A Virtual Church

The mantle of justice

Yesterday

When the voices of justice are silenced, who will carry the mantle forward? Between the deaths of Pope Francis, Jimmy Carter, and John Lewis, we have lost huge voices for justice. We see how their silence affects us. Justice has become a quaint word as if it belongs to a bygone era, relegated to the heart of dreamers.

When Pope Francis was elected, it was clear he was different from other popes. He chose the name Francis because the values of Francis of Assisi were his own. He would live them out for a contemporary worlf. He was a genuine lover of people. Serving the poor and marginalized, speaking out for the voiceless, he marked a path of justice that we can only hope to see in the next pope.

Jimmy Carter’s post presidency codified his legacy as a justice seeker. Habitat for Humanity was his life’s great call that blessed many people who struggled to fight homelessness. The Carter Center and his children continue his work. We can give thanks for that.

 From the time John Lewis walked the Edmund Pettus Bridge on Bloody Sunday, March 7, 1965, he was an unwavering voice for civil rights in America. His life of championing women’s rights, rights of minorities, rights for the disabled, and voting rights changed the trajectory of American culture and was a stark contrast with the new regime of congressmen who are less concerned with rights of any kind.

 The mantle grows heavy on the shoulders of those left to champion the marginalized and ensure the well-being of all Americans. They are surely among us – William Barber, Al Sharpton, Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove and others who are brave enough to speak out into the cruelty and harm being done today, cruelty that begins with our current president.

 The very idea that we would be a nation that would send people, even little children, away to gulags in other countries, without any due process or real cause will be a stain difficult to blot out. People have long memories when it comes to broken trust and failed policies, especially trade policies. We don’t yet know how tariffs will affect out economy. What we do know is that grocery prices are going up and the value of the dollar is going down.

 The issues of homelessness and poverty will not go away without justice seekers calling for stability and an end to the chaos that has filled Trump’s first hundred days. The whole world is being destabilized, especially with actions like the withdrawal of funding for USAID.  Children around the world are dying in the cessation of food and medicine they desperately need.

 “Those to whom much has been given, much is required.” Justice seekers understand this. American wealth exceeds that of every country in the world, at least it did 100 days ago. Leaders and justice seekers realize that good will is built up between nations when a helping hand is lent to help others.

 People say, “wait until the next election.” We will get another chance to set it right. I am not sure we have two years left before we are a completely authoritarian nation. The takeover is happening at warp speed.

 People need to stay loud. Shore up and encourage one another in speaking out. March in the streets and town squares, just like happened in the civil rights movement. Keep doing the town halls – even while our Republican elected officials shirk their responsibilities and break their oath. Non-violent protests from boisterous, loud, and disgruntled people are getting under Trump’s thin skin.

 We might be able to thwart a rogue president, but redeeming our reputation on the world stage will take longer. The numbers of people who will be harmed in the meantime may never be made whole. What a lousy predicament we find ourselves in. Buyer’s remorse is setting in, even among some Republicans.

 Justice seeking is hard work, but it’s the work to which we are called. Are we up for the challenge? A bully wins when we give in. This is playground stuff.

 This is America. How much do we want to keep it?

 Lib Campbell is a retired Methodist pastor, retreat leader, columnist and host of the blogsite www.avirtualchurch.com. She can be contacted at libcam05@gmail.com 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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