Advent And Obscenity

I will, as you’ve already seen, repeat this sentiment from time to time.  Not too often, I hope, because the words are offensive, and are meant to be. I think of them as a contemporary version of the apocalyptic literature of Daniel and Revelation; or Mary’s Magnificat. It is meant to offend, in other words; but in a way that shakes us awake. Too much repetition, and it would dull and lose value. It’s pepper; and you don’t need too much of it.

The root of apocalyptic is: “fuck this shit.” Repeat that too often and you get SNAFU and FUBAR. Which were not apocalyptic expressions, but seem like it, coming out of the context of the “good war.” They challenge the memories of those of us too young to have known that war at all. We created a mythology for the Civil War; we did it again with the “Greatest Generation.” It’s hard to reconcile Tom Brokaw’s hagiography with those two earthy acronyms.

But SNAFU and FUBAR are resignation, not challenge; not defiance. It’s reconciliation to the conditions that prevail. Apocalyptic can’t be reconciled at all, unless we turn it into metaphor and symbolism and then literalism; or we tame it altogether. Daniel gets the first treatment, Revelation the second, the Magnificat the third. And Advent, which is the church season of the apocalyptic, often ignores the topic altogether.

Fuck this shit.

Is there a good way to say “Fuck this shit”? Yes. In Apocalyptic. Apocalyptic isn’t about doom and despair and destruction and collapse. It’s about the revelation of justice. Justice is disruptive, but the disruption is good. If you’re on the right side of it. The proud are cast down; so be humble. The rich lose their wealth; so don’t store up riches on earth. The well-fed go hungry, so share your food with the hungry now. It’s injustice, the tolerance for injustice, that’s the obscenity.

Part of the preparation for the Christchild is the preparation for the end of all things. The apocalypse, the final revelation, the truth behind all things. The coming of God’s justice. The reversal that resets the table. Permanently. The preparation for that, is to first recognize how screwed up things are.

One other thing: apocalyptic seems to be diametrically opposed to humility and care for self as care for others. But keep an open mind on the subject; we’ll be coming back to it.