11/11/15

Maybe it's just wishful thinking on my part, but I see the Catholic Church going through a transformation. I see in it, and especially in the words of Pope Francis, the beginnings of a truly universal and egalitarian faith. At the same time, I see a lot of resistance to these changes despite the Pope's words that, "When 'facing evils or problems in the church... it is useless to seek solutions in conservatism and fundamentalism, in the restoration of outdated conduct and forms' that are no longer culturally relevant or meaningful."

Our challenge is to be the agents of this transformation. To share the gifts God has given us and follow the example of Christ and his teachings, which David Gerrold summarizes as:

Don't be judgmental. Don't be a hypocrite. Don't use your religion to bully others. Don't pray loudly in the streets to show how holy you are. Forgive others. Heal the sick. Feed the poor. You're not without sin, don't cast stones. By your deeds you will earn your place in heaven. Be humble in spirit, be generous in nature. LOVE ONE ANOTHER.

It's as if we're rediscovering the deep interconnectedness of everything in the universe, and in that discovery, the intimate connections between each and every one of us—that the things we once thought were so important because of our ignorance, the things we use to divide ourselves from ourselves, distinctions like civilized and uncivilized, black and white, man and woman, gay and straight, religious and atheist, etc., which are conventional labels that we've imbued with some sort of ultimate reality, are without substance.

The teachings of Jesus were radical in that sense, because throughout his teachings, we find this call towards universal love and radical egalitarianism. As Paul wrote to the Galatians:

For through faith you are all children of God in Christ Jesus. For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free person, there is not male and female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. (Gal 3:26-8)

To establish the kingdom of God on earth, then, is to work towards a better and more egalitarian world. A world free from economic exploitation. A world free from classism, racism, sexism, and all other forms of discrimination and oppression. I think it's a mistake to expect someone else to do the work for us, to wait for some kind of other-worldly paradise. I think this is one of the main messages of the story of Jesus, the story of God becoming human to minister the sick, feed the poor, and comfort those who are suffering.

Jesus himself called each of us to pick up our crosses (our burdens that we carry for others) and follow him. Not in some abstract way, but by literally becoming a suffering servant.