOD LOVES EVERYONE!

Every person is our brother or sister.  The Tyler Clementi's of this world, and yes, the Dharun Ravi's and Molly Wei's.  Everyone.  We have a responsibility to not only live this message, but to work to ensure that all children feel it in their souls.

We must address both the bullying, and the suicides that follow.  We cannot turn our backs and say that "my child would never do such a thing" because all children are our responsibility as a society.  But even more, the church bears responsibility for its complicity in this system of oppression against gay children.  The message cannot be "love the sinner, hate the sin." Implicit in that is a condemnation of those who were created by God to love those of the same sex.  The church must stop the squabbling over scriptural interpretation and stand up for all the world to hear shouting "all of humanity is a creation of God, and as such, is good and loved by God, and fully welcomed at the table."  Period!

Any person who feels a need to marginalize another is feeling marginalized themselves.  The cycle builds on itself, and we must stop this carousel of inhumanity and say "NO MORE!"  Whenever a part of God's creation is harmed, we are all diminished.

And to all those who might believe that suicide or murder is an answer to the bullying - STOP!  You are loved beyond words.  You have a life waiting for you that is filled with possibilities, and experiences beyond your imagination.  We want to know you as you grow along your journey.  You matter to us, and to God.  You are not alone.  Nothing can ever separate you from the love of God.  If you are thinking about suicide, please contact this number immediately and they will assist you:

NATIONAL SUICIDE PREVENTION LIFELINE:
1-800-273-TALK (English), 1-888-628-9454 (Spanish)

All of us must do whatever we can to pay attention, to be the ones to stand up against injustice, to stop our busy lives to listen to the silence of one who struggles to speak who they are, and to see in everyone we meet the face of God hungering for our recognition.

Whenever we face a tragedy, we hear the words "Never Again."  This time, let's make them more than just words.

God's Peace,
Chaplain Diana