By Dean Hammer, on the Feast of the Massacre of the Holy Innocents (on the 135th anniversary of the Massacre at Wounded Knee in 1890)

This year’s Prayer Service and Nonviolent Witness at the Pentagon on Dec. 29th  commemorates the Feast of the Massacre of the Holy Innocents—past and present. This day is also the anniversary of the “Wounded Knee Massacre,” where nearly 300 Lakota were killed by U.S. Army soldiers on that day in 1890. The Feast of the Holy Innocents recalls Herod’s retribution against the Jewish population–seeking to destroy Jesus and all male Jewish children in Bethlehem (two years old and younger), who represent a threat to his imperial power. Jesus’ earliest years as a refugee link the biblical story (Matthew 2:16–18) to the current state sanctioned atrocities by the U.S government against people seeking sanctuary and their advocates. The witness is sponsored by the Dorothy Day Catholic Worker, carrying forward the Atlantic Life Community’s ongoing witness at the Pentagon on the Feast of the Innocents since 1975.

The prayer service at the Pentagon is offered in the context of our dire times and the piercing question: Can the juggernaut of untethered corruption and mass violence be interrupted and subverted? Alligator Alcatraz, United States support for mass killing atrocities in Gaza, thousands of people in the US arrested and deported (many to unknown destinations and torture prisons) without due process, and millions of US citizens threatened with the loss of food, housing, and medical care: a dystopian time with incomprehensible suffering. The core beliefs, attitudes, values, and actions of Make America Great Again leaders and followers have fueled a degeneration of democracy in the U.S. at breakneck speed.

Paul Hawken reflects in Blessed Unrest (2007) how the largest movement to save the planet is restoring grace, justice, and beauty to the world. In this way, the Pentagon witness on Dec. 29th joins with the spirit of the Sumud Flotilla (bringing lifesaving aid and civilian protection to Gaza), and the Palestine Action (a UK pro-Palestinian direct action group, currently involved in a significant hunger strike by imprisoned members, protesting detention conditions and demanding release). Sumud is an Arabic word meaning steadfastness or perseverance, deeply rooted in Palestinian culture as a powerful form of nonviolent resistance and resilience against oppression and violence. Embracing an unwavering commitment to living with integrity and dignity amidst hegemonic power, the community of blessed unrest dares to dream and acts as a nemesis to illegitimate authority. In celebration of steadfast nonviolent witnesses, may we all find ways to honor the Holy Innocents, past and present.