4/15/22

Today is Good Friday, which commemorates the death of Jesus, a child refugee, labourer, and activist who sided with the poor and marginalized, a person who was convicted and executed by the state for transgressing socio-economic norms and teaching a radical form of love, egalitarianism, and forgiveness that pushed against both the political and religious authoritarianism of his day. And just as Jesus was killed by the state, so too are the poor and marginalized of today. Just as Jesus was innocent, so too are so many who are killed in the name of justice or out of fear and prejudice and protection of systems of power. His death represents theirs and vice-versa. And just as Peter denied Jesus three times, ultimately being complicit in his death, so too are we complicit in the deaths of all of those we deny or ignore or even condemn with glee, whether misguidedly or through a heart poisoned by greed or hate. And I don't think it's a coincidence that the majority of those who grieved and stood by his side were women, who themselves suffered unjustly and were ignored, abused, marginalized, and exploited. If we lament the death of Jesus but not the death of people like Patrick Lyoya or the multitude of black women and men killed by police, then we do not truly understand the passion of Jesus. If we do not see our own betrayal and complicity and seek to atone for them and reshape our world into something better, then we do not truly understand the passion of Jesus. And if we do not oppose the power structures of society that exploit and persecute and oppress the poor and marginalized, whoever they may be, then we do not truly understand the passion of Jesus. And that's a shame.