HUMAN EFFORTS, GOD´S GRACE
(A meditation on the verse, "Thy will be done," of the Our Father)
by Joseph Mulligan, SJ
Catholic Worker, June-July 2009
“The people united will never be defeated”
has been a popular slogan of struggle in Chile and other Latin American countries.
“We shall overcome,” proclaimed Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.,
along with those who organized, marched, and went to jail with him.
“Yes, it can be done” (“sí, se puede”) chanted César Chavez and the United Farm Workers.
“Don’t mourn, organize” was the message of labor songwriter Joe Hill and other union activists.
These encouraging messages show us how to cooperate with God
in bringing about the coming of the Kingdom and the implementation of God’s will.
It couldn’t be clearer that God’s will for the Kingdom
is to be carried out on earth,
not just among the departed souls and angels.
How? By using our God-given intelligence and freedom to solve our problems,
working together with God for a better world.
We must let God’s will be done in our lives, families, and communities
and organize so that God’s will for justice and freedom
may become a reality for all
in social, political, and economic structures.
In these structures and systems, it is people’s power, united and smart,
which makes change,
for the entrenched power of the ruling class
does not yield without a struggle.
As Dr. King said in his Letter from a Birmingham Jail, “We know through painful experience
that freedom is never voluntarily given by the oppressor;
it must be demanded by the oppressed.”
Organized Truth-force, speaking truth to power,
non-cooperation, boycotts, marches, sit-ins,
draft resistance, tax resistance, and other forms of civil disobedience,
organizing unions and neighborhood groups, especially when the stakes are significant --
these are some of the methods of exerting power non-violently at our disposal.
God’s will
is not that women and children be beaten,
that more people be unemployed or exploited,
that millions suffer malnutrition or AIDS,
that the prisons and jails of the U.S. contain over 2 million inmates,
that the U.S. invade other countries at will.
These evils happen
because we misuse the freedom and potential God has given us.
Problems made by humans,
can be solved by humans.
In this seemingly impossible and overwhelming task, we may feel alone,
even if we organize millions to act in unison.
But we are not left to our own devices, limited energy, and propensity toward despair.
Moses and the prophets were always assured of Abba’s presence and strength
even in the face of fierce opposition.
Jesus often told His disciples: “Do not be afraid; I am with you.”
United to the Vine, we will produce much fruit.
It was not God’s will that Jesus suffer cruelly and perish ignominiously on the cross
“for our sins,”
to assuage some divine wrath,
to make a sacrifice of expiation,
to save us.
These are images which were applied to Jesus after His death and resurrection. In retrospect, Christian theology sees that they were fulfilled in a magnificent way by Jesus.
It was God’s will that Jesus
announce the Kingdom of justice and love and inaugurate it by His work,
that He be faithful to this dangerous mission
in face of the intense persecution it would unleash against Him,
and that Jesus and His cause be vindicated in the Resurrection.
“Abba, Father, for you all things are possible; remove this cup from me; yet, not what I want, but what you want”(Mk 14:36). Jesus’ will was one with Abba’s; He was the faithful prophet and courageous liberator to the very end.
******************
This article is from my journal written while I was in two county jails from late January to late April, 2004, serving a 90-day sentence for “crossing the line” onto Ft. Benning, Ga., in a November 2003 protest against the U.S. Army’s School of the Americas. The School, now known as the Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation (WHINSEC), has trained thousands of Latin American soldiers, some of whom have returned to their countries to be notorious torturers, assassins, and other human-rights violators.
The complete version of the article can be found at: http://www.jailjournal.blogspot.com/
Wednesday, December 30, 2009
"Anima Christi"
The following meditation, written by SOA Prisoner of Conscience Joe Mulligan while in jail in early 2004, was published in slightly shorter form in NATIONAL JESUIT NEWS (January, 2009).
“ANIMA CHRISTI”
by
Joseph E. Mulligan, S.J.
The following is from my journal written while I was in two county jails from January to April, 2004, serving a 90-day sentence for “crossing the line” onto Ft. Benning, Ga., in a November 2003 protest against the U.S. Army’s School of the Americas. The School, now known as the Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation (WHINSEC), has trained thousands of Latin American soldiers, some of whom have returned to their countries to be notorious torturers, assassins, and other human-rights violators. (For information, please see www.soaw.org)
“Anima Christi”
“Soul of Christ, sanctify me.”
May the Holy Spirit, Spirit of Love, soften my heart,
helping me to be more sensitive and kinder to others
and to “speak boldly” in defense of the gospel of love and justice
as the early Christians did after Pentecost.
“Come, Holy Spirit, fill my heart and kindle in me the fire of thy divine love.”
“Body of Christ, save me.”
– Save me by preventing me from being amputated from your Body, the people.
If I fall alone into the raging waters, may your lifeline bring me back to the Bark.
– May your Eucharistic Body nourish me so that I can be a more vital community member
and enable me to assimilate you as the Word of Life,
as Ezekiel “ate the scroll” of your truth (Ezekiel 3:1-3).
– And as I break the Eucharistic bread and pass the cup of your blood to the community,
by your mercy speaking your words of self-giving,
help me to be willing to give my body to be broken and my blood to be shed
not just in one special, final moment, if that ever becomes necessary,
but every day in friendship and service.
“Blood of Christ, inebriate me.”
Gladden my heart.
Cheer me up when I’m down;
and when I’m happy,
prompt me to show it with a smile and sense of humor.
“Water from the side of Christ, wash me.”
Baptize me anew every day to wash away the dust, grime, and air pollution of our culture:
gender and nationalistic chauvinism,
racism,
anthropocentric ecological irresponsibility,
individualistic competitiveness of all kinds,
fearful egocentrism,
and clericalistic arrogance.
“Passion of Christ, strengthen me.”
May the martyrdom of Jesus
fortify us to carry on the struggle for the Kingdom
no matter what may lie ahead.
And may we come to a more complete and more personal understanding
of the prophet Jesus and his liberating work in the gospels
as the prelude and provocation of his execution,
that we may love him and his people more deeply
and follow him more closely.
“O Good Jesus, hear me.”
Mom used to say, in times of difficulty:
“God is good.”
Jesus is our good friend who always listens and accompanies us.
May the Spirit help us to listen, too, to him and to one another.
“Within your wounds, hide me.”
It is not from any vengeful anger of a cruel tyrant god
that we need to be hidden within Jesus’ wounds,
for such a seedy image is a blasphemous insult to Jesus’ and our loving “Abba,”
as Bishop Tom Gumbleton noted in his Palm Sunday sermon (April 4, 2004)
after the reading of the Lord’s passion:
“Over the past few weeks, even months, we have been inundated with talk of the film ‘The Passion of the Christ.’ The emphasis has been on Jesus being brutalized, victimized, and becoming a helpless victim who seems almost totally passive, being crushed with a kind of violence that is almost too much for most people to even watch and absorb.
“Supposedly, according to that kind of theology, this was what God demanded. God demanded that Jesus be so totally destroyed and suffer so terribly to pay for our sin.
“But if we listen really carefully to the scriptures, that’s not the message. Jesus was not a helpless victim. What kind of a God would demand that God’s only Son be treated that way and demand that kind of payment? We can almost not imagine a crueler image of God. It certainly does not fit into our understanding of who God is. God is love and only love” (The Peace Pulpit, National Catholic Reporter).
As the mountains of El Salvador hid the poor in resistance and in flight, may Jesus hide us from the all-intrusive electronic eyes of repressive governments in the service of the world’s oligarchies – so that we may, as he often did, get away to struggle another day, until the hour of death is inevitably upon us.
“Permit me not to be separated from you.”
You always say: “Do not be afraid, I am with you.”
Help me to stay by your side,
never separated from you or from your Body, the community,
for that would be the only real defeat.
“From the wicked foe defend me.”
Defend me from the enemy within –
pride, which would make me into an idol for myself,
and fear, which would reduce me to a slave.
In relation to opponents outside,
help me to hate the injustice but not the perpetrator,
and to confront opponents resolutely but respectfully,
with the relative truth I have glimpsed.
“At the hour of my death, call me.”
Grateful for my advancing years,
I pray that you continue to pour out your Spirit,
so that younger generations shall still see visions
and that we older disciples shall still dream dreams (Acts 2:17; Joel 2:28)
until the hour comes when you call us once again:
“Come and see, come follow me.”
“And bid me come to you.”
in poverty of spirit
and, finally, in total material poverty as well.
“That with your saints I may praise you, for ever and ever. Amen.”
May our friendship grow in this life,
so that I may look toward an eternal conversation of love and praise
as my perfect joy.
Joe Mulligan, a Jesuit from Detroit, works with Christian Base Communities and is the In-Country Coordinator of Jesuit Volunteers International in Nicaragua. He is the author of The Nicaraguan Church and the Revolution (Sheed & Ward, 1991) and The Jesuit Martyrs of El Salvador–Celebrating the Anniversaries (Fortkamp, 1994)
“ANIMA CHRISTI”
by
Joseph E. Mulligan, S.J.
The following is from my journal written while I was in two county jails from January to April, 2004, serving a 90-day sentence for “crossing the line” onto Ft. Benning, Ga., in a November 2003 protest against the U.S. Army’s School of the Americas. The School, now known as the Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation (WHINSEC), has trained thousands of Latin American soldiers, some of whom have returned to their countries to be notorious torturers, assassins, and other human-rights violators. (For information, please see www.soaw.org)
“Anima Christi”
“Soul of Christ, sanctify me.”
May the Holy Spirit, Spirit of Love, soften my heart,
helping me to be more sensitive and kinder to others
and to “speak boldly” in defense of the gospel of love and justice
as the early Christians did after Pentecost.
“Come, Holy Spirit, fill my heart and kindle in me the fire of thy divine love.”
“Body of Christ, save me.”
– Save me by preventing me from being amputated from your Body, the people.
If I fall alone into the raging waters, may your lifeline bring me back to the Bark.
– May your Eucharistic Body nourish me so that I can be a more vital community member
and enable me to assimilate you as the Word of Life,
as Ezekiel “ate the scroll” of your truth (Ezekiel 3:1-3).
– And as I break the Eucharistic bread and pass the cup of your blood to the community,
by your mercy speaking your words of self-giving,
help me to be willing to give my body to be broken and my blood to be shed
not just in one special, final moment, if that ever becomes necessary,
but every day in friendship and service.
“Blood of Christ, inebriate me.”
Gladden my heart.
Cheer me up when I’m down;
and when I’m happy,
prompt me to show it with a smile and sense of humor.
“Water from the side of Christ, wash me.”
Baptize me anew every day to wash away the dust, grime, and air pollution of our culture:
gender and nationalistic chauvinism,
racism,
anthropocentric ecological irresponsibility,
individualistic competitiveness of all kinds,
fearful egocentrism,
and clericalistic arrogance.
“Passion of Christ, strengthen me.”
May the martyrdom of Jesus
fortify us to carry on the struggle for the Kingdom
no matter what may lie ahead.
And may we come to a more complete and more personal understanding
of the prophet Jesus and his liberating work in the gospels
as the prelude and provocation of his execution,
that we may love him and his people more deeply
and follow him more closely.
“O Good Jesus, hear me.”
Mom used to say, in times of difficulty:
“God is good.”
Jesus is our good friend who always listens and accompanies us.
May the Spirit help us to listen, too, to him and to one another.
“Within your wounds, hide me.”
It is not from any vengeful anger of a cruel tyrant god
that we need to be hidden within Jesus’ wounds,
for such a seedy image is a blasphemous insult to Jesus’ and our loving “Abba,”
as Bishop Tom Gumbleton noted in his Palm Sunday sermon (April 4, 2004)
after the reading of the Lord’s passion:
“Over the past few weeks, even months, we have been inundated with talk of the film ‘The Passion of the Christ.’ The emphasis has been on Jesus being brutalized, victimized, and becoming a helpless victim who seems almost totally passive, being crushed with a kind of violence that is almost too much for most people to even watch and absorb.
“Supposedly, according to that kind of theology, this was what God demanded. God demanded that Jesus be so totally destroyed and suffer so terribly to pay for our sin.
“But if we listen really carefully to the scriptures, that’s not the message. Jesus was not a helpless victim. What kind of a God would demand that God’s only Son be treated that way and demand that kind of payment? We can almost not imagine a crueler image of God. It certainly does not fit into our understanding of who God is. God is love and only love” (The Peace Pulpit, National Catholic Reporter).
As the mountains of El Salvador hid the poor in resistance and in flight, may Jesus hide us from the all-intrusive electronic eyes of repressive governments in the service of the world’s oligarchies – so that we may, as he often did, get away to struggle another day, until the hour of death is inevitably upon us.
“Permit me not to be separated from you.”
You always say: “Do not be afraid, I am with you.”
Help me to stay by your side,
never separated from you or from your Body, the community,
for that would be the only real defeat.
“From the wicked foe defend me.”
Defend me from the enemy within –
pride, which would make me into an idol for myself,
and fear, which would reduce me to a slave.
In relation to opponents outside,
help me to hate the injustice but not the perpetrator,
and to confront opponents resolutely but respectfully,
with the relative truth I have glimpsed.
“At the hour of my death, call me.”
Grateful for my advancing years,
I pray that you continue to pour out your Spirit,
so that younger generations shall still see visions
and that we older disciples shall still dream dreams (Acts 2:17; Joel 2:28)
until the hour comes when you call us once again:
“Come and see, come follow me.”
“And bid me come to you.”
in poverty of spirit
and, finally, in total material poverty as well.
“That with your saints I may praise you, for ever and ever. Amen.”
May our friendship grow in this life,
so that I may look toward an eternal conversation of love and praise
as my perfect joy.
Joe Mulligan, a Jesuit from Detroit, works with Christian Base Communities and is the In-Country Coordinator of Jesuit Volunteers International in Nicaragua. He is the author of The Nicaraguan Church and the Revolution (Sheed & Ward, 1991) and The Jesuit Martyrs of El Salvador–Celebrating the Anniversaries (Fortkamp, 1994)
Monday, December 14, 2009
INCARNATION AND TRANSFORMATION: A CHRISTMAS MEDITATION
The following article was published in a somewhat shorter form in THE CATHOLIC WORKER (New York, NY), December, 2009, under the title “The Unfettered Gift of Love.”
INCARNATION AND TRANSFORMATION: A CHRISTMAS MEDITATION
by
Joseph E. Mulligan, S.J.
The Christmas message, that God became incarnate in history in order to help humanity, is indeed Good News (gospel) to all. To the terrified shepherds the angel proclaimed: "Do not be afraid; for see, I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people" (Lk 2:10). When the wise men from the East arrived at the birthplace of Jesus, "they were overwhelmed with joy" (Mt 2:10). And Mark begins his gospel on a similarly happy note: "The beginning of the good news of Jesus Christ, the Son of God" (1:1).
In order for a message to be "news," it must be of something really happening in our lives, in the world, in history. And it is "good" news to the extent that it signifies some genuine betterment, or at least a good possibility of that, in the lives and conditions of its hearers.
The world in which the Word took on flesh is a mixed scene in which evil wars upon goodness, justice, and love in human hearts and in the structures of society. Christmas means that the good not only has a chance but will ultimately win this conflict.
Sin: Rending the Social Fabric
Sin is an unfettered, selfish liberty which has no concept of connectedness and no recognition of personal or social responsibility. Paul cautioned against this distorted kind of freedom in Galatians 5:13-15: "For you were called to freedom, brothers and sisters; only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for self-indulgence, but through love become slaves to one another. For the whole law is summed up in a single commandment, 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' If, however, you bite and devour one another, take care that you are not consumed by one another."
Sin, at its origin in Genesis, is twofold: self-idolization ("you will not die.... You will be like God," 3:4-5) leading immediately to the rending of the social fabric ("Cain rose up against his brother Abel, and killed him. Then the Lord said to Cain, 'where is your brother Abel?' He said, 'I do not know; am I my brother´s keeper?'" -- 4:8-9). A blind, irresponsible liberty will necessarily trample upon the human rights of others.
Examples abound of such insensitivity on both the personal and collective level. As for the latter, super-nationalism, racism, male chauvinism in churches and in society, and human arrogance toward the environment are forms of selfishness "writ large." With typical American arrogance of power, the U.S. did not heed Archbishop Romero's request for an end of military aid to the murderous Salvadoran army. Similarly, the Reagan administration brushed off the World Court´s ruling to cease interfering by force and violence in the affairs of Sandinista Nicaragua.
Since then we have seen a US invasion of Iraq based on deliberate lies, the slaughter of enormous numbers of civilians, a policy of torture (including the threat or use of electric drills on prisoners), an escalating military action in Afghanistan which is turning into a classic quagmire for the current administration, and other expressions of sinful systems and policies.
The Incarnation
It is in this world, dominated by the American empire, that Jesus becomes incarnate today. "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being" (Jn 1:1-3). What does this imply?
The Word ("logos") is the Logic, Pattern, Blueprint of human society and of all creation, akin to Wisdom in the Old Testament. Through him/her all things came into being: gender, race, nationality, language, culture, and government as a way of ordering communal life. As Walter Wink emphasizes, all of these are good, though fallen (precisely when they raise themselves to become gods of domination), but always capable of being redeemed (Walter Wink, Engaging the Powers: Discernment and Resistance in a World of Domination, Minneapolis, Fortress Press, 1992).
When Jesus redeems, he restores persons and things to their true selves, since he is the Plan according to which everything was created. As Thomas Merton said, "To be a saint is to be yourself" -- your true self, before you were programmed to be fearful, self-centered, dominating, and violent.
The Word is the light of all people because we exist in his/her likeness and pattern. In the light of the Word the true being of everything is illuminated.
St. Paul speaks of the risen Christ as "the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation ... in whom all things hold together" and have their true being (Col 1:15-17). Since Christ is the perfect image of God, and we are created in God´s image and likeness, we attain our true identity by being incorporated into Christ.
Rejection
And yet the world, even his own, did not accept him: "He came to what was his own, and his own people did not accept him" (Jn 1:11).
Creation had become twisted, distorted from its divine model, and so the creature did not know its true nature. John presents Jesus' explanation of this: "The light has come into the world, and people loved darkness rather than light because their deeds were evil. For all who do evil hate the light and do not come to the light, so that their deeds may not be exposed. But those who do what is true come to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that their deeds have been done in God" (3:19-21).
In a similar vein Paul explains that evil suppresses the truth: "For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and wickedness of those who by their wickedness suppress the truth" (Rom 1:18).
Acceptance and Transformation
The battle between light and darkness is part of the war between good and evil. While some choose evil, others receive the Word and are transformed into what they truly are, children of God: "But to all who received him, who believed in his name, he gave power to become children of God" (Jn 1:12). That power is our incorporation into the Body of Christ and our sharing in the Holy Spirit of Love.
The Word made flesh is "Emmanuel," which, Matthew explains, means "God with us" (Mt 1:23). Since Jesus is the True Person, some wise men from the East, searching for truth, come to him in Bethlehem: "On entering the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother; and they knelt down and paid him homage. Then, opening their treasure chests, they offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh" (2:11).
To whom did they kneel to give homage? Not to a domineering ecclesiastical chief who would have demanded that they reject their cultural and religious heritage as "pagan" or perhaps even diabolical, but to an infant in a modest dwelling. The baby Jesus did not require their total submission; the family gratefully accepted the visitors´ gifts and wished them well on their journey. They represent all the peoples of the world to whom the Good News of forgiveness and liberation is to be proclaimed (Mark 16:15); Jesus is the Truth they are seeking.
If the religions of the world could receive each other´s gifts in mutual appreciation and gratitude, the kingdom of the one God would come closer. This prospect is not helped by Marines from a "Christian nation" attacking and calling in air strikes on a mosque in Iraq or on a civilian settlement in Afghanistan, thus killing scores of Muslims. Nor is ecumenism advanced by governments which outlaw or persecute Christianity.
Persecution
The holy family became refugees in Egypt to avoid the jealous wrath of King Herod, who took out his anger by killing "all the children in and around Bethlehem who were two years old or under, according to the time that he had learned from the wise men" (2:16)
Later, other jealous religious authorities and the representative of the Roman emperor would succeed in executing Jesus. And down through the ages, kings, emperors, and presidents have beaten down with overwhelming violence most "uppity" types -- whether prophets of God´s kingdom or would-be political rivals, or even simply independent leaders who refuse to genuflect at the imperial throne.
Hope and Strength
But Mary´s God is one who enters into human, political history, who "brought down the powerful from their thrones and lifted up the lowly, filled the hungry with good things and sent the rich away empty" (Lk 1:52-53). This God had told her and Joseph, "Do not be afraid," and Jesus similarly assures his disciples: "Do not be afraid; ...I am with you always" (Mt 28:10,20).
END
INCARNATION AND TRANSFORMATION: A CHRISTMAS MEDITATION
by
Joseph E. Mulligan, S.J.
The Christmas message, that God became incarnate in history in order to help humanity, is indeed Good News (gospel) to all. To the terrified shepherds the angel proclaimed: "Do not be afraid; for see, I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people" (Lk 2:10). When the wise men from the East arrived at the birthplace of Jesus, "they were overwhelmed with joy" (Mt 2:10). And Mark begins his gospel on a similarly happy note: "The beginning of the good news of Jesus Christ, the Son of God" (1:1).
In order for a message to be "news," it must be of something really happening in our lives, in the world, in history. And it is "good" news to the extent that it signifies some genuine betterment, or at least a good possibility of that, in the lives and conditions of its hearers.
The world in which the Word took on flesh is a mixed scene in which evil wars upon goodness, justice, and love in human hearts and in the structures of society. Christmas means that the good not only has a chance but will ultimately win this conflict.
Sin: Rending the Social Fabric
Sin is an unfettered, selfish liberty which has no concept of connectedness and no recognition of personal or social responsibility. Paul cautioned against this distorted kind of freedom in Galatians 5:13-15: "For you were called to freedom, brothers and sisters; only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for self-indulgence, but through love become slaves to one another. For the whole law is summed up in a single commandment, 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' If, however, you bite and devour one another, take care that you are not consumed by one another."
Sin, at its origin in Genesis, is twofold: self-idolization ("you will not die.... You will be like God," 3:4-5) leading immediately to the rending of the social fabric ("Cain rose up against his brother Abel, and killed him. Then the Lord said to Cain, 'where is your brother Abel?' He said, 'I do not know; am I my brother´s keeper?'" -- 4:8-9). A blind, irresponsible liberty will necessarily trample upon the human rights of others.
Examples abound of such insensitivity on both the personal and collective level. As for the latter, super-nationalism, racism, male chauvinism in churches and in society, and human arrogance toward the environment are forms of selfishness "writ large." With typical American arrogance of power, the U.S. did not heed Archbishop Romero's request for an end of military aid to the murderous Salvadoran army. Similarly, the Reagan administration brushed off the World Court´s ruling to cease interfering by force and violence in the affairs of Sandinista Nicaragua.
Since then we have seen a US invasion of Iraq based on deliberate lies, the slaughter of enormous numbers of civilians, a policy of torture (including the threat or use of electric drills on prisoners), an escalating military action in Afghanistan which is turning into a classic quagmire for the current administration, and other expressions of sinful systems and policies.
The Incarnation
It is in this world, dominated by the American empire, that Jesus becomes incarnate today. "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being" (Jn 1:1-3). What does this imply?
The Word ("logos") is the Logic, Pattern, Blueprint of human society and of all creation, akin to Wisdom in the Old Testament. Through him/her all things came into being: gender, race, nationality, language, culture, and government as a way of ordering communal life. As Walter Wink emphasizes, all of these are good, though fallen (precisely when they raise themselves to become gods of domination), but always capable of being redeemed (Walter Wink, Engaging the Powers: Discernment and Resistance in a World of Domination, Minneapolis, Fortress Press, 1992).
When Jesus redeems, he restores persons and things to their true selves, since he is the Plan according to which everything was created. As Thomas Merton said, "To be a saint is to be yourself" -- your true self, before you were programmed to be fearful, self-centered, dominating, and violent.
The Word is the light of all people because we exist in his/her likeness and pattern. In the light of the Word the true being of everything is illuminated.
St. Paul speaks of the risen Christ as "the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation ... in whom all things hold together" and have their true being (Col 1:15-17). Since Christ is the perfect image of God, and we are created in God´s image and likeness, we attain our true identity by being incorporated into Christ.
Rejection
And yet the world, even his own, did not accept him: "He came to what was his own, and his own people did not accept him" (Jn 1:11).
Creation had become twisted, distorted from its divine model, and so the creature did not know its true nature. John presents Jesus' explanation of this: "The light has come into the world, and people loved darkness rather than light because their deeds were evil. For all who do evil hate the light and do not come to the light, so that their deeds may not be exposed. But those who do what is true come to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that their deeds have been done in God" (3:19-21).
In a similar vein Paul explains that evil suppresses the truth: "For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and wickedness of those who by their wickedness suppress the truth" (Rom 1:18).
Acceptance and Transformation
The battle between light and darkness is part of the war between good and evil. While some choose evil, others receive the Word and are transformed into what they truly are, children of God: "But to all who received him, who believed in his name, he gave power to become children of God" (Jn 1:12). That power is our incorporation into the Body of Christ and our sharing in the Holy Spirit of Love.
The Word made flesh is "Emmanuel," which, Matthew explains, means "God with us" (Mt 1:23). Since Jesus is the True Person, some wise men from the East, searching for truth, come to him in Bethlehem: "On entering the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother; and they knelt down and paid him homage. Then, opening their treasure chests, they offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh" (2:11).
To whom did they kneel to give homage? Not to a domineering ecclesiastical chief who would have demanded that they reject their cultural and religious heritage as "pagan" or perhaps even diabolical, but to an infant in a modest dwelling. The baby Jesus did not require their total submission; the family gratefully accepted the visitors´ gifts and wished them well on their journey. They represent all the peoples of the world to whom the Good News of forgiveness and liberation is to be proclaimed (Mark 16:15); Jesus is the Truth they are seeking.
If the religions of the world could receive each other´s gifts in mutual appreciation and gratitude, the kingdom of the one God would come closer. This prospect is not helped by Marines from a "Christian nation" attacking and calling in air strikes on a mosque in Iraq or on a civilian settlement in Afghanistan, thus killing scores of Muslims. Nor is ecumenism advanced by governments which outlaw or persecute Christianity.
Persecution
The holy family became refugees in Egypt to avoid the jealous wrath of King Herod, who took out his anger by killing "all the children in and around Bethlehem who were two years old or under, according to the time that he had learned from the wise men" (2:16)
Later, other jealous religious authorities and the representative of the Roman emperor would succeed in executing Jesus. And down through the ages, kings, emperors, and presidents have beaten down with overwhelming violence most "uppity" types -- whether prophets of God´s kingdom or would-be political rivals, or even simply independent leaders who refuse to genuflect at the imperial throne.
Hope and Strength
But Mary´s God is one who enters into human, political history, who "brought down the powerful from their thrones and lifted up the lowly, filled the hungry with good things and sent the rich away empty" (Lk 1:52-53). This God had told her and Joseph, "Do not be afraid," and Jesus similarly assures his disciples: "Do not be afraid; ...I am with you always" (Mt 28:10,20).
END
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)