Tonight at dinner, the topic of bearing witness came up in direct relation to the actions spurred by the senseless massacre in Florida. Where adults have failed to act, the younger generation is showing us the power of saying #neveragain.
The notion of bearing witness can have a very specific psychological meaning, referring to “sharing our experiences with others, most notably in the communication to others of traumatic experiences.” The teenagers in Florida and around the country are doing just that, bearing witness to preventable trauma.
Yet we sit in a seeming morass of inaction, debating when the privileges of the few should outstrip the rights of the many. We argue about blame and lack of mental health care and the power of the gun lobby. What we aren’t doing is listening to the witness that is being borne by those who are faced to confront fear everyday.
The Lenten season is also about bearing witness, both communally and personally. There is a sharing experience in the season of Lent which starts with a tradition that reminds us of our own mortality and ends with a celebration of new birth. But that birth only comes following pain and torture and sacrifice. Bearing witness to that pain is the only way to join in the eventual celebration that is the redemptive love of Easter.
Now is the time that we must also join in bearing witness to the division that is facing our nation and the world. We need to openly communicate about the trauma that is being experienced, being particularly mindful about whatever role we may play in perpetuating trauma. We must bear witness to the fact that when we put our desires above everyone else, we are living in the very valley of temptation that Jesus endured in the wilderness. We must bear witness that our responsibility to love our neighbors as ourselves, all of our neighbors, requires us to provide refuge and shelter even when it means doing without for ourselves.
I am thankful that the students in Florida and throughout the United States are fanning the flame by bearing witness. I hope that their example will lead us all and show us the way to grace and love.
I admire all who keep that faith which is known as a “Good Lent” ,or used to be known as such. Maybe few use those words anymore. I always took this to mean keeping the rituals which help us to stay closer to, and try even harder to follow the examples that Christ left for us in the living of his life. I never thought that I met this challenge, and I am not doing so this year. ….especially if one of the requirements is to demand of oneself regular attendance at a church of choice. I thank Talbot for giving another way of finding the Lenten challenge, which is to think deeply about ,and to pray for, the changes that we seek for in this world of cruelty that we face. As a former teacher, I cringe to think of the very IDEA of any teacher/mentor with a gun in her desk. I know that teachers and students in the very worst circumstances would benefit much more from the chance to lead classes of 15 or 20 students instead of 25 or 30. These young people need allies for teachers instead of terrified , frustrated people who, of necessity are relegated to a position of merely “Keeping the peace”. It is my prayer that teachers can be a part of the change process too, working toward some changes that will support but not suppl;ant what these courageous young people are doing.