Today Jesus of Nazareth will eat the Passover meal with his friends one last time; he will be pointed out to the ruling authorities in a garden called Gethsemane; and he will be brought to a kangaroo court set to convict him of blasphemy and sedition. He will then be transported from place to place as those in power seek to silence him.
What are rulers always so afraid of when someone speaks a true word? They are, of course, afraid of losing power as all who hold power against a people are. Rome feared revolt; the temple leadership feared loss of their privilege they had through collaborating with Roman rule.
Today it is China in Hong Kong and Xinjiang, Hernandez in Honduras, or Orban in Hungary, to name a few who have their collaborators, who care more about power than justice. And as a Nation we are not exempt from the collaborators against justice as various states seek to destroy democracy through limitations on voting.
Prayer for the Day
God of righteousness, we remember those who have given their lives,
To establish your kingdom of justice and mercy;
May their struggle against the powers of darkness be our model
For you know, O God, that we are timid and fearful.
Move us out of our shadows into your light,
And empower us with your presence to stand for the right.
In the name of him who did not shirk,
Even Christ Jesus our Lord, Amen.
Thoughts for the Day
The Lantos Human Rights prize is intended to serve as a beacon of hope, justice and human decency in a world too often covered in a shroud of darkness.
- Joshua Wong, Hong Kong activist, now in a Chinese prison
We should then build a society that is capable of co-existing in a just manner, in a dignified manner, and in a way that protects life.
- Bertha Caceres, Honduran environmental activist, murdered March 3, 2016
Have you come out to arrest me as though I were a bandit?
Jesus of Nazareth, Thursday ca. 30-33 in Jerusalem