Br. Christopher reflects on the New Slavery:
“Indeed I tremble for my country when I reflect that God is just” –Thomas Jefferson, on slavery
In light of current events, the abbot recently had the monastic community view “I am Not your Negro”, an outstanding documentary on the Black experience in America. It is a heart-rendering story, beginning with the abominable cruelty of racial slavery. The question was raised: Why did the majority of people in those days not see what is so clear to us now: how wrong it is for fellow human beings to have no rights and be considered the property of others?
The answer proposed by the film hits home: they didn’t dare see, because they couldn’t bear the consequences: It was either oppose slavery or justify it and the majority chose the path to justify. So they lie to themselves with rationalizations, half-truths, justifications. We can be more honest today only because we are not ourselves entangled in the slavery system and our self-interest is not at stake. If our modern economy and prosperity depended on slave labor we would have a harder time being so clear-sighted.
In reflecting on this, I wondered if there were something like this in our world today, which we dare not see? And the answer came to me: Of course, it is Abortion.
If we were told that there is a nation where millions of children were being killed, we would say, “Something ought to be done!” But that nation is AMERICA! We are so used to it, so numb….