Jesus reformed the laws of religion and undercut the basis for all violent, exclusionary, and punitive behavior. He became the forgiving victim so we would stop creating victims ourselves. He became the falsely accused one so we would be careful whom we accuse.
This is Jesus’s simple message: Holiness is no longer to be found through separation or exclusion, but through radical inclusion. Any exclusionary system only lays the solid foundation for violence in thought, word, and deed.
-- Richard Rohr
