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Ninety Days Inside The Empire: A Novel by William Appleman Williams

Communion

Page 46

Marsh instantly recognized Maggie's voice and turned to catch the young white man staring at the floor. As Marsh looked back he was sure that Griff had made the connection, even though he flowed on with his thoughts.

"These are things we got to think on together if we are going to get down the road. It's like when you read the Bible: sometimes a word seems to mean one thing and you got it fixed in your head, and then another time the same word seems to mean something different. We got to sort it out, and this morning's as good a time as any."

Thomas again leaned over to whisper to Marsh. "Old catfish man just set the hook. Walk-on time is over. No more free blowin off the drummer." Marsh winked back.

"We'll start with us. Right here and now. We know who us is. Us is the neighbor on each side and their neighbors on each side and so on even to neighbors who didn't make it this morning. Us is us Negroes and our friends trying to help each other like The Lord tells us to do. We're here this morning because we is us.

That's our us. But we are also citizens of this country and so we're part of a bigger us. Us as Americans. And so when the Lord tells us to help one another that means we do what we can to help other Americans. You all think back on that truth the choir gave us right in the beginning:

'Big Black Nigger...Want my pork chops...Talk about it...Fightin' Nigger...Shout and study...'

'You shall be free!'

When we talk about Americans we are talking about lots of whites who are Niggers, too. They need help just like we need help. And it goes one step more. We are part of an even bigger us; all those people around the world who are Niggers needing help. That prayer we offered did not stop at any line on a map. We prayed for everyone in trouble and pain...."

Mitch squirmed a message up to Marsh.

-- You're in way deep, R. G. I sure hope you get out alive.

Marsh shrugged: it's between him The Lord. He was excited, had given up dividing his time between the sermon and watching the visitors. They were caught up in it, too. The FBI man had even stopped taking notes.

"Praying does lots of things, and one of them is to keep reminding us of what is important. That's a way of helping us to do more than just pray. A part of our money and time-our muscle and brains and love-goes to help people who don't live here with us. And now and again the people we elect to government remember to do some of the same. The Good Lord sure knows that right now helping some people is a big government business...."

He was interrupted by general laughter. He welcomed the respite and let it run down into winks and nudges.

"Yes, indeed. Our leaders are pretty busy these days helping some people. Mr. Truman and Mr. Marshall have been humping like they were chopping cotton to collect lots of money to help various peoples around the world. Almost all of those people are white."

He let the silence ring for a few seconds.

"I got no quarrel with helping those people. They are in need and in pain. That is what we mean when we talk about the Grace of God and thank him for that Grace. There is no great secret, no fancy mystery, about the Grace of God. The Grace of God is what happens when we act the way God tells us-love they neighbor as thyself. We know that means right here. Together we try to act that way and when we come close we create a community with God and with each other. That is the Grace of God."

"If we know that, and I pray we do that, then we can speak no anger against Mr. Truman or Mr. Marshall for trying to help some other people. But I can say, that we don't agree with them about how they are going about it, and how they choose who gets the help. It does not make sense to me to blame one group of people halfway 'round the world for all our troubles. The Lord knows that lots of our troubles start right here at home."