One of my proudest moments as an American
came on June 19th 2015 at a bond hearing for a racist domestic
terrorist. While watching it live, I didn’t expect families’ members of the
Charleston Church shooting to speak. I thought it would of just been the usual
preliminary event, one in which I could look with disgust at the face of a
demented sociopath. And then as the judge motioned for them to speak I no doubt
prepared to change the channel, knowing it would be the usual victim’s cries of
angst and woe that would fill me with resentment and sadness enough to cause me
to change the channel so as not to be affected by their pain empathically. When
confronting criminals who have harmed them, victims usually sound similar. They
wail and rightly so condemn their oppressor, letting out their anger as a catharsis
to perhaps reach some type of closure with their feelings. Ego takes over at
times while expressing such anger and sorrow. “How could you of done this to
me, you have taken so much from me, and I want you to know how much pain you
have caused. I hope you suffer”, some may proclaim. I want you to suffer as you
have made me suffer so that justice may prevail. But no. Most of these typical justifiable
reasonable feelings were not expressed by family members of this prayer study
group that was mercilessly gun down. No. As so eloquently stated by the Rev.
Norvel Goff the Sunday after the senseless massacre; these were people of
faith. Faith! Our Christ said love your enemies! Love your enemies! This piece
of the Gospel of Christ is seldom uttered perhaps because it is so profound and
alien to what? It would be reasonable to say our survival, or justice but is it?
For what do we gain from hate? What do we gain from not loving those who hate
use and harm us? Satisfaction? That’s fleeting and carnal. Do we submit to
their will, no way; that’s not love. Do we merely punish them and rebuke in the
hopes a lesson will be learned and its tenants followed therein? That’s not
enough. That’s not enough because it lacks the space needed to transcend,
transform, transmit wholly the important task of ending such hate in order to
move toward constructive change, breaking down all the barriers of vanity and
materialism that strangles and chokes the very air we breathe. That air by the
way is God.
I forgive you they
said. I hope that you may reflect upon this and come to accept the grace of God
he gives to us freely. A grace, as so historically said by our President during
the eulogy for Rev. Clementa Pinckney, “a grace that we do not deserve”. A
grace that we do not deserve! “I have mercy on your soul! God forgive you and I
forgive you!” “We would like you to take this opportunity to repent” “do that
and you will be better off”. “This is the peace and tranquility of faith and belief.
This is the strength of God fearing people. My mercy I bestow upon you so that we
all may receive mercy and peace. So that my soul may find rest and comfort,
safe from torment and pain. You see, the pain I feel as tears stream from my
face, was shed on the cross in an understanding that through love all things
good can bring harmony to my being and to us. And so one after the other they
did the most important thing they could do during that bond hearing. They knew
at that moment in time there was a purpose to their words indeed. “I
acknowledge that I am very angry,” said Bethane Middleton-Brown, sister of
one of the victims, DePayne Middleton-Doctor. But “she taught me that we are
the family that love built. We have no room for hating.” These people are my
family. I am so proud and grateful to have felt this peace giving me the
opportunity, an opportunity I don’t deserve to see all, every single person,
with love. Because God is love.
June 19th 2015 was a historic day
because it brought about healing and as the president said, it opened hearts including
his. Through these truths there are no barriers to our harmony and prosperity
as a people. Those flags that went up to favor Jim Crow will come down, our
honorable officers across this great nation will all learn how to protect and
serve as they nearly all already do, our divine righteous democracy will be achieved,
and our opportunities to prosper will grow equitably. By their example as great
Americans and true Christians we are led. We are all given the chance to be a
part of this family built on love. Go home. Go home pick up and carry the true
heart of your church, your synagogue, your temple, your meeting whatever your
faith may be so that we may all heal as the Mother Emmanuel African Methodist
Episcopal church does.
