Shell-shocked

"It is to what you are that you reply "Amen", and by so replying, you express your assent.  What you hear, you see, is the Body of Christ, and you answer, "Amen".  So be a member of the Body of Christ, in order to make that "Amen" true.  (St Augustine of Hippo - Sermon 272)  

I share this in a world where, over recent times, I have been shell-shocked by stories of war and disaster.  The first was Friday 13th, when I heard the news of the Air India crash and then of Israel attacking Iran.  The next was this Sunday when news of the USA bombing Iran was released.  Given the world we live in, I nearly feel the need to justify my feeling of being shell-shocked, but why?

I would put forward two reasons.  One is misinformation in our world.  There is so much of it that we have to ask ourselves - What is fact?  I have to own my feelings,but I am best to first fact check that which gives rise to them, so that I own what is worth owning.  The other is the level of division in our world.  It is like we can no longer just express an opinion without ferar of possible attack.  All of this acts against the nature of being who we are.  

We are humanity together.  We stand in human solidarity.  Of course, that does not mean we all think the same or have to do so.  What is fact is our corporate identity, that all humanity is deeply interconnected, no matter what.  Sadly, what seems stronger today is our sense of alienation, due o the force of so much opposition in a world pulled apart by huge social and life issues and basic mistrust.  This serves to deny who we are.  

Who are we?  We are one people, many cultures and nations, under one God.  In a deeply religious sense, we name our corporate identity as being "We are the Body of Christ".  That is who we are and so we live who we are.  So we never feel inadequate, fearful, threatened or put down.  We simply be who we are, so stand up for life for all and make a difference for the better in our world. It is that pure and simple.