Ancient Hebrews encouragement to traumatized Parisians: 'Vive l'amour!'

“Hebrews”, a book in the New Testament, most likely written for early Christians considering abandoning their faith, offers words of hope to modern Parisians and the rest of us. Those ancient Christians were experiencing terror and persecution, too. Who could blame them for walking away from ideals of love and forgiveness, which seemed to stand no chance against such violence?

Isn’t the normal reaction to horrific murder a deep thirst for revenge? Who can we hate and kill for this?

The day before the Paris attacks, I had the honor of eating lunch with a Muslim imam in Bakersfield, California. We discussed our families and different religious communities, speaking about our hopes and challenges. For 20 years this man has been religiously leading his flock while inviting non-Muslims to various gatherings so that relationships could be made and bridges of love and understanding constructed. Yet, radical acts of terrorism done by others in the world who claim to be Muslim, have impeded his efforts.

The very next day, Friday, Nov. 13th, there were six attacks around Paris, killing over 100 people, and injuring 100s more. My heart broke for the victims and their families, but also for the local imam and his flock who may likely experience more prejudice in the wake of those deadly attacks; not to mention the tragic impact the attacks will have on suffering Syrian refugee families who will find less compassion and more suspicion.

Rather than stoking flames of revenge and triumph, the author of “Hebrews” (Heb 10:16) reminds the persecuted people of a divine promise made through the prophet Jeremiah (Jer 31:33-34) stating, “I will put my laws in their hearts, and I will write them on their minds.” When faced with great tragedy, we need laws that are deeply written in our hearts and in our minds. Somewhere, down deep, we know that revenge is wrong. It is against the laws, moral codes, and ethics engraved in the fibers of our being. We need these deep inner tattoos guiding our gut reactions.

The author of “Hebrews” encourages us not to abandon our faith and its teachings no matter how we are tempted. Imagine many of us holding tight to each other, peaceful Christian and Muslim alike, refusing to abandon teachings of love and compassion, no matter how great the force of evil that seeks to rip us apart.

Pain and misery has been with people since the dawn of time. Sadly, Paris has been no exception. Its bloody streets inspired the musical, Les Misérables, which ends with Victor Hugo’s hopeful message spoken by one of the characters, “To love another person is to see the face of God.” YES! I believe the author of “Hebrews” would agree, crying aloud, “Vive l’amour!” “May love live on forever!”

May God’s peace be within you!