Shortly after the Boxing Day Tsunami, I wrote this diary on theodicy, “the defense or explanation of God’s work in the face of tragedy or evil,” in which I suggested that God’s presence in natural disaster is to be found not in judgment or good fortune for the chosen people, but in mercy and acts of loving service.
I still believe that: God stands with us compassionately in times of great need, and calls us to do the same for the suffering.
But unlike the Tsunami, for which there was no warning, and for which no preparation could ever have been truly enough, the aftermath of Katrina carries a distinct odor of human culpability.
This, I think, requires that we come to understand another way God is present to us in this time: the prophetic. Which is to say, in advocating for justice in God’s name.
Because we are talking about justice here, are we not? It was unjust to divert money from the protection of New Orleans to an illegal and immoral war on a country that never was much of a threat to us. It was doubly unjust to allow wetlands to be drained and barrier islands to be built upon to suit the demands of wealthy vacationers. It is unjust beyond description that the poor, sick, and elderly were left to fend for themselves against the onslaught of one of the most violent storms to hit US shores. The abandonment only deepened after the storm itself, as rescue efforts failed and government agencies of all levels wasted valuable time in confusion and unpreparedness.
How better to say it? What happened to New Orleans shouldn’t have. It was not right, and it sure as hell wasn’t equitable.
That’s right up the prophet’s alley. They were used to addressing the need for justice in times of disease, famine, war, natural calamity:
10 They hate the one who reproves in the gate,
and they abhor the one who speaks the truth.
11Therefore, because you trample on the poor
and take from them levies of grain,
you have built houses of hewn stone,
but you shall not live in them;
you have planted pleasant vineyards,
but you shall not drink their wine.
12For I know how many are your transgressions,
and how great are your sins–
you who afflict the righteous, who take a bribe,
and push aside the needy in the gate.
13Therefore the prudent will keep silent in such a time;
for it is an evil time.
Those who promote injustice will suffer God’s consequences.
But along with predicting the coming judgment on those who oppressed God’s people, the prophets announced God’s mercy and care. Jeremiah is especially relevant today:
With weeping they shall come,
and with consolations I will lead them back.
I will let them walk by brooks of water,
in a straight path in which they shall not stumble…
Hear the word of the Lord, O nations,
and declare it in the coastlands far away;
say, “He who scattered Israel will gather him,
and will keep him as a shepherd [keeps] a flock.”
God has the power to punish those who would do evil–but also to restore the lives of those who have suffered.
Now, I don’t know about you, but I don’t blame Pres. Bush for this disaster. He didn’t create the hurricane.
But he sure as hell stole the levee money for his pet war. And he stood around with his thumb up his ass for days while the situation in New Orleans spun out of control, demonstrating not a whit of real compassion or even comprehension of the depth of the suffering in that city.
And for that I want him held accountable, before his country and his God.
So I have my own prophetic oracle to declare today:
- Turn back, Mr. President. Even now, it is not too late.
Undo the hardness of your heart.
Unbend the stiffness of your neck.
Be compassionate as your God is compassionate.
The poor cry out to you–they are starving!
Hear the voice of the powerless–they are dying of thirst!
Listen to those who are elderly, and the newborn babe;
listen to those who sick, terrified, trapped and waiting for rescue.
Take command. Send every soldier, every supply, every dollar
for the good of the people.
Make this your highest priority, and demand sacrifice from your country.
What! Would you have the rich grow fatter?
Would you deny assistance to whole states?
Would you rather punish looters than save an entire city?
Would you neglect your work, only to leave it in the hands
of those who cannot carry it out?
God hears the cry of the oppressed and the suffering,
and the Lord is a God of righteousness.
You have built yourself a ranch and an insulated world,
but you will have no peace.
You have dealt in smugness and indifference,
but you will not be allowed to forget the consequences of your actions.
You have stolen the lives of thousands and ten thousands
for moments of fleeting political advantage,
but you will end your days in disgrace,
and your legacy will be bitterness, contempt and disgust.
You have not done what is right,
and you will never know the comfort of the Lord.
But as for the people of God,
they shall have peace.
Their parched and cracked lips will receive water,
and their children will feed on the finest of foods.
The fires of New Orleans will be quenched,
and the coasts of Mississippi will be rebuilt.
The victims of crime will know justice,
and the unemployed will return to work.
The sick shall be healed,
the homeless shall find rest.
The elderly shall end their days in comfort,
the young will dream once again of the sea,
and all will know the truth.
Never more shall they be robbed of protection
for the sake of war.
Never more shall they be robbed of protection
for the sake of the rich and the privileged.
Never more will they cry in vain to an unheeding government,
for they shall know the consolation of your beloved community,
and the newness of life sealed with the pledge of your rainbow sign.