When Protest Becomes Prayer

The Book of Chronicles in the Hebrew Scriptures narrates the building of the Temple, a calling that King David was determined to achieve. However, David had been historically embroiled in many wars and in his later years when a modicum of peace appears, he starts gathering materials to build the House of the Lord. He calls his son, Solomon to him and places the burden of building the Temple on him and explains that “The Lord came to me: You have shed much blood, and you have waged great wars. You may not build a house in my honor because you have shed too much blood upon the earth in my sight.” (1 Chron. 22:7-9) But Solomon has God’s blessing “In his time I will bestow peace.” (1 Chron. 22:9) God has no tolerance for wars. Or bloodshed at the hands of aggressors.

Wars are rife and brutal in the Hebrew Scriptures and not much better in the Christian Scriptures. But it is interesting that the man who successfully fought these wars, namely David, is denied the one major privilege he sought, the building of the Temple, because he shed so much blood in wars and God was not pleased.

I wondered about this, and all the accounts of war and inhumane treatment of people caught in the web of power, aggression, and displacement as I drove to the town where I would join thousands of others in the No Kings Protest on October 20. I have been active in protests since 1980, even trained in the non-violent ways of standing up to powers of aggression. I was inspired by my sisters who served in El Salvador in the 70’s and 80’s and who experienced the brutal murders of their four American colleagues, two of whom were from Cleveland, my city. For me that was only a heartbeat away, a thin line between violence and the love of God these women taught in extremely poor villages while soldiers of a revolutionary guard threatened them at every crossroad and missiles exploded around them like Fourth of July firecrackers.

I have heard the question repeatedly: Is protesting something that a good Catholic should do?

My answer is: Yes. But only if you have studied and determined that your side of the protest is humane and life-giving.

In a recent letter to American Bishops, Pope Leo wrote that “the Church cannot be silent” in the face of the Trump administration’s brutal mass deportation efforts. In his first document, Dilexi Te, he insisted that the Catholic church must assist “the least among us,” including migrants because “the Church has always recognized in migrants a living presence of the Lord.” According to later news reports, Pope Leo also urged American bishops to stiffen their spines and “use the pulpit” to support care and advocacy on behalf of the poor in our country.

One can hardly read any portion of the Bible without encountering ‘mobs,’ ‘crowds,’ ‘groups’ in defiance of Roman civil rule in Jesus’ time, especially as Jesus goes about his peripatetic teaching. Roman soldiers circle these gatherings, arrest participants for minor infractions, all in the name of Caesar and in the quest for power over everyone. Jesus also confronted the treatment of the Essenes and the Pharisees, who were sometimes martyred for their faith, and the Zealots who were the political adversaries of Rome frequently assassinated for their resistance to Roman power. Jesus knew very well the moral cause of each of these groups and the threat their gatherings presented to authorities. He anguished over the hatred leveled at his disciples and apostles which he must have known would lead to their own martyrdoms. Jesus knew the outcomes of protests as violence and hatred swirled like vultures above prey.

Reflection

I thought of all this as I joined the protesters forming a large group at the Hudson, Ohio Commons. How were we protesting? With cheerful greetings and introductions to each other. With signs and megaphones directed to the constant flow of cars coming down Main Street beeping their horns in support, some waving signs of their own. We chanted, we sang, we walked proudly with our American flags.

To my happy surprise, among at least a thousand people, I meet a woman I had taught in the university, and I met her daughter, now a college graduate. We are hoping to have a lunch date soon. (Note the picture above.) I talk with countless people who fear for the direction our nation seems headed; they speak of husbands and brothers who fought in past wars and fathers who died in World War II in foreign lands.

I prepared for my participation spending time in prayer asking God to keep us safe and to show us the right way to stand up to the threats knocking on the door of our democracy. Several told me they were glad to tell their grandchildren they did not remain silent.

As I reflected later, I concluded that to come forward for justice and to eschew violence in the process, to add my one body and voice to thousands doing the same, was a sacred time. It was an active way to send a collective prayer, a deep appeal to a loving God. It was similar to those who gathered around Jesus and became suspect because they were listening to someone the government determined was radical. It was not just protesting; it was truly praying. It was not to defame leaders one might think not worthy of their call. It was to plead for them as well as to them. It was to plead for those treated unjustly like refugees and seniors in need of Medicare and Medicaid. It was to beg for USAid to be reinstated for the millions who need it to survive worldwide. It was to elevate the rich nation that we are to level that we will see the plight of so many we can help just to exist on any given day. It was to restore a consciousness of humanity that we blest Americans must demonstrate by simple love for all human beings.

It was why I believe all the No King protests were really a prayer.

P.S. There were no ANTIFA present. No people with visible guns. No violence. One lone man held a Trump-Pence sign which I didn’t understand since Pence has publicly disassociated himself with Trump. But the man was welcomed to join us.

These are challenging times in our country, but every voice is needed. You might only give your voice in prayer—please do so. But if you can do some action, please do that as well. I believe Jesus would do it and encourages us all to do something.The Book of Chronicles in the Hebrew Scriptures narrates the building of the Temple, a calling that King David was determined to achieve. However, David had been historically embroiled in many wars and in his later years when a modicum of peace appears, he starts gathering materials to build the House of the Lord. He calls his son, Solomon to him and places the burden of building the Temple on him and explains that “The Lord came to me: You have shed much blood, and you have waged great wars. You may not build a house in my honor because you have shed too much blood upon the earth in my sight.” (1 Chron. 22:7-9) But Solomon has God’s blessing “In his time I will bestow peace.” (1 Chron. 22:9) God has no tolerance for wars. Or bloodshed at the hands of aggressors.

Wars are rife and brutal in the Hebrew Scriptures and not much better in the Christian Scriptures. But it is interesting that the man who successfully fought these wars, namely David, is denied the one major privilege he sought, the building of the Temple, because he shed so much blood in wars and God was not pleased.

I wondered about this, and all the accounts of war and inhumane treatment of people caught in the web of power, aggression, and displacement as I drove to the town where I would join thousands of others in the No Kings Protest on October 20. I have been active in protests since 1980, even trained in the non-violent ways of standing up to powers of aggression. I was inspired by my sisters who served in El Salvador in the 70’s and 80’s and who experienced the brutal murders of their four American colleagues, two of whom were from Cleveland, my city. For me that was only a heartbeat away, a thin line between violence and the love of God these women taught in extremely poor villages while soldiers of a revolutionary guard threatened them at every crossroad and missiles exploded around them like Fourth of July firecrackers.

I have heard the question repeatedly: Is protesting something that a good Catholic should do?

My answer is: Yes. But only if you have studied and determined that your side of the protest is humane and life-giving.

In a recent letter to American Bishops, Pope Leo wrote that “the Church cannot be silent” in the face of the Trump administration’s brutal mass deportation efforts. In his first document, Dilexi Te, he insisted that the Catholic church must assist “the least among us,” including migrants because “the Church has always recognized in migrants a living presence of the Lord.” According to later news reports, Pope Leo also urged American bishops to stiffen their spines and “use the pulpit” to support care and advocacy on behalf of the poor in our country.

One can hardly read any portion of the Bible without encountering ‘mobs,’ ‘crowds,’ ‘groups’ in defiance of Roman civil rule in Jesus’ time, especially as Jesus goes about his peripatetic teaching. Roman soldiers circle these gatherings, arrest participants for minor infractions, all in the name of Caesar and in the quest for power over everyone. Jesus also confronted the treatment of the Essenes and the Pharisees, who were sometimes martyred for their faith, and the Zealots who were the political adversaries of Rome frequently assassinated for their resistance to Roman power. Jesus knew very well the moral cause of each of these groups and the threat their gatherings presented to authorities. He anguished over the hatred leveled at his disciples and apostles which he must have known would lead to their own martyrdoms. Jesus knew the outcomes of protests as violence and hatred swirled like vultures above prey.

Reflection

I thought of all this as I joined the protesters forming a large group at the Hudson, Ohio Commons. How were we protesting? With cheerful greetings and introductions to each other. With signs and megaphones directed to the constant flow of cars coming down Main Street beeping their horns in support, some waving signs of their own. We chanted, we sang, we walked proudly with our American flags.

To my happy surprise, among at least a thousand people, I meet a woman I had taught in the university, and I met her daughter, now a college graduate. We are hoping to have a lunch date soon. (Note the picture above.) I talk with countless people who fear for the direction our nation seems headed; they speak of husbands and brothers who fought in past wars and fathers who died in World War II in foreign lands.

I prepared for my participation spending time in prayer asking God to keep us safe and to show us the right way to stand up to the threats knocking on the door of our democracy. Several told me they were glad to tell their grandchildren they did not remain silent.

As I reflected later, I concluded that to come forward for justice and to eschew violence in the process, to add my one body and voice to thousands doing the same, was a sacred time. It was an active way to send a collective prayer, a deep appeal to a loving God. It was similar to those who gathered around Jesus and became suspect because they were listening to someone the government determined was radical. It was not just protesting; it was truly praying. It was not to defame leaders one might think not worthy of their call. It was to plead for them as well as to them. It was to plead for those treated unjustly like refugees and seniors in need of Medicare and Medicaid. It was to beg for USAid to be reinstated for the millions who need it to survive worldwide. It was to elevate the rich nation that we are to level that we will see the plight of so many we can help just to exist on any given day. It was to restore a consciousness of humanity that we blest Americans must demonstrate by simple love for all human beings.

It was why I believe all the No King protests were really a prayer.

P.S. There were no ANTIFA present. No people with visible guns. No violence. One lone man held a Trump-Pence sign which I didn’t understand since Pence has publicly disassociated himself with Trump. But the man was welcomed to join us.

These are challenging times in our country, but every voice is needed. You might only give your voice in prayer—please do so. But if you can do some action, please do that as well. I believe Jesus would do it and encourages us all to do something.