man, born of woman.3: a crescendo of mercy

"and the Lord said unto cain, where is abel thy brother? and he said, i know not: am i my brothers keeper?
and he said, what hast thou done? the voice of thy brothers blood crieth unto me from the ground.
and now art thou cursed from the earth, which hath opened her mouth to receive thy brothers blood from thy hand;
when thou tillest the ground, it shall not henceforth yield unto thee her strength; a fugitive and a vagabond shalt thou be in the earth.
and cain said unto the lord, my punishment is greater than I can bear.
behold, thou hast driven me out this day from the face of the earth; and from thy face shall I be hid; and I shall be a fugitive and a vagabond in the earth; and it shall come to pass, that every one that findeth me shall slay me.
and the lord said unto him, therefore whosoever slayeth cain, vengeance shall be taken on him sevenfold. And the lord set a mark upon cain, lest any finding him should kill him." (genesis 4:7-15)

is there a more poignant question in any scripture than cain's: "am i my brother's keeper?" i would suggest that in the recognition of the proper answer to that question is all that is necessary for politics and ethics. nor is there a more bitter irony in any scripture than abel's blood which cries unto the holy one from the very ground which cain had tilled.

building is slow, destruction is swift, and sorrow does not restore. cain the farmer becomes a vagabond on the earth. no cain cries out, "my punishment is more than i can bear. . . . everyone that findeth me shall kill me." justice seldom seems so attractive when it is happening to ourselves as it does when it is happening to those with whom we are vexed. but cain does not meet the punishment he thinks he deserves. "the lord set a mark upon cain, lest any finding him should kill him." even over the cacophony plays the theme of the holy one's faithful mercy.

(the image above is a capital in the cathedral of st. lazare in autun, depicting a legend that cain was accidentally killed by the young tubalcain who mistook him for an animal.)