Sunrise over St Columbans Grove, Lower Hutt, Aotearoa/New Zealand
Given the wars and conflicts that seem to be happening all over the world, I found myself drawn again to the prayer of Zachariah we know as the Benedictus. It comes up each day in the morning prayer of the Church.
“God save us from our enemies and from the hands of all who hate us’ is part of Zachariah prayer. The Jewish people down through history became very familiar with hatred. They were oppressed as slaves in Egypt. They were invaded by the Assyrians, taken into exile by the Babylonians and dispersed by the Romans. In more recent times they have experienced violent attacks (pogroms) in Russia and suffered the Holocaust in Nazi Germany to mention just the major events. Now the state of Israel is responding to a massacre of its people in October 2023, by inflicting enormous suffering on the people of Palestine. The tit for tat series of events happening in the Middle East threatens to break into a major conflict which may serve to create more enemies and more hated on all sides.
The Jewish people are not the only ones who might pray to be delivered from the hands of those who hate them. Recently we have also witnessed violent attacks and hateful acts against migrants in England and Ireland. Attempts to find accommodation for people seeking international protection have been met with protests, attacks on the police, arson and riots. People, who were forced to leave their own countries in search of safety, now find themselves at the centre of controversy and the focus of hatred in a new land. Whatever legitimate concerns might be behind the protests, there seems to be a small element with a racist agenda aimed at creating hatred. Immigrants are an easy target for those who want to blame someone for the suffering caused by the cost-of-living crisis, the housing crisis, unemployment and the increased stress that seems to go along with modern living. Well may migrants pray with Zachariah to be “delivered from the hands of those who hate us” and to be free from fear.
As many times before in human history we are searching for ways to break the cycle of violence. The Benedictus goes on to say that John was sent to prepare the way for Jesus by “giving people knowledge of salvation through the forgiveness of their sins”. There have been many stories of people in situations of conflict who, through the power of their forgiveness, have helped the peace process. I am thinking of the Peace and Reconciliation Process carried out in South Africa. I am thinking also of Gordon Wilson, whose call for peace and reconciliation after his daughter’s death in a bomb attack in Enniskillen in 1987 is recognised as a major factor in the process that was to lead to the Good Friday Agreement in Northern Ireland.
Gordon Wilson
The final part of the Benedictus speaks about “the tender mercy of the heart of our God who visits us like the dawn from on high, to give light to those who sit in darkness and the shadow of death and guide our feet into the way of peace”. There is something very special about the dawn and the transition from night, often associated with fear, to the bright light of day. This part of the prayer goes beyond just praying to be saved from the hands of those who hate us. It asks that we be guided into the way of peace and away from the darkness of war, conflict, oppression, hunger, disease and fear.
So, to the prayer of Zachariah, I say Amen
Fr Pat O'Shea lives and works in Aotearoa/New Zealand
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