I am sure we are all still reeling from the shock of the events of this week. Since Tuesday, there has been almost non-stop news broadcasting on radio and television, though very little of it new. Broadcasters, political analysts, economists, politicians, survivors and ordinary people have told the story and speculated on likely outcomes. I have heard demands for vengeance and recrimination. I have listened to talk about acts of war and reprisals to follow. I have heard students talking about world war three, and even about the end of the world.
I think the first thing we need to do is to stop and take a deep breath, and this, of course is precisely what we are doing as we celebrate this Eucharist of the Risen Christ this morning.
So, while we do our spiritual deep breathing, let me tell you, that whatever it is decided to do, I don't think we need fear world war #3: There may be war, but the international political situation, as I see it, does not suggest that war would become total. And I certainly do not fear the imminent end of the world any more today than at any other time. Anyway, as I understand the Biblical teaching, we are supposed to await the end of the world with joy, never knowing when it will come, and meanwhile get on with our lives where God has called us to be.
What I want to do this morning is to put three questions. I have heard each of these questions as a very small and minor part of all the talking of the past days, but I believe that they are the most important things that have been said.
Question # 1 "What is it about the structures of our world that gives rise to the violence and devastation, not only of this week, but of many times and many places?"
What happened on Tuesday was a horrible, inhuman crime against innocent men and women and perhaps children too, and while those who directly perpetrated it died in its execution, those who stood behind it and were complicit in it deserve to be brought to justice. But let us set the event in a wider context. 5,000, perhaps 10,000 people died. Every day of every week of every year many times that number die in agony from hunger and preventable disease, not to mention in the other conflicts of our world. Their deaths are directly related to what we describe by the sanitized word "globalization". I prefer the word neo-colonialism. Whatever word we use, it describes the economic and political relationships of our world, which have been so arranged that the rich countries continuously suck wealth from the poor countries, thereby becoming richer, while the poor become poorer. This has been going on and growing in scope since the triangular slave trade of the 18th Century. Economics, though, is only part of the phenomenon of globalization. Another major part is the goo-like spread of western, and specifically North American culture around the globe. Those who wish to espouse other beliefs, other world-views, other outlooks on life are increasingly marginalized. Those who wish to resist the economic and cultural forces of globalization, find themselves faced with incredible powers of opposition. Some, like me, I am afraid, merely talk about it. Others demonstrate at international meetings. Some turn to violence. There are two kinds of violence in our world. There is horrible criminal violence, which reached unbelievable depths of terror this past week. But there is also the continuous violence supported by states and economic institutions, designed maintain the status quo, and keep the wealth flowing from poor to rich. Those comments bring me to:
Question #2 "How can we build a world of greater justice leading to greater peace and greater security?"
The majority of voices I have heard these last few days speak of dealing with terrorism by punishing the innocent of certain nations by military action, and by increasing security in our own society to a level which would probably make life intolerable if it were to be in any way effective. For what it is worth, I believe that the first would lead only to more terrorism, and the second would lead to more sophisticated and clever terrorists. What we really need to do is to work together for a really new world order, which would remove the causes which drive people to terrorism in the first place. Such a world would be a very different place from the one we know today. Because the resources of the world are either finite or limited in their growth by other factors, a more just distribution would mean that we and future generations would have to learn to expect less than we enjoy now, or as some radical economists have suggested, learn to expect the rewards of life in very different forms. Enjoying a simple but good meal with friends, and visiting the theatre or a concert, requires far less of the words resources than owning and driving a car, and spreads the cost benefits much further. Which leads me to:
Question # 3 "How can those whose lives are motivated by faith or good will work together to devise life-styles which can be the building blocks of a new world?"
Notice first that the question speaks of faith and good will, not any specific set of beliefs. One of the clear causes of terrorism, both historically and in the present day is the fundamentalism present in many religions, which says we are right and everybody else is wrong. And while specific fundamentalisms are behind many of today's conflicts, let us not forget that a general belief in the superiority of Christian civilization lies behind the historic project of globalization. So first, I believe, we need to learn from each other, and today the other faith is not the other side of the world. It is round the corner, on the next street, next door. If we approach the other's faith with openness, we shall often find, in the most surprising ways, that what we share in common is greater that what divides us. Having discovered that, then we can work together on life style issues. Few of us have any power to change the world, but we can change the way we live in our immediate environment. We can learn to live together in family, in communities, in associations, in ways, which foster communication, service, less demand on resources, and therefore the promotion of more equal distribution of those resources, care and love.
I truly believe that the community meal offered in Grace Church each day of the week is an example to the whole world of a way of life which could radically change our whole world into a better place.
My starting point in these reflections has been the events of this week- but I believe that the thoughts of the scripture are also an important guide for us, so let me end with three comments on today's readings. (Jeremiah 4:11-12, 22-28, 1 Timothy 1:12-17, Luke 15:1-10)
Jeremiah reminds us that hearing the word of the Lord should not lead us to condemn others, but to receive God's critique of ourselves. The writer of the letter to Timothy tells us that what is important is not the wrong directions of our past, but of the spiritual power available to us to start again in love. Jesus' parable insists that all are welcome into the community, and indeed the greatest effort should be made toward the one who is most unlike us.
The Very Rev Michael J.Pitts, Dean