day 22 - injustice.

I recently read this horrifying story about a 14 year old girl in Bangledesh who was violently raped. After her rape she was beaten as punishment for her "adultery." The violence of her rape and beating was so severe that her fragile body was bleeding internally. That bleeding led to her death. As I read it, I felt such rage and heart break that it is difficult to even put into words.

For the most part, this Lenten blog has been made up of my reflections on where I find beauty and where I see God in my daily living. But today, I am haunted by the story of this young girl. I cannot get her picture out of my head. It seems like a further injustice to write small words about art or nature or poetry, when her life was ended so tragically and abruptly. In the end, there was no grace or beauty offered to her.

I share her story because it is one that needs to be told. If part of the Lenten journey is to be called back toward the way of Jesus, then this is also the time to notice how broken our world still is. A time to ask ourselves if we are reaching out with the hands of Christ. A harsh desert journey, when we must open our eyes and look at a tragedy like this one, and ask ourselves the hard questions: how we will work as people of faith to keep this from happening again and again to defenseless people all over the world? How will we stand with those who have no one to shield or shelter them? How we will say over and over that we will not tolerate abuse and injustice? How will we work to heal the broken and protect the defenseless?

I hate that as I form and wrestle with these questions, I have no answers that are enough. I have no idea how to protect other girls in Bangladesh who may face the same fate. It makes me feel helpless and small. But I know I need to tell this story. I need to remind myself and others that this is happening, and that we cannot be silent. I know that this girl's life and death is a call to create safe places in our own communities where the vulnerable can find solace, support and shelter. I know I want to be a part of helping young girls not to be prey to sexual, emotional and physical violence. Her story is a reminder that we have failed and that we are not doing enough. I pray that somehow I will be a voice fighting for people like Hena. I hope against hope that I will have the courage to have a faith that doesn't just reflect about how God makes me feel, but a faith that I live -- a faith that actually saves and protects people. A faith that doesn't allow this to keep happening. A faith that doesn't rest until such violence stops. A faith that will not be silenced.