UCA SA - Reflection of the Week

Peace and reconciliation come from powerlessness

From the World Council of Churches (edited)

In the midst of the pandemic, a young woman from Indonesia, living in Europe, entered into a supermarket to buy groceries. A man began pointing his finger at her and shouting “Corona!”, “Corona!”. People from Northeast India, who share features with East Asians were spat at, refused accommodation and ridiculed in New Delhi during the lockdown. Recently, in the United States of America, there have been several instances of anti-Asian racial violence, including mass shootings.

COVID-19 exacerbated racism in general and racism against Asians in particular. In many ways, the virus exposed prejudices and became a metaphor for xenophobia. Unsurprisingly, the first response to the virus was to close borders and keep those who were ‘different’ outside. The pandemic brought to the surface already existing prejudices and allowed the opportunity to convert them into practice, both individually and institutionally.

The book of Revelation is often called apocalyptic literature; the term refers to drawing back the veil to expose what is happening. Written in the context of the Roman Empire, this book reveals its brutality. In Revelation 5, we find that the author is mourning that there is none to open the seal except for the slain Lamb. In stark contrast to imperial thinking that valorizes power and violence, we find that only the powerless lamb can open the seal. The Lamb symbolizes vulnerability, even more so a lamb that has been slain. The Lamb is also able to bring together the various tribes and nations together because it was slain. The text indicates that peace and reconciliation will not come from power or violence; rather, it comes from powerlessness. In our struggle against racism, we are reminded that we cannot succeed through power. We cannot bomb countries into democracy. Rather, reconciliation comes from powerlessness; from people working in the regular everyday practice of overcoming prejudice, in movements rooted in the experiences of those who suffer the effects of racism that are working to change policies and structures. The church is called to join such movements and work with them towards changing our society.