by Nicole Symmonds, Urban Faith Contributing Writer | Apr 29, 2014 | Feature, Headline News |
Last Friday TMZ Sports released an excerpt of an audio recording between LA Cippers owner Donald Sterling and his girlfriend V. Stiviano. In the recording he derided her for posting pictures of herself with black people such as Magic Johnson and Matt Kemp on Instagram and issued the quote heard around the world, “Don’t bring black people to my games.” Since then the excerpt has turned into full audio and many deep-pocketed former-NBA players have set their sights on taking the Clippers out of Sterling’s hands. But as the days go by, we are still talking about this as if putting livelihood in danger is more important than lives in danger.
On the other side of the world 234 Nigerian schoolgirls are still missing and their lives are in actual, immediate danger. Terrorist group Boko Haram is holding them and no one knows when or if they might be returned–although there is some speculation that the girls release is within reach. But that’s not our concern, we’ve been trying to figure out what Sterling said and how to punish him. Nevermind Sterling’s history of practices that have directly impacted the lives of minorities just getting by, we are concerned about how one man worth billions of dollars is affecting other men worth millions of dollars. If this is not a first world problem, I don’t know what is. Bomani Jones hit the nail on the head during his recent talk on the Dan LeBatard show. He spoke about his close friend Leonore Draper, an anti-violence activist in Chicago who was killed in a driveby shooting on Friday, April 25. Draper was doing her part to make Chicago’s inner city streets safe, streets wounded by housing discrimination not unlike the cases of housing discrimination filed against Draper back in 2003 and 2006. A city whose streets cry out with the blood of black people because they are being disenfranchised by the more powerful and wealthy. Of this Jones said,
“You’re going to talk to me about what’s going on with Donald Sterling and his mistress? Are you kidding me? That stuff [Sterling’s previous housing discrimination lawsuits] was real, that stuff matters, that stuff literally kills people. Everybody and their mom is so charged up about Donald Sterling…so I’m going to go to a funeral next week for somebody who took somebody else’s bullet because that city’s become a war zone and the people that have money and the people who could possibly do something to fix it ignore it and go to their homes in the South suburbs that for the last 70 years people tried their damndest to get black people out of but I’m supposed to get charged up because Donald Sterling said his rich friends don’t want his black mistress to be around black people. People need to get their heads out their clavens and realize that this here is fun to talk about but this is nothing, the real stuff that happened was that.”
His last sentence describes perfectly what we need to do. We need to get our heads out of our clavens–whatever clavens are–and re-prioritize and recognize what is important. We let a weekend go by more revved up to talk about Sterling and his antics than we were to talk about Draper and the 234 missing schoolgirls. If I wasn’t sure about the importance of sports to American culture I am sure about it now–despite people saying, “This is bigger than basketball.” We have just about turned ourselves blue with discussion about what we can’t change–one old white man’s racist proclivities and money hungriness–but we haven’t turned ourselves blue worried about lives lost and the lost from Chicago to Nigeria. Take the Clippers away from Donald Sterling and sell it to Magic Johnson and while it will be a victory it will only put a small dent in the end to systemic and institutionalized racism in sports and beyond. Up to now Sterling hasn’t as much as tried to defend himself or apologize to those who were hurt by his words but here we are giving him all the free press while there are other significant issues at hand.
Leonore Draper is our issue. 234 Nigerian schoolgirls are our issue. Chicago’s Endia Martin, a 14-year-old shot last night by another 14-year-old girl over an argument about a boy is our issue. This is obviously not a comprehensive list of issues and young black men are our issue alongside these black women, but truth be told we sometimes err in our judgment of paying attention to black female bodies. We know how to pay attention when we are talking about them in regards to sexual exploitation and objectification but take that out of the equation and sometimes we are met by radio silence. At a time like this we must remember our responsibility toward not only the young black men who voluntarily pick up a ball to play sports, but also the responsibility we have toward young black girls and women who are involuntarily abused, exploited, abducted and murdered. Ours must be a culture of balance that privileges no one thing over the other.
Yes, Sterling’s most recent comments have an implication on how he views the humanity of black people and it is important to discuss the implications of his “plantation mentality” because he really did have the livelihood of dozens of black men in his hands. But we must also balance our concern. We ought not appear to be more concerned about a man and a basketball team than we are about when and how 234 schoolgirls will be rescued. Or appear to be more concerned about that then about the lives daily in danger in Chicago. There is something called “Entertaining ourselves to death” and this weekend’s debacle exposes the inherent danger in doing so. We–I include myself–gravitate toward this story because we are a society that loves our leisure activities and we also have grown to love celebrity and public figure gossip. We’ve become a community of quidnuncs ready to be in everyone’s business. We have also built up voracious appetites for the sensational. A story such as Sterling’s, threatens our entertainment and the livelihood of some–something my UrbanFaith colleague John Richards mentioned. It fulfills our desire for gossip and it satiates our appetite for sensationalism. It’s driving traffic to websites, boosting ratings on cable news channels–not to mention taking over the news cycle, and giving people something to talk about at the water cooler and on their blogs. But we can’t ever let these stories become our focus in the midst of danger to another marginalized group.
It’s hard not to make it seem like I am dismissing the importance of the Sterling debacle, but what I am trying to express is how we must not become inordinately obsessed with it to the compromise of other issues. So now that Sterling is permanently banned, fined, and will be forced to sell the Clippers let’s put this behind us and focus on something else. Let’s focus on #bringbackourgirls, Chicago, Florida, Georgia’s new gun law and how it might affect black people, and the list goes on. Let’s not be distracted in the midst of danger again.
by John C. Richards Jr. | Apr 28, 2014 | Feature, Headline News |
I love basketball—particularly NBA basketball. Though my personal on-the-court time is slowing down, I remain an avid fan of the game. Usually a foregone conclusion for the stronger seeded teams, the first round of the NBA playoffs have been the most entertaining and competitive series we’ve seen in a long time. The upstart Wizards has the city of Washington buzzing like it’s an election year. Vince Carter is cheating father time with his buzzer beating antics (much to my chagrin as a Spurs fan). Stephen Curry is further solidifying his place as one of the best shooters today—and some think of all-time. Then the bomb dropped.
I never thought I’d see an ESPN headline that read, “TMZ reports…” Wait, what? TMZ follows around celebrities and documents mundane moments in their lives. There’s no reason to believe they’d report anything SportsCenter-worthy. And I know SportsCenter. I’m the rerun SportsCenter guy. I’m that dude who watches the same SportsCenter highlights four times in a row, just in case I missed something. TMZ and SportsCenter are like oil and water.
Alas, TMZ obtained some audio of Clippers’ owner, Donald Sterling, making some pretty derogatory racist statements during a conversation with his girlfriend V. Stiviano. Those statements included a plea for her not to associate with black people, a reference to a photo taken with Magic Johnson and Matt Kemp, and a request to remove pictures showing she associates with black people. The authenticity of the audio is in question and the NBA has decided not to take action until it is authenticated.
Here’s my problem. This isn’t new news! Really, it isn’t. People who follow the NBA and know Donald Sterling always knew he was a racist. Bomani Jones was screaming this from the rooftops years ago. Nobody listened.
Let me just give you a few examples from Sterling’s concerning past—and none of these need audio authentication. A 2003, suit alleged that Sterling refused to rent to Latinos because they “smoke, drink, and just hang around buildings.” It also stated that he felt “black tenants smell and attract vermin.” That case was settled confidentially. In 2009, some of Sterling’s former tenants alleged property managers used racial slurs against them and refused to follow leasing terms. The case was settled for $2.765 million dollars, though Sterling never admitted liability. According to former GM, Elgin Baylor, who also filed a lawsuit against him, Sterling “would bring women into the locker room after games, while [Clippers] players were showering, and make comments such as, ‘Look at those beautiful black bodies.’” Today, all of these stories are resurfacing—and it’s killing the NBA playoffs.
Here’s my thing. Where was all of this years ago when we already knew about Sterling racism? While I thought the Clippers removing their warm ups and wearing their gear inside out was a nice gesture, Sterling still cuts their checks. They still play for a man who is a known racist—notwithstanding the TMZ tape’s authenticity. Now Chris Paul wants to address this “aggressively” and figure out if it was Sterling’s voice on the tape? Now De’Andre Jordan wants to post a black Instagram picture in silent protest?
Where was this when they were exploring their free agent options? Where was this conviction that they wouldn’t play for a racist owner then? As Jalen Rose says, I guess “gettin’ dem checks” was more important then. Now Al Sharpton is threatening a boycott if the NBA doesn’t suspend Sterling (of course Sharpton is, since it’s garnered national attention). Now players on Sterling’s team are staging silent protests. Now people are calling for Sterling’s job. And it’s destroying one of the greatest first rounds of playoff basketball we’ve seen in decades.
I’ve written this before and I still believe it’s true. Trending calls for justice always fade away. Just wait it out. The next social media trend will lead people to another topic. It’s those who endure in the call for justice who effect real change. Imagine if those black college students in the 60s stopped after one sit-in. Imagine if King and others only organized one bus boycott to highlight the injustices of the Jim Crow South. Dropping warm-ups at center court and wearing clothes inside out is great for the trending, social media culture, but it might not be a statement that produces real change. That takes time and real effort.
So can you guys do me a favor? Can you give me my playoffs back? I want to see the Splash Brothers do work. I want to see Tim Duncan’s potential last run. I want to see John Wall and Bradley Beal come of age. I don’t want to be inundated with coverage of a man who doesn’t deserve my time. That’s unfair to NBA fans who already know who Sterling is and what he’s done.
With that said, I do hope the league makes some kind of statement now that the issue has been raised again. Should something be done? Absolutely. Whether it’s a fine (though what’s a fine to a billionaire?) or a suspension, the NBA should act soon. Maybe that will bring the trend seeking media peace. And I can get back to watching the game I love without TMZ scrolling across my SportCenter ticker. It’s better that way.
by Nicole Symmonds, Urban Faith Contributing Writer | Apr 25, 2014 | Feature, Headline News |
For the last few months all eyes have been on the Ukraine with American mainstream media’s endless flurry of headline news updates about the protests, the violence, the major players and what’s at stake for the country. President Obama and Vice President Biden have been vocal, the general public has exercised their concern, and I have seen my fair share of “Pray for the Ukraine” on social media. But there is another crisis happening, one that has wrought violence, has its own major players, and has a lot at stake for both the US and the region. This crisis has not received as prominent coverage as the crisis in Ukraine and the underlying question is why. But first, what is this crisis?
Boko Haram.
Boko Haram, which translates to “Western education is sin,” is a terrorist group that is trying to impose strict enforcement of Sharia law in Nigeria. The group allegedly has ties to al Qaeda and sources say that its presence in the country predate the al Qaeda era. Nigeria is Africa’s most populous nation with 170 million inhabitants and is also its biggest economy, but for the past five years they have lived under the enlarging thumb of Boko Haram. The group was founded in 2002 by cleric Mohammed Yusuf who wanted a pure Islamic state in Nigeria. Police killed him seven years later. It is now lead by the elusive Abubakar Shekau who came out of hiding for long enough to make a video admitting to last week’s bus station bombing, the deadliest attack ever in Nigeria. Shekau has also been at the forefront of attacks waged on churches which has resulted in Christian leaders urging dialogue with the group. And though it is an Islamist terrorist group they have also attacked other Muslims. Recently, the group set their sights on destroying the Nigerian government and, as of last week, Boko Haram was behind the abduction of nearly 200 schoolgirls. Dozens have escaped but the fate of the missing girls is still to be determined.
Boko Haram and Shekau have wreaked havoc in Nigeria for five years and yet coverage of this doesn’t receive breaking or headlines news status on American cable networks. You can find stories about the crisis on major news sites—buried underneath features–but few, if any, are doing hour-long specials or conspicuous updates on site. What makes the lack of featured coverage all the more interesting is the bilateral relationship between the United States and Nigeria. Prior to the nullification of Nigeria’s presidential election in 1992, the US was Nigeria’s greatest trading partner and its most important diplomatic partner. It went through a period of strained relations and sanctions, which were alleviated by the arrival of General Abdulsalami Abubakar, President of Nigeria from June 1998 to May 1999. In regards to the current terms of bilateral relations, the US has programs in place geared toward securing the well being of Nigerians and ensuring that their democratic institutions are strengthened and secure. Furthermore, the US is invested in Nigeria as a capital enterprise because it is the largest foreign investor in Nigeria with direct investment concentrated in the petroleum/mining and wholesale trade sectors. This is merely the tip of the iceberg when it comes to Nigeria-US relations but it shows that the US has as much vested interest in protecting Nigeria as it does in protecting and promoting Ukraine. Yet, by the way media covers the crisis in Ukraine versus the crisis in Nigeria, we wouldn’t know that any such relationship or responsibility existed.
It isn’t clear why American media doesn’t prominently cover the stories of the Nigeria crisis, why the kidnapping of 200 schoolgirls doesn’t interrupt our regularly schedule programming, or why the nation’s deadliest disaster didn’t force all of us, regardless of color or creed, to slow down. We can speculate on these things and claim that Nigeria doesn’t get coverage because black bodies don’t matter nearly as much as white bodies. Or maybe it is the argument that black people are violent by nature so why state the obvious. Or maybe the issue is that it isn’t a black and white issue because Boko Haram is attacking both Christians and Muslims, men and women, and children. But we can all agree that this is news that should matter not just to those of us who are descendants and part of the African diaspora but to those of us who believe in the common humanity of all people.
In the world of so-called “fair and balanced journalism” there should be a way to level the playing field to ensure that stories such as the Nigerian crisis have coverage on par with the Ukrainian crisis. Both stories involve a nation in turmoil, citizens in danger, violence and destruction that are ravaging the land, and crumbling government infrastructures just to name a few. Indeed we here at UrbanFaith consider it our responsibility to cover the news of the diaspora but we also recognize the common humanity that we share with those outside of it. It is our hope that more media outlets will recognize the common humanity of people from the Ukraine to Nigeria and beyond and that both can share the space of breaking and headline news. That news of the abduction of 200 schoolgirls will be as important as news of protest. Until then, we will certainly try our best to keep our readers up to date about the situation in Nigeria and we ask that you would hold the country in your prayers alongside the Ukraine.
by UrbanFaith Staff | Apr 22, 2014 | Feature, Headline News |
c. 2014 Religion News Service
(RNS) Christians began a three-day prayer and fasting period after Islamist Boko Haram militants kidnapped hundreds of schoolgirls in Nigeria and desperate parents joined the search in a remote forest.
The girls were abducted last week while at school in the Chibok area of Borno State. Initial reports said about 200 were kidnapped, but government officials lowered the figure to 130. On Monday (April 21), school officials said 234 were abducted and 40 girls had managed to escape.
“We know no religion (that) prescribes abduction or infliction of pain as a way of devotion,” said the Rev. Titus Pona, an official with the Christian Association of Nigeria. “We are calling on them to sheathe their arms and pursue their case in dialogue with the government.”
Boko Haram translates to “Western education is forbidden,” in the Hausa language. For five years, the insurgents have unleashed violence in northern Nigeria, but the girls’ abduction is viewed as the most terrifying so far.
More than 1,500 people have been killed in the insurgency so far this year, compared with an estimated 3,600 between 2010 and 2013, according to The Associated Press.
“This violence continues because the militants have support from powerful people in Nigerian society,” said the Rev. John Bakeni, a Roman Catholic priest in Borno.
Nigeria’s top Muslim leader, the sultan of Sokoto, Al-Haji Sa’ad Abubakar III, condemned the abduction.
“We sympathize with the victims and their teachers and families,” he said in a statement. “We call on the authorities to put all the needed efforts to free these innocent girls and get them continue with their studies.”
Copyright 2014 Religion News Service. All rights reserved. No part of this transmission may be reproduced without written permission.
by Nicole Symmonds, Urban Faith Contributing Writer | Apr 20, 2014 | Feature |
[Sermon given on Easter Sunday, April 8, 2012 by Sister Nicole Symmonds– Clarkston United Methodist Church, Clarkston, Georgia]
It is humbling to stand here before you on the first day of the week, with the sun rising out of the clouds. It has been a long road to get to this place and now we are here, a small dispensation of the saints, to bear witness to the resurrection of Jesus Christ our Lord. We are not unlike Mary and the two disciples who hastened to the tomb only to discover that their Lord was gone. Like Mary, we have come with grief and one thing on our minds, “They have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid him.” Ours is a deeply personal relationship with Jesus because we have lived with the story of his life, death, and resurrection most of our lives. I surmise that Mary too had a deeply personal relationship with Jesus. This is most clearly illustrated by her actions toward the Lord following his resurrection.
She was the first person to rise early in the morning and see about the Lord. At the sight of the stone, which was rolled away, she immediately went to Simon Peter and the other disciple whom Jesus loved and announced to them, “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid him.” She was a messenger spreading the word of the Lord being taken away from the tomb. At her word, the disciples ran to the tomb and discovered the same. The text tells us that the disciple that Jesus loved looked into the tomb and saw his wrapping cloths lying there and he didn’t go in. Then Simon Peter, the man who denied Jesus three times at the crow of the cock, walked into the tomb and saw the wrapping cloths lying there and the cloth that covered Jesus’ head in the corner. The disciple that Jesus loved followed Simon Peter and saw the same, but his vision was different because he saw AND believed. But, unlike these disciples who took to walking in the tomb to investigate, Mary stayed outside of the tomb to commiserate. It is her commiseration that indicated her deeply personal relationship with Jesus.
For Mary, Jesus’ absence from the tomb was more than a reason for investigating an unsolved mystery; it was a moment to show how much he meant to her. It is her commiseration that leads to her investigation and this commiseration lead investigation leads her to an encounter with two angels who would propel her into her being the first person to have an encounter with Jesus. When the angels asked Mary, “Woman, why are you weeping?” Her response of, “They have taken away my Lord and I do not know where they have laid him,” witnesses to a woman grieving a personal loss. Her response to the angels is different from what she said earlier to the disciples in, “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb…” In the presence of angels Mary confesses her personal relationship with Jesus but in the presence of men she doesn’t seem to do the same. As if they were granting her an answer to her question, Jesus arrives unbeknownst to Mary. One might assume that she is still so taken with commiserating that she is consumed beyond consolation and not able to see anything but her own grief. But she speaks to this man who she doesn’t know is Jesus and says something, one more thing, that shows us how deeply committed she is to finding her beloved Lord.
“Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have laid him, and I will take him away.” She has told the disciples of Jesus’ absence from the tomb, has responded to angels about why she was weeping, and now, when she is in the presence of someone whom she doesn’t realize is her Lord, she says exactly why she wants to recover his body, so that she could take him away. As if these were the words he wanted to hear, Jesus reveals himself to her by doing something only a friend could do, calling her by her name in a certain way. One senses that there must have been a particular intonation with which Jesus said Mary’s name that made her realize who he was. But at the moment she heard her name, she knew who he was, and she returned the greeting in kind calling him “Rabbouni.” Now we see two close friends meeting again and as close friends are wont to do after time apart, Mary wanted to embrace Jesus. She wanted to savor this moment of seeing him again after what probably seemed like years. She wanted to feel his embrace and maybe, just maybe, this was going to help comfort her. But Jesus would not let her hold him. In a move that seemed to be rather abrasive her told her, “Do not hold onto to me because I have not ascended to the Father. But go to my brothers and say to them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.”
Here Jesus changes the course of Mary’s life by not only appearing to her and speaking his first words, post-resurrection, to her. But he let her know, subtly, that all of the love she had for him and her knowledge of him, wasn’t to be kept inside. Her deeply personal relationship wasn’t just for her benefit, but it was for the benefit of others, first for the disciples and then for everyone who would hear the message. It was Mary’s deeply personal relationship with Jesus that lead her to become the first person he called to spread the message of the good news about his resurrection and ascension. No longer would Mary have to weep outside of an empty tomb and wonder where her Lord was. Now she knew where he was and where he was going and was called to spread that message. We are not unlike Mary in this respect.
We have commiserated and investigated the whereabouts of our Lord Jesus. We no longer have to weep and wonder where he is. We have the pleasure of knowing not only where he was and where he is, but also where he will be. But with this pleasure of knowing Jesus and having a deeply personal relationship with Jesus, comes the responsibility to let others know about Jesus. Just as Jesus told Mary not to hold onto him, we must not hold onto to Jesus for ourselves. We must let him go so that he can continue to do his work. And we must go forth to do the work that he first called one woman to do, to spread the good news of his resurrection.
by UrbanFaith Staff | Apr 14, 2014 | Feature |
c. 2014 Religion News Service
(The following is an exclusive excerpt from the new book, “Jesus: A Pilgrimage,” by the Rev. James Martin, a Jesuit priest, editor at large of America magazine and the author of many books. This excerpt is taken from the chapter “Gethsemane.”)
In the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus utters his agonizing prayer, “Abba, Father, for you all things are possible; remove this cup from me; yet, not what I want, but what you want.”
At this grave moment in the life of Christ, when he struggles to discern the will of the Father, we are invited to learn more about Jesus of Nazareth, about God, and about ourselves.
Who among us hasn’t found ourselves in a situation where the inevitable seems impossible? Where the unavoidable seems unimaginable?
Who hasn’t said to God, in so many words, “Remove this cup”?
The most difficult thing in such a situation may be its crushing inevitability. You want to escape from your life, which suddenly feels like an oncoming train about to run you down. It is the shock you feel when you receive a frightening diagnosis from your physician. When you are laid off from a job. When a friend dies. When a relationship ends. You say to yourself, “This cannot be happening.”
What’s worse, these situations throw us into panic, which make finding God’s “will” far more difficult. At the very moment you want to feel most tethered in God you feel unmoored. Sometimes panic and fear feel like the only rational responses.
When my father was first diagnosed with the cancer that would take his life, and when I heard that the treatments would only lengthen his life by a few months, I couldn’t believe it. “No, no, no,” I thought, this is not the way it is supposed to be. Everyone, if they live long enough, will one day know this feeling. Recently when a friend discovered that his father had an inoperable cancer, and had only one year to live, he said he felt lost. “I don’t even know where to begin,” he told me.
Even when confronted with situations that are not life-threatening we still may say, “Remove this cup.” Long-term suffering can be just as confusing as a catastrophic illness, and it can likewise test our faith. Perhaps you are stuck in a miserable job with no prospects of relief. Or you are caring for someone living with a chronic illness, and you wonder how much longer you can go on. Or you receive a diagnosis of a minor medical problem that will mean a change in the way you live. In each of these cases you want to say, “Remove this cup.” And, again, exacerbating the situation is a fear that can sap our ability to make good decisions. Panic can so master you that you can barely think, let alone pray.
How can we continue? One way is to look at Jesus in the Garden. He does not avoid the hard truth of his situation. He does not ignore his pain or the pain of his friends. If you are ever tempted to hide your struggles from friends or conceal from your loved ones your deepest pain, listen to what Jesus said to his own friends in Gethsemane, in the New Revised Standard Version: “I am deeply grieved, even to death.” These are not the words of a person who is hiding his feelings.
Let’s look a little more carefully at those words, which can be better translated as “My soul is sorrowful unto death.” The NRSV’s “deeply grieved, even to death” does not capture the connection to the soul. Jesus may be echoing the words of Psalm 42: “My soul is cast down within me.” Or perhaps he is thinking of a passage from Sirach that expresses the feelings of a person betrayed: “Is it not a sorrow like that for death itself when a dear friend turns into an enemy?”
In his magisterial study “The Death of the Messiah,” the New Testament scholar Raymond Brown suggests that if Jesus had intuited his friends’ coming betrayal and their scattering after his death, it must have weighed on him terribly. Thus not only his arrest, but their coming betrayal, may have caused him intense sorrow. The very thought of this, writes Brown, may have felt as it were enough to kill him.
Overall, the meaning seems to be: my sadness is so intense that it feels as if it may kill me.
The disciples were probably terrified to hear his words, and they may have found themselves “deeply grieved” as well. Imagine what it must have been like for them to see Jesus visibly upset. The calm person upon whom they depended to help them in every situation — a terrifying demoniac, a frightening storm at sea, an immense crowd asking for food, two sisters grieving over their brother’s death — now admits to being “greatly distressed.”
Expressing your feelings honestly in troubled times is not a sign of weakness but of humanity and humility. It is also a way to invite into your life friends and relatives who love you. At the beginning of his public ministry, on the banks of the Jordan River, Jesus chose to stand in line, waiting with the rest of humanity to be baptized — though the sinless one did not need any washing away of sins.
In Gethsemane, still in line, Jesus experiences the full range of human emotions, and he shares them with his friends in a fully human way. For us, expressing sadness and fear allows us to set aside our desire to be in control. It is also an invitation to let others love us.
Jesus feels the need to pray three times in Gethsemane before he reaches a sense of peace. Too often we feel obliged to move immediately into “Yet your will, not mine” before we have lingered with our feelings and expressed them to God. Or we feel guilty for asking for what we want, or what we wish to be relieved of, as if such prayers were merely complaints. But the honest expression of painful emotions is a process that even Jesus went through.
But Jesus does not end his prayer by acknowledging his feelings. He ends by trusting in God, by conforming his will to the Father’s, even in a dark time. The answer to the question of “How can I go on?” is by being in relationship with Abba.
The invitation to surrender, to accept our cup, to acknowledge the inevitability of suffering and to step onto the path of sacrifice, comes in the context of a relationship with God. We trust that God will be with us in all that we do and all that we suffer. We do not simply grit our teeth, clench our fists and push on, alone and unaided. Someone is with us, helping us. To use another image from the Gospels, there is someone else in the boat with us, and pulling on the oars — even if we do not feel it.
Suffering is always difficult to understand. It may have been difficult for Jesus to grasp. It was certainly difficult for the disciples to understand.
But they will understand it completely in three days.
Copyright 2014 Religion News Service. All rights reserved. No part of this transmission may be reproduced without written permission.
