EC from DC - Good Will Prevail

Statement

Tomorrow is Good Friday. In my faith tradition, this is a solemn and special day. Christians will celebrate Easter on Sunday, as our Jewish brothers and sisters celebrate Passover, which began at sunset on Monday, and which will come to an end on Tuesday.

These holy days, or holidays, as we know them in our modern parlance, often overlap. These holidays provide us with a time to look around and to look inward. Even if you do not celebrate one of these holidays, spring may be a time of change, of new growth, of contemplation and consideration for you and the ones you love. You may even be celebrating the season and the (eventual) turn of the weather.

But this time of year, it dawns on me now, is also home to an unusual number of tragedies.

President Abraham Lincoln was shot on April 14, in 1865. Two brothers bombed the Boston Marathon, injuring and killing innocents, on April 15, just last year. A young man shot and killed instructors and students at Virginia Tech on April 16, 2007. The West Fertilizer plant exploded on April 17 last year, killing firefighters and bystanders. The Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City was bombed on April 19, in 1995, ending the lives of workers, children, and bystanders. The Branch Davidian Fire at Waco on April 19, in 1993, ended the lives of civilians and law enforcement. The Columbine shooting occurred on April 20, 1999. The Ludlow Massacre ended the lives of coal miners and their families in 1914.

And now we must add to this already-too-long-list of painful memories, the actions of another madman.

How can such terrible events, and so many, occur during what is a very holy time for two of the world's largest monotheistic traditions? How can we remain hopeful for spring when the coldness of winter persists?

This is a problem that all people struggle with--people of faith and of reason. There is no one reply, no right answer to this question. The events of this past Sunday remind us that we, in the heartland, have our share of hate, of injury, error, doubt, despair, darkness, and sadness. But as a popular prayer teaches us, we must also have love, pardon, truth, faith, hope, light and joy.

My heartfelt thoughts and prayers go out to all of the families and friends of those shot and killed on Sunday in the senseless, horrendous, and hate-filled targeting of children and seniors, simply because of where they were, and who the killer perceived them to be. I do not pretend to understand the pathology of hate, nor do I want to. I do not have all the answers. But I know this. Our area--our home--will stand united, and grow deeper in our strength and respect for one another, in the face of this apparent anti-Semitic attack. We shall forever honor the memory of 14 year old Reat Underwood, his grandfather Dr. William Corporon, and Teresa Lamanno.

The interfaith service held today to remember them, and celebrate their lives, was an experience I will not forget. Members of the clergy, faith leaders, and members of our community, young and old, gathered with one mind and one heart. And it struck me, that one message resonated loud and clear.

Those who hate are, indeed, present in this world. But those who love outnumber them exponentially. Their "goodness' shines so brightly, that there is an undeniable power of love, of strength, and of support that will not be denied. It was beautifully overwhelming.

My hope is that all of those touched by this unspeakable tragedy, will feel the arms of our entire community -- reaching out and pulling them close. That they will feel the love of our embrace, and be comforted by the knowledge that together, we renew our rejection of bigotry and rededicate ourselves to the fight for freedom -- and for faith.

CIVILITY CORNER

This message is influenced by the greatest theologians of our times, Lucy and Linus of Peanuts fame. Linus is contentedly watching TV when Lucy walks in and orders the changing of the channel. She backs up this demand by showing him her ferocious fist. "What makes you think you can walk in here and take over?" asks an infuriated Linus.

"These five fingers," says Lucy. "Individually they're nothing, but when I curl them together like this into a unit, they form a weapon that is terrible to behold."

"Which channel do you want?" asks Linus. Then he turns his back to Lucy and looks into his hand and at his fingers and quietly mutters, "Why can't you guys get together like that?"

Linus is a perfect illustration of Congress. Make no mistake, the United States of America might not look like much with Republicans in one corner of the ring and Democrats in the other. But we can come together, not by thinking alike or having the same political ideology, but rather by coming together in our differences and forming a single unit of government committed to the proposition that we must legislate. Just think about it, we could form a weapon for good that, in the eyes of our enemies, would be a terrible thing to behold.

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