Thoughts, Prayers & Art

I know the grief that makes you feel like your chest has been hollowed out.
I know the rage that burns so hot it feels like the only thing that will cool it is revenge.

In the wake of October 7th, I have heard voices, though not all, cry, Let the children of Gaza starve. Words like these land heavy in my soul, because I know what they mean. They mean we have crossed the line from justice into vengeance. They mean we have allowed our pain to convince us that peace can be built on the bones of another people.

October 7th was terror. It shattered lives, tore families apart, left wounds that will never fully heal. God sees it all. And yes, Hamas must be held to account for its crimes. But vengeance, especially when it targets the innocent, is not justice. It is Cain’s path, and Cain’s path always ends in exile from peace.

The children of Gaza are not your enemy. Neither are the Jewish children of Israel. Every one of them bears the image of God. To harm them is to wound God’s own reflection.

Scripture warns us:
"Those who sow the wind will reap the whirlwind" (Hosea 8:7).
Vengeance always multiplies the wound. It fuels the next war, hands the next generation their grievances, and ensures that peace never comes.

History tells the same story. Babylon fell. Rome fell. Every empire that sought to secure itself through the erasure of another people collapsed under the weight of its own violence.

“Vengeance is mine,” says the Lord—not as permission for us to enact it, but as a warning to step back from the edge. The pit you dig for another’s child may one day be the pit your own falls into.

There is another way. It is harder, costlier, and it will stretch your soul. It is the way of truth without cruelty, justice without starvation, and courage that refuses to dehumanize even the enemy’s child.

Because peace will not come by erasing a people.
Peace will come only when the humanity of both peoples, ALL People, are guarded with equal ferocity.

Pastoral Guidance for the Heart Tempted by Vengeance

If you are aching with grief, I will not tell you to stop feeling it. Grief is holy. It bears witness to love. But I will tell you this: vengeance is a thief. It will not give you back what you lost. It will only take more.

The path forward is not to silence your pain, but to let it move you toward life, not death. Speak the truth. Demand justice. But do not surrender your soul to the fire of vengeance.

Every time you are tempted to cheer the suffering of your enemy’s child, remember that God has called you to choose life, for them and for you. Remember that your dignity is tied to the dignity you extend to others.

The work of peacemaking is not for the faint of heart. It will require more courage than war ever will. But it is the only path where your soul remains whole.

A Prayer for Those Tempted by Vengeance

God of justice and mercy,
You see the wounds we carry,
the grief that wakes us in the night,
the rage that coils in our chests.

Hold us in Your steady hands.
Keep us from the fire of vengeance that would burn away our compassion.
When we are tempted to repay pain with pain,
turn our eyes toward Your mercy.

Remind us that every child,
every mother,
every father
even those we name as enemy
bears Your image.

Teach us to seek justice without cruelty,
to demand truth without stripping another of their dignity.
Give us the courage to choose life for all,
even when our own hearts are breaking.

And may the peace that only You can give
fall upon every wounded land,
heal every grieving heart,
and make us one human family again.

Amen.