As we awake to news of children dying due to gun violence, the pandemic of racism, evil immigration policies, an administration that puts profits before people—leading to the violence of hunger and poverty and health desparities…
…I was drawn back to this psalm I wrote for Words of Her Mouth: Psalms for the Struggle edited by our very own former ED, Rev. Martha Spong.
What about the children?
Out of the mouths of babes and infants
you have founded a bulwark because of your foes,
to silence the enemy and the avenger. Psalm 8:2b
God who knows all things,
When did the bulwark become a weapon?
Silencing the cries of babes and infants
Clutched to the bosom of their parent,
Holding on to their sibling’s neck as they all seek safety and refuge
Do you hear the choked cries of the children?
Kidnapped and terrorized
Rounded up and locked away like animals
Do they still matter to you?
How is that the enemy’s voice is heard above the wailing?
The sound is disturbing
They are loud and ugly and mean
God, if you aren’t going to do something—
Please remind us what we are made of and what we can do
Because, what about the children?
Rev. Dr. Marilyn Pagán-Banks (she/her/hers/ella) is a queer womanist freedom fighter gratefully (though not always gracefully) serving as executive director of A Just Harvest, Senior Pastor at San Lucas UCC, and adjunct professor at McCormick Theological Seminary. She is a joyful contributor in the newly released book “Words of Her Mouth: Psalms for the Struggle.”
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