Between us and you a great chasm has been set in place, so that those who want to go from here to you cannot, nor can anyone cross over from there to us.

[Adapted from Andrew Bolton, “Grounds for Peace—Dehumanization Yesterday and Today: How to Act as Neighbour,” 2021, in Project Zion podcast]

I love the story in Exodus, in the burning bush story, where the Holy Spirit confronts Moses, and Moses hears God say, “I’ve heard the cries of my people. I’ve seen their suffering. I’ve come down to deliver them.”

Re-humanization begins by listening. To play with the eight Beatitudes—the beginning of the Sermon on the Mount.

Blessed are the poor in spirit. So, we begin by listening to the story of the dehumanized.

Blessed are those that mourn. Blessed are those that mourn the pain of others, and realize that sometimes we participated in creating that pain by being a perpetrator or bystander and not doing anything to stop it.

Blessed are the meek, the humble, who are willing to learn new ways to repent, to use traditional language.

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for justice for righteousness—to humanize not dehumanize.

Blessed are the merciful, who seek the recovery and healing of victims and also perpetrators. We all dehumanize. We all need mercy.

Blessed are the pure in heart who act without mixed motives and long only for the humanization of all.

Blessed are the peacemakers—the people who dismantle and prevent and disrupt the road to Holocaust, genocide, economic injustice, systems of violence. Peacemakers are those people who prevent future crucifixions and genocides.

And then it ends with the last beatitude. Blessed are those who stand up for justice and humanization no matter the cost. Blessed are those who see Jesus the Jew as one who always humanized, who gave dignity to women, children, the second cripple, the mentally ill, and even reached out with blessing to Roman officials and tax collectors.

Like Matthew’s Jesus who promised paradise to a thief on the cross beside him and forgave those below him who had nailed him to the cross, the Beatitudes help us to see a people who can become salt, light, a city on the hill.

Prayer Phrase

“Love does no wrong to a neighbor…” (Romans 13:10).

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