by Bishop Laura J. Ahrens of Connecticut
So, I’ll begin with a confession. I was feeling excited about the fact that the staff the Episcopal Church in Connecticut all had matching orange t-shirts with our ECCT logo and the important words “ECCT against gun violence” emblazoned across the front. We were a unified team speaking out against something that we were passionate about and that we wanted to make a visible statement about to those who would see us that day either in person or via social media.
However, as the day wore on, the shirt took on a different meaning to me. As I encountered colleagues and community members and followed social media, seeing friends, acquaintances, strangers, politicians, and one older woman walking slowly, but importantly, wearing orange and attaching a sign to her walker #wearorange, the feeling of the day took a different shape.
I remembered. I remembered Sandy Hook. I remembered the tears, my own and those of people I love dearly, lost in the confusion of the day. I remembered feeling sick to my stomach as I heard the news and drove to Newtown, not knowing what to think or feel, but knowing there was nowhere else God was calling me to be -to be in the sadness of the day and to let that sadness break my heart. Knowing there were no words to speak but that the God I prayed wordless prayers to so fiercely that day was the Word and while I didn’t know what that meant exactly in that moment, I put my faith and my broken heart and offered the broken heart of others in that Word.
I remembered our Holy Week Walk in Washington D C in 2013, Challenging a Culture of Violence, The Way of the Cross and the way that the rain and the chill of the day felt right because that mirrored my tears and my desire to look the cold in the face and say “Enough.” Enough to this violence. Enough to the laws and the actions which make guns accessible in unsafe ways. Enough to shootings, random or not, that take away life, scar hearts and wound communities. Enough.
I remembered the walk at General Convention in Salt Lake City in 2015. The prayers, witness and song leading up to the march were powerful and inspirational, but then we began to walk. The same sick to my stomach feeling came upon me as my foot turned to make the first step. When would this be the last march because our work was done? How many walks, how many steps, would me and countless others, take, offering our witness to Enough. I marched, I sang and I will march and sing again. Enough.
I will march. I will sing. I will pray. I will wear orange. I will give word and action to Enough. I am a bishop against gun violence. The Word was made flesh and dwelt among us. I will give voice to that Word of love and hope. I will offer my word and my actions to this journey. I will remember. And I will work for change.
The Rt. Rev. Laura J. Ahrens was elected and consecrated in 2007 and serves as the Bishop Suffragan of the Episcopal Church in CT. Laura enjoys working with parishes and communities as they seek to enhance their life of discipleship, nurturing their spiritual lives and engagement with scripture. Linking this discipleship with ministries of being sent out into the world as apostles to share the good news is the primary focus of her ministry.





As if wearing orange will do anything to reduce gun violence. The degree of naivete and delusion on this subject is astounding and depressing, but not surprising. The only thing that will reduce violence,whether gun or any other kind, is a change in the hearts and minds of people away from violence and towards peaceful interaction with others. So, let us give up the silly gestures and platitudes and get about the business of sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ to a broken world and loving our neighbors, one neighbor at a time.
There are many things wearing orange can do. One to show how many people support actions to prevent gun violence — like licensing, like background checks, and allowing the CDC to keep track of incidents and begin to see connections and patterns. We do that with cars (and now we have seat belts). We did that with polio and now we have vaccines. Right now there is nothing being done. There can be a new culture of sanity around guns – just like there is around cigarettes.
Sadly Scott, there are many folks in the world who think those very thoughts about Christianity; silly gestures & platitudes.
It’s a waste of time and an exercise in self deception and delusional thinking.
Could be but so much of what we do in life is like that– we live in hope.
Thank you, Bishop Ahrens, for your witness and your work.
BISHOP LAURA
THANK YOU FOR YOUR COMMENT. VERY SAD AND MAKES ME ANGRY TO FACE GUN VIOLENCE AGAIN AND AGAIN. I CRY BUT FEEL LIKE YELLING.