"You have heard that it was said to the men of old, 'You shall not kill; and whoever kills shall be liable to judgment.' But I say to you that every one who is angry with his brother shall be liable to judgment; whoever insults his brother shall be liable to the council, and whoever says, 'You fool!' shall be liable to the hell of fire. Matthew 5:21–22 (RSV)
I went to bed a little after 1 a.m. this morning. I watched the election results come in, wondering if we would know the outcome of the voting. It became apparent that we wouldn't, and is still that way this morning. It may be a few days before we know.
I can live with that as it is far more critical that we get the vote right than we call an election prematurely. If a person casts their vote, that vote is counted correctly and fairly, regardless of party affiliation. I have confidence that the Constitution of our republic is crafted well enough to protect all our citizens.
It is troubling to see the number of people whose anger, no, rage, is nearly pathological. If you did not vote the 'correct' way, you do not deserve the right to be considered human. This level of anger is toxic. It is like an acid that destroys everything it touches.
Our Lord's words from the Sermon on the Mount, which speak to anger and murder, are words we need to take deep into our hearts. Murder, violence toward others of any kind always begins with anger.
Anger left unchecked will lead to the dehumanization of others. Once dehumanized, it is easy to harm, even commit mass murder when a person no longer has human rights. The many mass killings we have seen began in anger. The Holocaust of World War II started in the anger at Germany's loss in World War I, which sought someone to blame.
Jesus is serious about anger; unchecked, it can and will do terrible things. St. Paul is correct when he teaches that we should not let the sun go down on our anger. As a Christian, this level of anger cannot live among us.
We are a forgiven people. It becomes our responsibility to seek reconciliation. Reconciliation is the hard work of mercy and forgiveness. It is the heart of our life together as the Church. It is what we can offer to our nation.