SENTINEL WATCH January 28, 2008 Issue

A CALL FOR COMFORT

RICHARD BERGENHEIM

THERE IS A SELF-RIGHTEOUS extremism that afflicts the world today. We see it in the assassination of world leaders; we also see it in the intolerance that marks people's attitudes toward one another. In too many cases, once one believes his or her cause is right, the ends justify the means.

It isn't hard to feel the world's ache for relief, for peace. There is a deep desire for a respite from the onslaught of violence around the world—both in word and deed. One of the writers of a psalm in the Bible noted how his bed was soaked with tears; one can understand the frustration, pain, and anguish that he felt. This helps us feel the urgency that lies behind the Bible's proclamation we hear so often this time of year; "Comfort ye, comfort ye my people, saith your God" (Isa. 40:1). This demand is genuine, a call by divine Love itself for healing. Divine Love's call for comfort—for a recognition that its aid is at hand, that its rule and order should take hold in consciousness—demands to be heeded.

When Herod authorized the beheading of John the Baptist, people sought out Jesus for comfort and reassurance. He helped them see that despite political intolerance and cruelty, one can be conscious of the steadfast, sure presence of God. Jesus' teaching began with the proclamation: "The kingdom of God is at hand" (Mark 1:15). It wasn't evident in Herod's court, but Jesus was able to give those around him a sense of God at hand, God with them, God supporting and saving them—even in that political environment.