“…They will fall by the edge of the sword and be led captive among all nations”- Luke 21:24
Again, the United States finds its citizens crying, confused and concerned as another mass shooting has taken the lives of those who were doing nothing more than living them. Once again, scores of family members are left to mourn and miss those who have been unnecessarily snatched away from them. Again, the demons of racism, anti-blackness and hatred that live under the floorboards of this country are rearing their heads and still being ignored. Yet again, people, desirous of seeing government address these travesties are left to ingest the impotency of those they have elected to represent them. Between the vigils and the prayers and the lobbying and the demonstrations (all of which play a role in bring about the changes many would like to see), it is as if we are all on a wheel of inefficiency; one that never stops and just continues to spin. Consider that I haven’t even named which specific act of mass murder I am referring to. I don’t have to because whether it is in New York or California or Texas or anywhere else, the sadness and suffering are still the same.
While there is no casualty greater than the lives that continue to be lost in the midst of this madness, There is a silent sufferer in all of this that continues to go unseen. This entity has not yet expired but certainly finds vitality vacating its body. She has been so ravaged by her congenital disease of discrimination that all she touches is affected by her sickness. She ignores the existence of the illness which makes treating the illness even more difficult. Every attempt to assess the ailment is met with accusations of being unpatriotic and unintelligent. In fact, addressing her illness only cause her to emotionally project and suggests that those attempting to help her are actually sickened with the disease she, herself, is facing. The victim I am referring to is the very soul of the United States. While the US Constitution (imperfections and all) represents a real statement of what the soul of the nation aspires to be, her function for the past two centuries has been in conflict and contradiction with those aspirations. For all of her professions of “domestic tranquility”, “general welfare”, & “blessings of Liberty”, her practices do not promote these proclamations.
Do not let our social media hyperactivity, wealth & opulence cloud your eyes to what we are all witnessing in this moment. The inaction of legislators in response to these acts of violence, the clear articulation that allegiance to a political party matters more than public safety & the ever growing list of places in America where one can lose their life simply for living it all give a grim diagnosis of what we are living through: the slow, painful death of America’s soul.
And IF we are going to save America’s soul, we need to muster the courageous audacity to tell the truth about the state of this nation until the nation is honest with herself about herself. In the name of a God who grieves as we do…on behalf of those whose lives have lapsed as a result of these needless barbarities, we are called to raise awareness, attention & agitation to the reality of mass violence in America. We cannot allow the feeling of hopelessness to dissuade us from declaring into the darkness of doubt that the light of righteousness will yet shine, The souls of those who have lives yearning to be fully lived, the potential and promise of souls yet to be born…the soul of this republic, hangs in the balance.
When those who know what is righteous do nothing to facilitate righteousness…when those who desire fairness choose not to fight for it…when those with power refuse to demand change from those afraid to lose power…when there is greater effort to govern what somebody does with their body than what they do with a gun…when injustice does not meet indictment & crime doesn’t lead to comprehensive correction, the nation they live in deteriorates & the soul of that nation, inevitably, dies.
The interrogatives that arise from this instance are far more clear than the answers. Can America ever become the highest version of what she desires to be? Is the current condition of this country, the social sicknesses of the society, unto death? Will we fight to keep the soul of America from dying?
