When John heard in prison what the Messiah was doing, he sent word by his disciples
and said to [Jesus], "Are you the one who is to come, or are we to wait for another?"
Jesus answered them, "Go and tell John what you hear and see:
the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the poor have good news brought to them.
And blessed is anyone who takes no offense at me."
Matthew 11:2-6 NRSVue
Human Rights Day is observed every year on 10 December — the day the United Nations General Assembly adopted, in 1948, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR). The UDHR is a milestone document, which proclaims the inalienable rights that everyone is entitled to as a human being - regardless of race, colour, religion, sex, language, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status. Available in more than 500 languages, it is the most translated document in the world.
Two days ago the Iranian government announced that it had hanged a 23-year-old prisoner named Mohsen Shekari. This is the first known execution of a person arrested in the protests that have swept the country over the past three months and led to a general strike. There are many more who have died during protests and others amongst the 15,000 who have been imprisoned who have been sentenced to death.
I find it chilling that Shekari was accused of “moharebeh,” or waging war against God, a charge that carries an automatic death sentence. Of course, these protests began as a result of the "morality police" killing a young woman named Mahsa Amini because she was wearing her hijab head-covering incorrectly. As with so many incidents of the violation of human rights around the world, protecting God's honour and laws is invoked as the reason for torture and bloodshed and murder.
This is Human Rights Day (explanation above) and I have often thought it is appropriate that this commemoration falls in the Christian liturgical season of Advent when we acknowledge that the darkness of the world is real we stubbornly trust that Christ the Light of the World has come and is present with us, age without end.
It is sobering that John was imprisoned and executed because he bore witness to the liberating Messiah and there is a sense of his uncertainty as death is imminent. The verses above are from the gospel reading for Advent III tomorrow, hardly a joyful passage on what many acknowledge as the Joy Sunday.
Not long from now we will enjoy the warmth of Jesus' birth without necessarily looking ahead to the Good Friday truth that he was put to death by the representative of an empire who misunderstood his message of God's renewed reign. We know that both the apostle Paul, sometimes described as the inventor of Christianity, and disciple Peter were killed by that same regime.
Many Christians around the planet are courageously practicing their faith despite persecution and threat. So are millions of other faiths, or of no religion or creed who work for justice and freedom of expression.
Nearly 40 years ago I purchased a limited edition print (below) which was a fundraiser for Amnesty Internationial. There is a Picasso-esque figure in the foreground, shackled and in agony. In the background there are the names of scores of individuals who had been denied their human rights, often tortured and killed. This piece was in my spacious study in Sudbury, Ontario, and my secretary commented more than once on how much she disliked it. Unfortunately it was water-damaged along the way and now sits in a closet but I brought it out a few days ago.
Today and tomorrow we can pray for all those who are imprisoned and suffering, and ask that they experience God's comfort and that they will be set free. For the second time this week I'll draw on the Beatitudes, which are a form of prayer and a call to action.
“Blessed are those who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
“Blessed are you when people revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account.
Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
Matthew 5: 10-12 NrSVue
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