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Dear St. Augustine's 'ohana,
This Sunday, we commemorate Queen Lili'uokalani, who lived as a light-filled example of loving compassion. In the face of persecution, she embraced the spirit of reconciliation. Her actions inspire us, especially as we reflect on what's happening in the world today.
No human being deserves the horrific violence of war, no matter how complex the circumstances. Trauma researcher and Holocaust survivor Dr. Gabor Maté acknowledges that it is difficult to speak about the violence in Gaza, no matter where you stand. He says (my paraphase) that emotions evoked by events of the past are understandable; they can serve as an explanation of the violence, but they cannot serve as a justification of the violence. Nothing can justify the violence.
"Explainable and justifiable are not the same," he says. "If our intention is to move forward to peace, we have to be able to understand the experiences and emotions of the other side." Maté says there needs to be ceasefire and a dialog leading to the exchange of innocent hostages being held on both sides.
I encourage you to watch his video interview with his daughter, Hannah, which offers a compassionate and important counterpoint to views held by David Gappell, who spoke after church last week at St. Augustine's. I have deep compassion for Gappell's perspective, and I'm glad we listened to him. He and his family yearn for peace. I also see the wisdom of a path to peace that acknowledges the oppressive and violent colonialism that some Zionist views have produced in Gaza and the West Bank.
It's a complex situation. For peace and reconciliation to take hold, it's necessary to understand that no single group—Zionists, Israelis, Palestinians, etc.—can be condensed to one view. I continue to sit with this from a position of needing to learn much more about others' views and from a position of continual work inside myself to acknowledge and transmute views I hold (especially subconscious views or biases) that stand in the way of embracing reconciliation. As a church, as a diocese, we will embark on a journey of reconciliation in 2024 through a course developed to help us each step of the way. It's difficult work of vital importance for our 'ohanas, our community, and our world.
Above all, our responsibilities lie in holding love and compassion. And so, as we commemorate Queen Lili'uokalani this weekend, let's reflect on a message of love from Presiding Bishop Michael Curry:
"You may know me as the pastor who is always talking about love, and I am. But today I am mindful that the urgency of love—true, sacrificial love that respects all of humanity—is not just a good feeling, and it is not easy.
We are called to a love that demands much from us. We are called to a love that tells the truth.
Today I raise my voice for love because more than 10,000 people have died in Gaza, including more than 4,000 children.
The violence is horrific, and the geopolitics are complex, but my call to love is simple: Stop the killing. Stop all of it. Stop it today.
We will not be silent while an entire population is denied food, water, electricity, and fuel needed to run hospitals. We cannot stand by while thousands of civilians die. Our partners in the region tell us they live in terror—that they feel they have died even while alive. They feel that the international community is tacitly sanctioning the killing of civilians and the bombing of schools, hospitals, and refugee camps.
Staying quiet in this moment would be a stain upon our souls and would deepen our complicity.
U.S. leadership must tell Israel to stop bombing civilian areas and allow access for full humanitarian aid to flow freely into Gaza.
Every human child of God—Palestinian and Israeli—deserves safety and security. We need to stop the killing. Today.
Vengeance will not bring back the dead. Retaliation will not repair the harms and the hurt. We are called to love, even and especially when it seems impossible.
We must stop the next 10,000 from being killed. As Episcopalians, we must call upon our leaders—President Biden, members of Congress, and others—to be unequivocal that we need to stop the killing. Today. This is clearly what love demands of us."
Blessings,
Vicar Jennifer
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