REFOCUS
The “Jesus Prayer” is used by many Orthodox Christians. It is drawn from the story Jesus told where a sinner recognizes his own need for forgiveness while a religious man boasts in his righteousness (Luke 18:8-14). As we pray it, we connect with the truth that we too are sinners in need of God’s forgiveness and help.
“Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me a sinner.”
READ
Matthew 5:9
Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.
Matthew 5: 23-24
Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother or sister has something against you.
24 Leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to them; then come and offer your gift.
1 Corinthians 13:4-7
Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.
5 It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.
6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.
7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
REFLECT
Dig Deeper
Most Christians rightly understand that reconciliation is a task we have been called to by God. They may not be as aware, however, that in trying to right wrongs with others, we are battling impulses deep within ourselves. A recent event might serve to illustrate just how common these impulses are.
On May 18, 2018, a news article appeared and was posted on social media. Within a day the story had been reposted over 55,000 times. The report told of 54-year-old Brian Morris who had recently won $125 million in the lottery. His response was to pay $224,000 of his winnings to a contractor to complete a stinky task at what Morris said was his home. The task? To deliver and dump over 20,000 tons of manure on the lawn.
Instead of Morris’ own yard, however, the dumpsite turned out to be the home of his former employer, George Fitzgerald. While Morris stood across the street watching and laughing, his ex-boss, waken from his sleep by the sound of the dump trucks, called the police. They, in turn, gather a full confession from Morris who revealed his reason for his actions.
Revenge had motivated him, he said. He had worked for this “tyrant” for 17 years and was “treated like #@$*% the entire time.” Now that he didn’t need the job to survive, he could get even. And he did.
Readers responded with overwhelming approval. Many admired his cleverness. Some expressed understanding of his plight. Others envied the opportunity. Comments included; “great idea,” “I love it,” and “that’s awesome.” One Facebook poster wrote, “show this to Lloyd.”
It seems that many people saw the man as being what one news article reported, “a man who lived out the dream of so many workers across the U.S.” The revenge was a hit.
Despite the popular reception, the story was quickly proved to be a hoax. Facebook quickly removed the post. News articles rebutting it were penned, and the story was debunked by all the major fact-checkers on their websites. But none of that should have been needed. One didn’t have to look farther than the last paragraph of the original report.
There, in plain sight was this disclaimer: “World News Daily Report assumes all responsibility for the satirical nature of its articles and for the fictional nature of their content… All characters appearing in the articles in this website – even those based on real people – are entirely fictional and any resemblance between them and any person, living, dead or undead, is purely a miracle.”
In short, there was plenty of evidence that this was a satire. Yet even after it was debunked the tale continued to circulate as true. In other words, not only did people cheer the story of revenge, they did so even when it was shown to be false.
Some apparently never got as far as the disclaimers. Others who did notice them simply ignored them and went on to applaud the dumpster. By the time Facebook removed it there were over 2.3 million interactions and it was shared over 285,000 times. Even today, it continues to be “shared.”
In many ways, the incident is unimportant – just a blimp in a series of “fake news.” But for those called to be instruments of reconciliation, the story is quite telling. It reminds us, for instance, of what Winston Churchill once said, “A lie gets halfway around the world before the truth has a chance to get its pants on.”
It seems that there is a propensity built into the fabric of being human that gives us an appetite for revenge.
It is likely the underbelly of our desire for justice that we are willing to set aside truth so that we can be right and feel justified. When wronged we are apt to jump to conclusions, to assume the worst and to believe what is not true. We can all too quickly exchange truth for our desire to make ourselves feel better.
While tempting, none of this serves the cause of reconciliation. If we are to take up Christ’s call to be peacemakers, we must battle the urge to jump to judgment. Admittedly, it’s easier to believe our first impressions and following our anger is simpler than careful thought. Reconciliation can be messy.
But whether reading Facebook or meeting with a friend to repair a slight, our ability to set aside our pain long enough to dig for the truth is critical.
The question is, “do we want reconciliation or are we content to simply dump our garbage on others?” Here is where we may want to re-read the words of St. Paul: “Love is patient. Love is kind…”
RESPOND
Questions to Consider
- How did you feel when you read the story? What does that tell you about yourself?
- When have you experienced someone “dumping on you?” That is, when has someone sought to involve you in something negative about another by appealing to your emotions?
- How might you respond when people try to tell you things that are negative about others?
Prayer
Almighty God, You are truth and all truth comes from You. Let me not settle for news that stirs the emotions and satisfies my flesh. Allow me to seek truth so that I might love as you do.
Blessings,
Rev. James R. Needham, PhD, MDiv