Violence renders our voices inarticulate. The curse of domination in Adam was inherited and bore rotten fruit in Cain.
“The Lord said to Cain, “Why are you angry, and why has your countenance fallen? … Sin is crouching at your door and its desire is for you.” Gen. 4:6
God warned Cain. But Cain was consumed with the fruit of anger, and it was easier to live into the hostility than to live in harmony with his brother Abel.
This is the hate that killed #AhmaudArbery & #GeorgeFloyd. First murder among brothers.
What I love about this awful text is that God gets to ask the hard questions demanding a confession in the face of injustice.
“Then the LORD said to Cain, “Where is Abel your brother?” And he said, “I do not know. Am I my brother’s keeper?” “He said, “What have you done? The voice of your brother’s blood is crying to Me from the ground.” verses 9-10
Cain’s missed opportunity for confession and repentance. TWICE.
“Where is Ahmaud Arbery your brother? Where is George Floyd?”
Step 1 in righting historical wrongs of white male supremacy. The highest voice in heaven hears the lowest voice in the ground. And it wasn’t even Abel’s voice. It was the voice of his blood!
Because blood speaks. This ground is soaked in it.
Violence rendered Abel and Ahmaud and Breonna and #GeorgeFloyd‘s voices inarticulate, but God hears blood speaking and protesting and crying out that things aren’t as they should be.
Here to answer God questions: I am, me as a Latina sister, I am my brother’s keeper. It’s not about “us and them.” It’s about “we and our.”
I know another blood that speaks. The blood of Jesus has not lost its power to heal us and the hostility between us. So on Pentecost Sunday tomorrow, God, pour out a fresh anointing of your justice-seeking and healing Spirit.
If violence renders our voices inarticulate, then raise your voice for yourself or with your sisters and brothers as a first act of liberation and healing. And keep walking and working out this gospel because faith without works is dead, and so is faith without mercy.