In an age which offers a variety of escapes from the human condition, Christians are more than ever a sign of contradiction. They continue to believe that the search for God must begin with the acceptance of the human. They believe this because it is in the stable of humanity that God has come in search of us.
In the human experience of Jesus, God became available to us as the depth of human life. Thus, a Christian believes that the experience of ultimate meaning comes not from a leap out of the human condition, but a journey through its dark waters.
--John Heagle
Rise up, Lord, in defense of your people,
do not hide your face from our troubles.
Father of orphans,
wealth of the poor,
we rejoice in making you known;
may we find comfort and security
in times of pain and anxiety.
When the Lord turned against the captivity of Zion, we were like them that dream. Then was our mouth filled with laughter, and our tongue with singing: then said they among the heathen, The Lord hath done great things for them.
The Lord hath done great things for us; whereof we are glad.
Turn against our captivity, O Lord, as the streams in the south.
They that sow in tears shall reap in joy.
He that goeth forth and weepeth, bearing precious seed, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him.
--Psalm 126 (KJV)
I once quoted the Heagle passage above in comparison to this one:
The Christian message doesn’t contradict science, and nor is it concerned with bourgeois politics. Ultimately Christianity (and many other religions) are about transcending politics and fighting for social justice. Think of Martin Luther King Jr., Desmond Tutu, Nelson Mandela, Mahatma Gandhi and Thich Quang Duc – all of whom were influenced by their religion to change the world. Jesus saw how oppression and oppressors consumed the world. He, as all great reformers have, sided with the oppressed. This kind of skewed fundamentalism is radically new and far removed from true Christianity. True Christianity offers us a far superior doctrine — one of social justice, love and equality.
A doctrine, I would argue, based on righteousness as it comes from God, and is known to Christians (at least) through Jesus (by which I mean there is no contradiction with Judaism). Siding with the oppressed is the clear message of Dorothy Day and Oscar Romero, of Nicholas of Patara and Basil and Ambrose, and Thomas Merton and Our Lady of Guadalupe. And John the Baptist. But I wouldn't say it transcends politics. It is far more radical than that. It uproots and upends politics, as Mary sang when Elizabeth greeted her as "the mother of my lord."
No comments:
Post a Comment