Gone Until September 2005

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Thou Shalt Not Kill

from Father John Dear's homily on June 10,2004
(Matthew 5:19-26)

Last weekend, Daniel Berrigan and I spoke to a church gathering on Block Island, Rhode Island about these difficult days of war. A ninety-nine year old woman named Ira stood up and told about her grandson who has been preparing to enter the seminary to become a minister, but then decided to join the Marines. She asked him, “If someone orders you to kill, are you going to obey that order?” Yes, he said. “But aren’t you planning to become a minister someday?” Yes, he answered again. “Well, Jesus would never kill anyone and he orders you not to kill anyone no matter what.”

The grandson was speechless. But he has gone into the Marines and is now in Iraq. She continues to write him, urging him not to kill anyone and advising him to quit immediately. “I have seen wars throughout my entire life,” she said, “but I can tell you that war never solves anything. War destroys everything and makes everything worse. We have to be against war for the rest of our lives.”

In our Gospel from the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus tells us, “You have heard that it was said, ‘Thou shalt not kill, and whoever kills will be liable to judgment.’ But I say to you, whoever is angry with his brother or sister will be liable to judgment. Therefore, if you bring your gift to the altar, and there you recall that your brother or sister has anything against you, leave your gift there at the altar, go first and be reconciled with your brother or sister, and then come and offer your gift.”

The Gospel is very clear. We have two choices. We can be like the scribes and the Pharisees of Jesus’ time, disregard this great commandment, and kill in the name of God to maintain our power and prestige; we can be like Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld and their generals and refuse to reconcile or show love; we can be angry and support the killing of thousands and millions of people in Iraq and elsewhere in order to protect U.S. interests and oil companies. Or, like the saints and martyrs, we can follow Jesus, refuse to kill, be mindful of the roots of violence within us, refuse to give in to our anger, forgive those who hurt us, reconcile with those who have something against us, love our enemies and practice divine compassion.

What we are trying to do is simple and yet difficult; it does not attract media interest or worldly esteem. We are trying to follow the nonviolent Jesus. We not only refuse to kill or support war, we try to watch the anger and violence within us, to maintain the peace of Christ in our hearts through prayer and forgiveness, to reconcile with everyone, to love our enemies and even to practice perfect compassion toward all beings, just like Jesus. This is the wisest choice we can make, the best thing we can do with our lives, the most helpful way to live in these dark times.

The goal of this Gospel life lies in the opening verse: “to let our righteousness surpass that of the scribes and Pharisees.” We too have to surpass our modern day culture of Pharisees, to surpass the warmarkers of the day--Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld, and their generals, as well as the warmaking church and its military churchmen--and so “to enter the kingdom of heaven,” here and now, at this Eucharist and every moment for the rest of our lives. All we have to do is live in peace, resist Bush’s wars, show compassion toward one and all, stand in peace with all people, and follow the nonviolent Jesus.

Things Republicans Believe: A truthful and sarcastic list

1. A president lying about an extramarital affair is an impeachable offense. A president lying to enlist support for a war in which thousands die is a solid defense policy

2. Government should limit itself to the powers named in the Constitution, which include banning gay marriages and censoring the Internet.

3. The public has a right to know about Hillary's cattle trades, but George Bush's driving record is none of our business.

4. What Bill Clinton did in the 1960s and John Kerry did in the 1970s is of vital national interest, but what Bush did in the '80s is irrelevant.

5. Providing health care to all Iraqis is sound policy. Providing health care to all Americans is socialism.

6. Global warming and tobacco's link to cancer are junk science, but creationism should be taught in schools.

7. Group sex and drug use are degenerate sins unless you someday run for governor of California as a Republican.

8. If condoms are kept out of schools, adolescents won't have sex.

9. Being a drug addict is a moral failing and a crime, unless you're a conservative radio host. Then it's an illness and you need our prayers for your recovery.

10. A woman can't be trusted with decisions about her own body, but multinational corporations can make decisions affecting all mankind without regulation.

11. Jesus loves you, and shares your hatred of homosexuals and Hillary Clinton.

12. A good way to fight terrorism is to belittle our longtime allies, then demand their cooperation and money.

13. Saddam was a good guy when Reagan armed him, a bad guy when Bush's daddy made war on him, a good guy when Cheney did business with him and a bad guy when Bush needed a "we can't find Bin Laden" diversion.

Henry Rollins in Santa Fe

Last Saturday night, my wife and I arrived in Santa Fe for some much needed down time. After checking into our hotel, we walked around the Plaza in search of something to eat. Passing the Lensic Theater, we noticed all of "the kids" hanging out. Punks, granolas, hippies, et ecetera. This was our kind of crowd (and not something that is usually found in Santa Fe).

The gathering was for Henry Rollins. Rollins was in Santa Fe for his Shock & Awe tour. We had to go and it was great. Rollins was political (using Bush's own words to point out the ignorance of the president), he was humerous (sharing his experience of hanging out at William Shatner's house for Monday Night Football and the Super Bowl), and he was gripping (telling stories of spending time with amputee-soldiers returning from combat and their families).

If you get a chance to see him do it. It was a great time.