Courage of Faith
Posted by Jill Warner in Current Event Editorials.
Jesus said, “You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ But I say to you, Do not resist one who is evil. But if any one strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also.” (Matthew 5:38-39)
Dust still clung to the clothes of rescue workers, the stench of death filled the streets, and bodies where still imprisoned in the twisted remains of what was once the majestic towers of the World Trade Center. As rescue workers deparately sifted through the dusty debris looking for survivors, the ghostly remains of the fallen towers became known as ground zero. It was a defining moment. A moment that captivated the attention of the entire world. “Oh, my God!” spontanelously arose on the lips of everyone as the eyes of world watched the ghastly real-time images unfolded. It is a moment that rocked the United States to the core and set the stage for the ungoing war in Afganistan and Iraq. The fateful day of 911 is frozen in time – we all remember where we were and what we were doing when we heard the shocking news. That morning I was at work in the financial disctrict of San Francisco at 5:30 AM. Shortly after 6 AM strange emails appeared on my computer screen from our offices in Europe – Our hearts go out to everyone in the US – Our prayers are with you all! “What happened I wondered out loud?” I opened one email, but there was nothing inside to explain – I guess the title said it all. Suddenly my cell phone sprang to life, which sent a cold shiver down my spine – it was too early to be getting a call! The paniced voice of a close friend shouted, “Two commercial jets have just crashed into the World Trade Center! Another plane crashed into the Pentagon and another plane just crashed in Pennsylvania. They think it is a terrorist attack and San Francisco could be a target!” Stunned all I could say was, “What?! Oh, my God! Are you sure?!, This sounds like a bad Bruce Willis movie?!” “Yes!” Came the anxious response. Where are you?!” “At work.” I replied. Shocked, she shouted, “Get out of their now! They don’t know if there a still planes in the air or not! I am hanging up authorities are asking everyone to only use the phone if it is an emergency all the lines are getting jammed!” It was a surreal moment. My mind kind of short-circuited. Everything that seemed so important a moment before suddenly had no meaning at all. Instantly my thoughts shifted to my Mother, who lives just outside of Washington DC. Frantically I dialed her number, but the lines were already jammed. That was the beginning of what proved to be a life changing day for the entire world.
Jesus said, “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven; for he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.” (Matthew 5:43-45) The way of God is not the way of the world. It takes courage to follow the way – the courage of faith. A few days after the mind numbing moments of 911, a revelation hit me like a thunderbolt and the thought arose within me, “In order to heal the plague of terrorism, the U.S. must become a beacon of light by forgiving the terrorists!” That life changing moment, began what was became to known as the Letters of Light campaign. In the agonizing weeks following 911, I found myself standing on the streets of San Francisco asking people to write letters of forgiveness to Osama Bin Laden. To say it was an unpopular idea would be an understatement. The response was overwhelmingly negative as people shouted, “What? Forgive Bin Laden? Are you crazy!” As the hate-filled shouts assaulted me, the presence of Jesus was tangible; it was as if he was standing next to me, tears flowing down his face, as his gentle voice whispered, “Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.” Fear washed over me as the realization entered my mind that wound was too deep and too fresh. The now familiar cold shiver ran down my spine as I wondered, “Are you willing to die for this?” The answer was an immediate, “Yes!” Today marks the one-year anniversary of this blog. The very first article that I posted on this site was entitled Revenge, which marked the beginning of what has proved to be an amazing adventure into the teaching of Jesus Christ. How can revisiting the first article posted here, as well as taking yet another look at the ongoing war in Afghanistan and Iraq, teach us about the sublime teaching of Jesus Christ?
Prayer lives in the secret realm of God. This invisible realm transcends the physical limitations of world in which we all live. It is the cornerstone of faith, but in today’s world many people have lost their faith in prayer. A recent article written by Rev. Jerome Barber highlights that in our instant society of mobile phones, blackberries, internet, and email, that it is all too easy to expect an instant response from God. In fact, many people have become disillusioned with prayer because the results that they were looking for just did not materialize instantly or more simply it appeared as if there prayers have not been answered because the instant solution to their problem did not materialize. It is easy to be fooled into thinking that your prayer has not been answered simply because the answer to your prayer almost never shows up in your life the way you ‘think’ it will or when you ‘think’ it will. This is simply a reflection of the limited nature of your mind versus the unlimited nature of God.
