“How Long, O Lord ...” Psalm 94
Gun versus gun, gun versus gun, gun versus gun – on and on and on from city to state to country.
Countries under siege by militias both Christian and Muslim. . . Americans brought to their knees literally, either at the point of a gunman holding hostages or police holding citizens; shots ring out in the name of justice, or even of God. All brought to our collective knees asking our Higher Power to wring some truth and peace out of such tragedy, after tragedy, after tragedy. . .
The horrendous carnage of death and mutilation that is rendered by a single person or small group with these incredibly high-powered guns, trying to make political, religious, moral, or “lawful” points; when a person is too cowardly to use their words or even their fists in a fair fight. But no, at a great distance people who have been influenced by hate-speech or other contamination of the soul, can become an instant hero to some of their equally cowardly friends; shooting unarmed people in the name of their obscure ‘cause’, passionately held, selfishly and terminally imposed.
Guns, the culture of guns, their introduction resulted in the final extermination of many wild animal species in the American West as well as most of its native human residents. Somehow we are immune to these horrific acts done in the name of “civilization”, and shamed the name of Christianity, the faith I claim.
Jesus would never sanction any taking of life by any weapon, except perhaps for food. Those who bear arms had better be very careful to remember why you would carry such a potentially lethal instrument of destruction. . . so you can open fire in a crowded restaurant because someone might, like Pulp Fiction, choose to hold up the place where you are dining?
December 10-14 is the National Gun Violence Prevention Sabbath weekend, marking the third anniversary of the shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary school in Connecticut. Our own town’s residents have witnessed shooting on our streets.
The Episcopal Church, the Christian denomination to which I belong, through the Episcopal Peace Fellowship is participating in vigils throughout the country. On 14 December Maine’s Gun Safety Coalition Candlelight Vigil; National Vigil for Victims of Gun Violence on 13 December in San Diego; Light in Deepest Night, on 12 December in Bethesda Maryland; Prayer Vigil for Gun Violence, Port Huron, Michigan, 10 December; and North Carolinians Against Gun Violence 10 December – for Sandy Hook as well as the 90,000 American victims of gun violence since December 2012.
Did you catch that? Ninety thousand deaths by guns in America in three years?
The Canticle in Clinton invites us “to shine a light” at 6 p.m. on 10 December, sponsored by the National Vigil to #EndGunViolence.
Overcoming our amazing skills of forgetfulness and denial, we must admit we have a national health epidemic. Join a group near you to bring about healing from, and treatment for, this disease.
The Revd Peter Sickels is Priest in Charge of Christ Episcopal Church in Clinton, Iowa, USA.