One of the national newspapers in Honduras is running an investigative series on the situation of this small country in relation to violence.    With the recent events in Tucson still in the news, as well as MLK's birthday this week, my mind was fixed on the topic already.   It appears that Honduras has two cities (San Pedro Sula #3 and Tegucigalpa #6) which were recently included in "The Top Ten Most Violent Cities in the World."   Today's headline in the series read:  "Honduras:  In the Corridor of Death."   The focus was on drug trade and human trafficking, and talked about how the flow of contraband through Honduras has been the cause of most of the violence.   I tell people that most Hondurans are by nature peace-loving, and I still maintain that perspective.   Organized crime, gangs, drug lords, human traffickers, kidnappers -- these people are not representative of the general population, and in fact have lost all conscience in their obsession with money.  

How do we as Christians respond to such overwhelming acts of violence?   It is a challenge to fight back fear.    It is nearly impossible not to feel extreme anger, a desire for revenge.   Apparently during the Christmas holidays, some people were robbed near our home in the country.   Robberies increase at Christmas, of course, and these folks were trying to get home with their Christmas bonuses.  Not long after Christmas, the two guys who had been identified as the thieves were found dead.    Most people around here believe that the police killed them.   This kind of "justice" doesn't happen so much in the States, but down here it's fairly common.   The prisons are overcrowded, and quite often someone (police or not) takes matters into his/her own hands.    While many people applaud these executions, I don't think that any of us would say that it is the way of Jesus.

We must be peacemakers:   We must pray for our enemies, bless those who curse and persecute us, turn the other cheek, take up our Cross and follow Jesus into suffering and death.   We must forgive.  

It appears that the world is in an increasing spiral of violence.   There are the usual wars, but terrorism and delinquency are without geographic boundaries now.    Violence is literally everywhere.    God's people must be everywhere, too, living and loving in peace.   As Elaine Heath says in her book, The Mystic Way of Evangelism, "Love is God's meaning."   It must be ours as well in the face of rampant violence.   Shalom.