Freedom from Fear and Anger
Recently I deleted my Twitter account. It’s a shame, really, because you can learn a lot about contemporary culture from Twitter and witness firsthand the development of ideas. Originally my hope was that I could learn something about the development of Catholic thought and theology. And, I wasn’t wrong. There are some very good theologians on Twitter who regularly tweet their reflections and engage in constructive and substantive debate. I soon found myself also following Protestant, Jewish, and Muslim thinkers and learned a great deal from perspectives that are different from my own.
So, why did I drop Twitter. I think it was the anger and fear that I encountered in many posts., especially among my fellow Catholics. In an exchange of ideas it’s normal to have disagreement. In fact, that’s a good thing because we learn best when we encounter ideas different from our own. But what I saw on Twitter wasn’t openness to new ideas but anger and fear. Fear of new ideas, and anger towards those who espouse those ideas, especially ideas that call for deep and radical change. Of course, a contentious election season, pandemic stress, and social unrest can make people even more fearful and angry.
Before I go further, let me add that anger and fear aren’t bad, in and of themselves. Fear and anger are God-given emotions that can help us navigate and survive the difficulties of life. Fear keeps us from doing dumb things that can hurt or kill us. Anger is sometimes justified, especially in the face of injustice and can actually help bring about positive change. The problem isn’t fear and anger as much as their toxic combination, which leads to hate. Fear of new ideas and anger towards those that espouse them can open the door to hatred. Unlike fear and anger, hatred has no positive attributes that I can think of. Indeed, hatred is the opposite of love, which is the very nature of God (1 John 4:16).
Of course, fear, anger, and hatred aren’t just found on social media, it’s part of our daily lives. Social media, however, can magnify fear and anger and provide the fertile ground for their transformation into hatred. Those of us who profess Christianity must do our best to resist the impulse to hatred. We are reminded that Jesus, after rising from the dead, did not lead the disciples to hatred and revenge but peace and reconciliation. After the crucifixion, the disciples were hiding in fear, and I suspect some of them were angry. Then this happened:
“Jesus came and stood in their midst and said to them, ‘Peace be with you.’ When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side. The disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord. Jesus said to them again, ‘Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.’ And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit. Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them, and whose sins you retain are retained.” (John 20:19-23)
Not fear and anger, but peace and reconciliation.
I believe that we in the United States are at an incredibly important time in our history. We are still in the middle of the pandemic and this election season is far from over. In addition we are changing as a nation. I hope that we are taking the next steps in dealing with the deep wound of racism, and that means change—good change, but even good change can be difficult and be a source of fear and anger. For those of us who are Christians, we are called to be involved in this change not from a position of fear and anger, but from the perspective of love, and the peace and reconciliation that flow from our example of love—Jesus Christ.
Essential to this perspective of love is understanding that Christians are not the only voice in America. We are a diverse nation that includes practitioners of every religious faith under the sun, and many with no faith persuasion. All voices must be included, especially in difficult times. The peace and reconciliation modeled by Jesus can help us to understand those who disagree with us, can lead us to act with compassion for those without privilege, and to empathize with those facing injustice. Understanding casts out fear, compassion quenches anger, empathy opens us to love, and love vanquishes hate.
(In the interest of transparency, since I first started this essay I’ve restarted Twitter because it is very helpful for catching news headlines and stories. I’ll avoid following anyone for now.)
The Narrow and Crooked Path of Pro-Life Ethics.
Finally had a little time today to be on an actual narrow and crooked path circling Tipsaw Lake. I spent some time thinking about the current state of things and the profound and sad divisions that exist in our nation and even in our Church. As a Catholic, being pro-life is important to me not just by virtue of my faith but because of what it means to be human. Perhaps it is in a radical pro-life stance that we can find commonality and a bridge to span our divisions. So, what does being pro-life mean in our contemporary context? None of what follows is original to me, it’s rooted in centuries of Catholic moral tradition and teaching.
What does it mean, then, to be pro-life in our world today?
Black lives really do matter! And for those who don’t know what this means, it’s simple. The lives of black people are precious and sacred in God’s eyes. And that means that black lives matter.
Abortion is a great tragedy and we should work for a world where the unborn are recognized as human beings with the right to be welcomed into a world where they will continue to be valued, nurtured, and provided for all they need.
Closely related is providing the necessary support for parents, especially mothers, with adequate pre- and post- natal health care for themselves and their children. Quality education for children is also a critical life issue.
Speaking of health care, it should be considered an essential human right, accessible to all without destroying a family’s financial security.
The very serious problem of food insecurity must be solved. Because of the pandemic the numbers in 2020 are worse than the 11% of Americans in 2018 who didn’t know where their next meal was coming from. And like the pandemic, food insecurity affects people of color disproportionately more than white people.
The pandemic provides its own challenge to a pro-life ethic. Following the recommendations of scientists and public health experts is not an option for pro-life people; it is an expectation. Masking, social distance, and pandemic hygiene are simple ways to love one’s neighbor and respect human life.
The scourge of COVID-19 reminds us that pro-life respect must be extended to the elderly and those who are vulnerable to the most serious effects of the virus. The elderly, those with disabilities, the chronically ill are not disposable.
In fact, no human is disposable, including those who have committed horrendous crimes. Contemporary pro-life respect must include those on death row. The death penalty is a barbaric practice of a society that has no answers to our most serious social problems.
Refugees must be provided an open and effective process to bring themselves and their families to safety. Migrants, even those who are undocumented, must be respected and provided humane access to housing, food, and healthcare. With limited exceptions, migrant children should remain with their families. It’s the pro-life thing to do.
How we treat the marginalized in our community sheds light on our commitment to pro-life ethics. This is especially true for how we treat individuals with regard to sexual orientation or gender identity. Suicide rates are higher among LGBT youth because of discrimination, harassment, and fear of rejection.
In general, suicide rates remain a serious problem that demands a pro-life response, especially for veterans, the young, and the elderly. Adequate mental health care is out of reach for many in our communities.
The last pro-life consideration is the respect we owe to the world/universe around us. The climate is changing; there is no question of that. Without a healthy planet, life is threatened, including human life. A contemporary pro-life ethic includes a deep respect for all of creation.
There are obviously more than twelve ways that today’s circumstances call for a radical pro-life stance. Perhaps if we can all agree that every human life has value we can limit our disagreements to differences in policies and approaches on how best to support and protect human life. I don’t expect everyone to agree with how I framed these issues. That’s ok, but I do think, at least for my fellow Catholics, that we can agree that these are all legitimate pro-life issues. Feel free to add your own views in the comments, but keep them non-political please.
A Journey from Love, through Love, and to Love
I think everyone loves a beautiful sunrise or sunset. Artists are inspired to paint, write, and compose when faced with the beauty of waxing and waning light.
For most of us, these experiences touch us because they remind us that we are on a journey through life. Each of us is in-between the sunrise of our life and its inevitable sunset. If you don’t like thinking about death, you might want to stop reading now because that’s where this reflection is going. But we should think about our eventual demise; it’s part of life and I believe that by remaining aware of death we can make the in-between time meaningful and more fulfilling.
Don’t get me wrong. I’m not talking about an unhealthy obsession with death but just a realistic understanding that we are betwixt sunrise and sunset, and what we do now is important.
So here’s why I think it’s important. We were created out of Love, an indescribable, eternal Love. It is to that Love that we are called to return. Our lives can be described as journeys from and to Love. We were made to ultimately experience that Love as the fulfillment of our existence.
But Love isn’t just found at the sunrise and sunset of our lives. Love is what sustains us on the journey from one to the other. This is why the here and now is so important (the in-between time). True happiness and fulfillment can only happen if we use the in-between time by living this Love to the fullest extent possible. I’m not talking about those things we think make us happy—wealth, fame, power—but what will truly makes us happy. Jesus gave us the example of how to live in Love, by living for others in a spirit of compassion, mercy, and justice.
For each of us, we will have a sunset—hopefully later than sooner—but it will happen. If we live in Love, we won’t have any trouble recognizing the welcoming embrace of Eternal Love when we are finally called into this life’s sunset. And at that moment we will experience a new sunrise, more splendid than the one one that brought us into this life; indeed more splendid than anything we could ever imagine: a new sunrise into the glory of everlasting life.
Privilege and Responsibility
I came across this little fellow growing right next to the highway. He looks really good now and seems to have established himself in this rocky ground. Unfortunately it’s not likely that this little tree will make it to adulthood. He’s too close to the road and even if he survives the harsh, rocky conditions, he would be a danger to traffic if allowed to grow tall and wide. This tree lacks the basic requisites to grow and flourish.
it occurs to me that this is what it is like not to have privilege. You start life just like all other human beings; you have intellect, free will, and an immortal soul. But circumstances may make it easier or more difficult for you to flourish and attain the full potential of your humanity. Social status, race, geography, wealth, gender can all affect how readily you will be able to develop your talents and take advantage of life’s opportunities.
There is a lot of talk about privilege nowadays and often people take it the wrong way, especially when talking about “white privilege.” This notion can evoke some negative reactions because they believe it implies that they are bad people because they enjoy certain privileges. It angers others because they believe that it diminishes the challenges that they have overcome, especially if they grew up poor. That’s unfortunate because the concept of privilege can really help us understand why unequal and unjust situations exist. And, if we understand why something doesn’t work, we can fix it.
Privilege of course comes in many forms and isn’t just connected to race. We can also have privilege because of family stability, economic status, education and where we are born. But, given the increased awareness of the effects of the sin of racism, I think we really do need to come to terms with the privilege of being white, especially in the United States. The fact remains that we live in a society in which there are challenges for people of color that a white person would never experience. It doesn’t mean that white people don’t also have challenges, but those are typically not unique to race. It also doesn’t mean that those challenges can’t be overcome. Unlike the little tree in the photo, humans have more control over their environment and have the freedom and intellect to overcome life’s challenges, but again that can be easier for those with privilege.
So, where does responsibility fit. I think that much of the preaching of Jesus was to remind those with privilege that they have a responsibility to those without privilege, which in the context of Jesus’ culture included the poor, children, the imprisoned, the foreign born, the disabled, widows, and the public sinner. Jesus offered a word of consolation to these “little ones” and a word of challenge to those with privilege, reminding them that what they do to the least of our brothers and sisters, they also do for Jesus (Mt. 25:40). Within this Gospel passage those with privilege are reminded of their responsibility to use that privilege to help create a world where we won’t have to talk about those with and without privilege. As Luke 12:48 reminds us, “From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked.” In other words, if we have privilege it’s not just to make our individual life easy, it comes with responsibility.
Steadfast Change
“Steadfast change” can give us hope and transform our fear into an anticipation of the great things that God has in store for us.
While I’m not a big fan of the heat of summer, I do like the longer days, which allows for a nice, end-of-the-day run. In the last week I’ve noticed that I need to start earlier if I want to get home before it gets dark, and since I run on crooked country roads it’s safer if there is still daylight. I’ll miss the late evening runs but there isn’t a whole lot I can do about it. Change is inevitable. The seasons change as does the light of day. We may not like it but we adjust and make do.
Change is part of life; nothing stays the same. The older I get the more aware I am of change and the less I like it. But like the changing light of seasons there’s not much we can do about it. All of this is amplified when you live in a time of intense and monumental change such as we do. We are experiencing incredible changes at all levels of human experience: social, political, economic, religious, moral, and environmental. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Change, as difficult as it can be, is critical to the progress of humanity and the development of God’s Kingdom. After all wasn’t the message of Jesus all about change?
Still, it’s not easy. It is normal to feel overwhelmed in the face of consequential change. This is perhaps when we are called to renew our trust in God who is steadfast love for each of us. The vagaries of life might be whirling around us; we might not feel like there is firm ground below us, but still God is steadfast. Psalm 85 says that in God “steadfast love and truth meet,” and that “justice and peace kiss.” The uncertainties of these times are met with the steadfastness of God’s love, truth and justice and peace. The irony, of course, is that while God is steadfast, God is also the catalyst of change. “Steadfast change” can give us hope and transform our fear into an anticipation of the great things that God has in store for us.
Trying something new
Recently I came across this quote from Henry David Thoreau: “Pursue some path, however narrow and crooked, in which you can walk with love and reverence.” I immediately resonated with the sentiment and it spurred me to do something I’ve been thinking about for some time, create a blog. And so, I’m going to try something new. Running Along a Narrow and Crooked Path will feature reflections on faith, spirituality, nature, current events and whatever might come to mind. Most of these will be no more than ruminations conceived while out on a run, usually a country road or some narrow and crooked path. (Besides “thinking about something,” the word rumination can also mean the action of chewing the cud, so that seems appropriate.)
So, please join me along the narrow and crooked paths of life. Feel free to add your own comments and ruminations. I can’t think of a better way to go through life except with love and reverence. Love for God, love for oneself, and love for one’s neighbor combined with an awe (reverence) for the mystery of the universe around us.