Bones in the church

The Christian Century reports that there is a Catholic church in a small Rwandan village where around 5000 people were killed in the 1994 mass murders. The church has been turned into a memorial to the dead. Hanging from the rafters and walls are the tattered, blood-stained clothes of the victims. Bones, including multiple rows of skulls, are displayed on the shelves, as well as victims' possessions. Above the skulls a sign reads: "If you knew me, and you knew yourself, you would not kill me." [CT, January 12, 2010; originally from American Scholar]

How much violence and hatred would disappear if we really knew ourselves and really knew each other? Self knowledge is so important. Most violence is expressed by people who don't like themselves. Their self-hatred comes from a lack of knowledge of themselves; that is, they don't really know who they are. If they only knew that each of us is a 'loved one,' if they saw themselves through the eyes of Jesus, they would know themselves as precious children of God.

We take out our self-loathing on others. What each of us needs is to hear the Good News. God says to each of us: "You are loved. I love you. You are special. You are precious. And so is everyone else. Share my love."

If you knew me, and you knew yourself, you would not kill me.

When we stop hating who we are and stop defending who we are, we can start being vulnerable and generous with ourselves. We love God because God first loved us. We love others because we first love ourselves. When we open ourselves to the grace of God, we become more loving toward others.

Most of the world's problems could be solved if we looked within and saw the precious jewel there.