Taizé is a community of thousands of young people. Some come in groups, some come as individuals, some are older, some are younger.
I washed my precious T-Shirt and had my only other one on when a wild group of Italian teenagers threw water at me - I was in the line of fire during their game. Before I could catch hold of my words they burst out: "You stupid wops!"
Wop was a word I had heard from my grandfather. And all I knew about it was it was a derogatory term used during the war and I shouldn't use it to talk about people. In that moment of anger, frustration, primal rage - my mind looked for the meanest thing to say and threw it out of my mouth.
They were too busy playing their game to notice what I had said in a language they didn't understand. But it shocked me that I could say such a thing - having spent so much time praying, worshiping, studying the Bible - and doing all those holy things we love to do.
Jesus warns us:
"But the things that come out of the mouth come from the heart, and these make a man ‘unclean.’"He then describes these things as 'coming out of the heart'.
- Matthew 15:18
These surprise utterances that we write, that we say, that we do - in our moments of anger. The mean things that we call those closest to us, or those driving past in a car who can't hear us reveal something about us.
Its like dishing up out of a pot that you know has been burnt at the bottom. You don't want to scrape up the burnt food so you dip gently. But in a moment of anger you scratch the bottom and bring out the worst and throw it out on the plate for everyone to see.
There is something ugly going on in our hearts. Deep down in the darkest places - an inner ugliness that comes up when we're at our worst.
I don't think anyone is immune to this ugliness.
What should we do when people put that ugliness out on facebook / twitter / radio / tv / public / election rallying...
Should we all point and laugh like we were innocent.
Shall we condemn them to prison.
Shall we use their failure to benefit our selves?
Grace has a way of taking the burnt bitterness at the bottom of the pot and cleansing it.
I kept thinking during the whole Penny Sparrow debacle that Madiba probably would have flown to her house and had a long chat with her to help her understand the foolishness of her thinking and her words. It would have been a hand of grace and an opportunity for heart searching, cleansing and reconciling.
And how many times do we have to do things the Madiba way? How many times must the reconciliation way trump our desire to point out the sins of others? I think Jesus has some ideas.
Instead of responding with vitriol and attempts at shaming and bullying perhaps there needs to be a grace filled response. A wise mother or father who would call one aside and say yes, but no. Or maybe we all just need to recognize the stupid things that young people do and say and know that we are not immune.
The more we look at each other. The more we live in the public spheres of twitter and facebook. The more chances we will have of seeing each others worst ugliness.
The more we need to offer - and graciously receive a hand of grace.
The alternative will be too costly to contemplate.
