blessed are the peacemakers

Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God. – Matthew 5:9

“Put your sword back in its place.” Jesus said to him, “for all who draw the sword will die by the sword. Do you think I cannot call on my Father, and he will at once put at my disposal more than twelve legions of angels? But this has all taken place that the writings of the prophets might be fulfilled.” – Matthew 26.52-53, 56

Ever since arriving in Cape Town and getting to know the Zimbabweans living in the church hall in Obz, I’ve been trying to do what I can to keep up with the recent news about Mugabe and the situation in Zim. Thinking about the horrors that have been committed and about Desmond Tutu’s declaration that it is time for the international community to do something about Mugabe, I can’t help but feel conflicted. I can’t help but question my non-violent idealism. What decision would I make if I could use violence to take this ‘president’ or his hatchet men out of power? Would I choose to follow Niebuhr? Bonhoeffer? or Gandhi? Would I act like Peter who is all too quick to draw his sword? Or is this situation different because there is no scripture to be fulfilled, because I am called to defend the orphan and the widow?

I am undoubtedly called to the role of a peacemaker. We all are. But does peacemaking preclude force for the sake of the suffering? Is the price of setting a violent precedent too great? I’m unsure about the most faithful action. In my idealism, I want to believe that by confronting violence with overwhelming love and (in Sam Well’s terms) over-acceptance, by acting as Gandhi did, we might usher in the alternative kingdom and break the cycle of violence. Yet when I sit with my friends and hear their stories, I can’t help but doubt the truth of these convictions. Is this enough? What if nothing changes? Am I not responsible for these deaths? Am I not responsible for simply standing by?

I sense this tension especially as I sit here in South Africa or in North Carolina and not in Zimbabwe. If the answer is non-violent resistance, then I must be the one to go. I must be willing to give my life, not merely espouse a grand theory, expecting others to follow through with action. Yet, I wonder, am I willing to go? And, if not, is this option false and hollow?

What is faithfulness? What is it that Christ is calling us to do in the face of utter disregard for human life? The world cannot stand by and watch. Now is the time for action. Now is the time. But what action are we to take?

I struggle to gain clarity. I am afraid to act and afraid not to. God, grant us the grace to know the right and holy way to face this situation. And forgive us, Lord, for our fumbling ways. We know not what we do. Amen.