QUESTION #2: ‘Where is your brother?’
This is not a question directed only to ‘Cain.’ It is a question directed to you, to me – to each of us (especially to ‘The People of the Book’ – Jews, Christians, Muslims).
We have brothers and sisters who are attempting to escape difficult situations – environments of physical, emotional, and psychological violence. We have brothers and sisters who are seeking a better, safer, more compassionate, and more loving place to live; who are trying to escape to freedom.
We have brothers and sisters who are, literally and physically, wounded and lying in a ditch waiting for the Good Samaritan to stop and experiencing too often the ‘good, clean Jew, Christian, or Muslim who passes them by.
How often do their cries of anguish and suffering go unheeded? How often do you and I say: ‘I am not responsible!’
‘Where is your brother?’ Who is responsible? I am thinking of a story. The people of a town kill their mayor – they deem the mayor to be a tyrant. The murder is committed in such a way that no one really knows who committed the deed. When the royal investigator asks: ‘Who killed the mayor?’ Each person replies, ‘Everybody and nobody!’
Today, our response to the question, ‘Who is responsible for the blood of our brothers and sisters?’ is, ‘Nobody!’ It is not me, I am not responsible – I did not have anything to do with it. I am sure some ‘one’ is responsible but it is not me!’
YET, God’s question is directed to each of us: ‘Where is your brother?’
We claim no responsibility. We have become like the ‘good people’ Jesus describes in His parable of the Good Samaritan: It is easy for us to ‘see’ our brothers and sisters lying half-dead in the road or on the boat or struggling at the border and perhaps we even say to ourselves: “It is a sad and sorry sight – too bad for them.’ AND, we convince ourselves that we are not responsible, nor are we response-able. We convince ourselves so that our consciences are clear – we even go to the extreme of blaming them for their own suffering.
We live in a culture of comfort. We do not want to be disturbed. Our seeking comfort and our seeking not to be disturbed hardens our hearts and closes our ears to the crises of our brothers and sisters. The poet, Mary Oliver, reminds us that if the doors of our hearts close then we are as good as dead.
Our closed hearts and deaf ears do not lead us to violence but to something worse – indifference. If we truly ‘saw’ our brothers and sisters as ‘God’s Image’ then we would not harden our hearts nor close our ears.
For Christians, Jesus said that they only sin that was not forgivable was the ‘Sin against the Holy Spirit.’ The Holy Spirit is the animating spirit, the life-force that permeates all living creatures – part of God resides in all. Thus, to not respond to the plight of our brothers and sisters is to commit the sin against the Holy Spirit (how’s that for upping the ante).
We live in a global culture of indifference. We have become so used to the suffering of others, especially the suffering that does not ‘touch’ or ‘affect’ me-you-us. Their suffering doesn’t affect me and hence it doesn’t concern me and hence it is none of my business.
‘Adam, where are you?’ ‘Where is your brother?’
These are the two questions that God asks us; questions especially directed to ‘The People of the Book’. God asked these at the beginning and God continues to ask them of us today.
Let us begin by weeping; let us cry out as Peter did when he realized he had betrayed Jesus. Let us ask God to forgive us. Let us then continue by taking one or two or three small steps so that our brothers and sisters can be cared for, loved, healed and saved from the dark side of our nature.
This morning I pray that each of us chooses to become a little piece of healing light so that together we become a beacon of healing light for all.
Searcher-Seeker 