I have always been taught that Christianity is a verb and not a noun. My parents taught us that it is not just right to sit in the pews every Sunday but to be an active, vibrant member of the congregation. ” Christians Do! ” was their motto. Of my 5 siblings, only my older sister and I took these words to heart.

I heard a quote from a black man who said that human beings will never obtain peace on this earth without liberation. I pondered that thought as I was reading Martin Luther King’s letter from Birmingham jail. King was jailed because of the unjust treatment of Negroes in the courts of Birmingham. He said that he could not stand by idle in Atlanta when such injustices were happening in Birmingham. King said, “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.” This lead me to think, “Where are we now, that so many injustices are going on in our country? In our world?”

When King stated, “We know through painful experience that freedom is never voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded by the oppressed,” I thought of the street protests of George Floyd and many other African Americans who have been senselessly killed by police officers. It felt as if Martin Luther King was looking at the future of America with clarity and predicting its demise if we do not take the necessary steps to liberate ALL citizens. Respect is just a minimum….

Wikipedia defines world peace as the concept of an ideal state of peace within and among all people and nations on planet Earth. Different cultures, religions, philosophies, and organizations have varying concepts of how such a state would come about. I believe that there will be no peace on this earth without liberation. Until ALL people of color are treated with dignity and respect, there will be no peace on this earth. The plea for liberation of all people has permeated across the oceans to every continent on this earth. Historically, Liberation theology is a Christian theological approach that focuses on the liberation of the oppressed. The theology originated in Latin America, especially within Catholicism, and influenced other parts of the world, such as black, Dalit, and Palestinian theologies.

As we look at the current state of the world, it appears that peace is fighting a losing battle. The Israel-Hamas war has affected most every country around the world. Its significance has impacted life here in America for so many people. Violence and hate crimes are at an all-time high. It appears that the “Great Melting Pott” that we call the United States of America is boiling over.

It was a beautiful fall Saturday morning and I was running errands in an affluent side of town. I would not normally shop on this side of town, but I wanted to purchase Christmas gifts at some specialty stores. I breezed into Whole Foods grocery store with the intent to purchase some kosher salt and get a slice of pizza. I picked up the salt and paid for it through the self-checkout stations.

After purchasing my item, I walked over to the counter to select a piece of pizza. A young girl approached the counter and said hello to me. I spoke back to her and continued to select my pizza. This young lady appeared to be about 14 or 15 years old and she felt completely comfortable speaking with an African American woman. I was a bit surprised at her level of comfort with a stranger. She told me that she lived in this neighborhood and asked if I did as well. She told me that the pizza was great here. She was reaching in her handbag for money to purchase her pizza and I noticed that she did not have enough money to buy the pizza.

I offered to buy her a piece of pizza. She seemed surprised but happy. I informed her that it would be cheaper to purchase two slices of pizza instead of one. We both walked back to the self-checkout and I purchased the pizzas for us both. The happy teenager went on her way, content that she made a friend and was able to get something to eat. I walked away assured of two things. One, if she had been with her parents, I am pretty sure that she would not have spoken to me at all. Two, it took two human beings set on different paths, to realize that they are connected in some sort of way (hunger) and that they can solve their problem with empathy and action.

Peace could be that simple if we employ empathy and action. God speed…