Given by Anna Runion on September 30, 2018
Due to recent events, the topic of sexual assault is on the fore-front of our minds. Most people have been touched by this, either personally or through friends/family. We are a community that cannot remain silent. We seek justice. While we are tempted to rage against the chaos, we follow Jesus’s example to turn the other cheek. This does not mean be passive or submit. Rather we are to shame, confuse, and disrupt our oppressors. To strike someone on their right cheek, you use either your left hand or the back of the right. Historically, the left hand was used for unclean things. You would need to do penance. Also, a backhand is not meant to injure but to degrade. By offering the other cheek, the person cannot use the backhand again. Only equals fought with fists. Jesus was telling his audience that turning the other cheek was an act of defiance. You are demanding to be treated as an equal. This is a non-violent assertive response. We are finding a new way to declare our dignity. While the path may be different for each person, may we find a way to go forward as a community.
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