In the heaviness…
I was sitting in the hair salon on Saturday afternoon when I saw a tweet about the hostage situation at Congregation Beth Israel Synagogue in Colleyville, Texas. 4 people were held hostage for over twelve hours. The terrorist was killed and the four hostages were rescued, physically unharmed.
As I got my hair cut, I periodically checked tweets to see what was happening. I prayed for a quick and speedy resolution to the awful situation when we went to Mass at 4 p.m. that afternoon, and as we went to bed on Saturday night, Governor Abbot had announced the end of the standoff, and I breathed a sigh of relief.
I live hundreds and hundreds of miles away from Colleyville, Texas. I have no connection whatsoever to that synagogue. But still, as a citizen of this country and a Christian, my heart broke as we learned of yet another anti-Semitic attack on innocent people.
And I kept asking myself — what can I do?
And the answer really is: technically, not a whole lot. Not in some big, colossal way.
But, I can tell my kids (as they grow older) about that evil behavior and teach them why it’s wrong. I can work to foster peace, harmony, and solidarity in my own hometown community. I can pray for safety and protection of marginalized and minority communities and groups, and I can offer support and resources as needed and as I have them available.
I have a friend in New York who lives in an apartment building with a number of Jewish families. She and her family have committed to walking their Jewish neighbors to their synagogue on Saturdays, providing them some community support and protection. It’s small - but it’s something.
And I think sometimes, even in the small, and even in the realm of our little influence, we can do something. We can break through the heaviness, and help find the light.
MLK Day
Today we remember Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., a man known for so much - saying things we quote, fighting fights for equality and justice that we sometimes take for granted and assume is “all done” now. Pope Pius VI, the day he was killed, called Martin Luther King “a Christian prophet for racial integration” and mourned his death during his Sunday Angelus.
This federal holiday is also marked as a “day of service” - to encourage people to fight for equity and justice in their own communities.
Would that we all work to do this…