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“Do not wait for leaders; do it alone, person to person.” – Mother Teresa Dressed in a white habit and dark veil, Sister Ann Roza Nu Tawng knelt before Myanmar military forces and told them, “You’ll have to come through me.” Myanmar’s police forces had cracked down on pro-democracy protestors with increasing brutality. Sister Ann Roza’s moment came during a rally in the city of Myitkyina. She begged the police to leave the protestors alone but they told her to leave. They told her their actions were necessary in order to stop the protests. But she replied, “No, if you want to do this, you have to come through me.” In the next few moments she was blinded by teargas, struggling to breathe, and surrounded by gunfire. She had previously stood between the authorities and protestors two weeks earlier. At the time, she “thought today is the day I will die.” She said afterward, “I thought it would be better that I die instead of lots of people.” Sister Ann Roza said the military generals were not protecting the people of Myanmar, and that instead they “have to defend themselves.” She pledged to pray for both the military and the protesters, and said, “May God bless you. I salute the fallen souls.” Closer to home, Boulder, Colorado police officer Eric Talley was killed by a mass murderer in a supermarket (https://www.cbsnews.com/live-updates/boulder-shooting-colorado-victims-suspect-10-counts-murder/). Afterward, Boulder County District Attorney Michael Dougherty said of the officer, “He died charging into the line of fire to save people who were simply trying to live their lives and go food In contrast to officer Talley, Sister Ann Roza had neither the advantage of a bulletproof vest nor a weapon. Instead, she had It’s not hard to see a bit of Christ, especially in Sister Ann Roza’s actions. He hangs from his cross or stands between us and the forces of evil that would destroy us and says, “you have to come through me.” He told the Pharisees, “‘I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.’” (John 10:11 HCSB). Some called him insane and possessed by a demon but others believed (vs. 19-21). He told the doubters, “‘My sheep hear My voice, I know them, and they follow Me.’” (vs. 27 HCSB). If we know his voice, we will follow, even if he leads into places or situations that might be uncomfortable or threatening. Some time after his confrontation with the Pharisees, he told his disciples, “‘If the world hates you, understand that it hated Me before it hated you.’” (John 15:18 HCSB). Christ is our mediator between us and God. “For there is one God / and one mediator between God and humanity, / Christ Jesus, Himself human, / who gave Himself — a ransom for all, / a testimony at the proper time.” (1 Tim. 2:5-6 HCSB). He stands between us and the sin that would destroy us and says, “you have to come through me.” If people like Sister Ann Roza and Officer Eric Talley can put their lives on the line for others, the least we can do is to speak out against injustice in our world. The same “shield of faith” and “sword of the Spirit” that were available to Sister Ann Roza are there for us too. The good shepherd has promised to go with us when we do his will (Rom. 8:35-39). “‘Then there will be one flock, one shepherd. This is why the Father loves Me, because I am laying down My life so I may take it up again. No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down on My own. I have the right to lay it down, and I have the right to take it up again.’” (John 10:16b-18a HCSB.) |
