One of the hard things about living lives that are touched by
justice and mercy is that it always asks that something in us dies first. Our humanity has an in-built resistance
towards death at any level, primarily death at a physical level. All of us have a desire to want to continue
in a state of existence, and for many of us, we know that it just isn’t enough to simply exist.
There is a further call and a pull towards existing with a purpose, living
for a cause and pursuing an objective.
The Christian life is no different.
To St Irenaeus, one of the founding fathers of the Church who lived in
the second century, is attributed a pithy statement that sums up just how
different the Christian life is when it is contrasted against the worldly
definitions of life. He is known to have
said that the glory of God is man fully alive.
The Christian definition of what a person “fully alive” is
cannot be made more paradoxical than to see it in terms of the Cross. One would logically think that what makes a
person “fully alive”
is polar opposite to anything that speaks of the Cross,
suffering, afflictions or even death.
Yet, St Paul seemed to be so clear that his life had a meaning and a
purpose only because it was lived in light of the Cross of Jesus Christ. Undeniably, he was speaking both mystically
and theologically, but it doesn’t mean that he was being neither
facetious nor sardonic about life. Not
the least bit pathologically suicidal, Paul had a deep sense that his life was
really not about him, not his happiness, and not his definition of success in
any earthly way. When Paul wrote that he
bore on his body the marks of our Lord Jesus Christ in his letter to the
Galatians, he most likely meant that in living out our discipleship with a keen
sense of our baptismal calling, all of us are similarly called to bear those
same marks.
In both Isaiah and Ezekiel, God was very insistent that there is a
pressing need for his people to act with justice and mercy if they are to live
out their relationship with him. And
throughout both the Old and New testaments, it is clear that our lives are
about living in relationship with him.
It is only when we are in full connection with God that we truly live, and
by proper extension, then what St Irenaeus said begins to take form and is
given a practical way, we become fully alive.
When we live out justice and mercy in an active and mindful way, we also
become fully alive. As Scripture teaches
us, the best examples of this are when we care for the needy, when we look out
for the weakest and when we have the backs of the marginalized and the
poor.
Many teachings in the Book of Proverbs tell of how when we do those
rather challenging things in our lives, we actually do them to God
himself. God readily identifies himself
with the anawim, a Hebrew term for the ‘poor who depend
on the Lord for their deliverance’.
There have been much discussion, debate and justification lately
about countries having much trouble with refugees coming into their
borders. Much of their resistance of
this influx is given a very sound economic and social rationale. Their own job security is threatened, there
are resources that are thinned out because of a larger population requiring
more from what is limited, and social problems become rife whenever groups
within extant established citizenry exhibit any form of resistance towards an
integration from non-indigenous people.
While all this makes good sense even if just on an economic level, a
protectionist mentality mitigates against the gospel values that define the
kingdom that Jesus came to establish. If
one is clear in one’s understanding of the true good
news (which is what ‘gospel’ really is), it is a call to radically live in a world where there is
equality at the deepest level, and where goods and resources are shared with
the poor. Understandably, it is a
no-brainer that if this is done, we are going to constantly be challenged to
put ourselves, our needs and our security in second, third or fourth place, but
never in first. Whether on the level of
self, family, social circles or nation, the teaching of the gospel is a call to
show justice and mercy to the afflicted.
But this isn't just applicable, true and valid on the large and
global scale that. It applies just as
acutely on the scale as tiny and seemingly insignificant as the neighbourhood
playground, a place where swings, slides and sand boxes exist. We teach our children to accept differences
among them and would like them to share the swing, the jungle-gym and the sand
boxes with those who are not like them, those who are different and those who
are of a different colour and creed, don't we?
And why? Because it makes them
think less of themselves and we have a sense deep inside of ourselves that
knows that we need to include others who are not our “kind”. It makes us bigger people. I believe that on our best days that we do
this. And when we do this, we become
godly.
Yet, if we extrapolate this to the larger, global scale, we seem to
be teaching them the direct opposite - do not share resources, close up our
borders, set up trade embargoes to protect our economy, put ourselves and our
needs always at number one and build walls to keep out foreigners. Show them that they are a danger to us.
If we live in a self-protecting and selfish way, there is something
that is disturbingly out-of-sync with what we believe is deeply true in
ourselves. Which one of us doesn’t feel our hearts beat with admiration when we see acts of selfless
generosity, where there is altruism practiced for the good and benefit of the
lesser privileged and marginalized? Only
those who have numbed their hearts and souls from their connection with their fellow
man will become indifferent to the sufferings of another human being.
I can sense the reactions going on in those reading today's
disturbing reflection, thinking that I am advocating living in some sort of an
abandonment of their families' needs, neglecting national security or to deny the
self at all levels, even to the detriment of one's very life. That would be irresponsible. But we need to be mindful that we do live
with this tension, and balance out in a healthy way these two seemingly polar
opposites. And when we are disturbed at
our core, that we call to mind how St Paul was able to be so passionate about
the Cross, and what being “fully alive” means.
In truth, these are only seeming opposites because if we truly love
ourselves, we will also truly love the marginalized, living out the call of
justice and mercy, God's style.
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