The Declaration of Independence and social justice

I heard it said once that we view our world as a set of opposites. Cold is the opposite of hot. Right is the opposite of wrong. When you think about it almost everything is seen as either hot or cold, right or wrong, black or white. Lets take it a bit further. Christian or Muslim. Legal Citizen or illegal immigrant. Law abiding or criminal. Saved or not saved. American or Arab.

But when will we move past that and become one? We are all created in the image and likeness of God. In fact, our very own Declaration of Independence says, “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.” True, pursuit of happiness replaced property so that slavery could be justified. BUT, that does not rule out the term “unalienable rights”. That means that the right to “life, liberty and pursuit of happiness” comes from God himself and therefore cannot be taken away. But is that not what happens when we hold others down or at least insult them for their beliefs, ethnicity, or skin color. How about when we do it because of their social situation?

The only way to make peace is to talk in a productive dialogue. The more we try to push our beliefs on others through any form of force or terror (including waving signs on Bourbon Street saying you are going to hell), all you do is push them further away. The only way to defeat terrorism is not war, but peace. We must be willing to listen and learn of their situation. But we must also be willing to care for others and quit putting our drive for more money at the front of our mind.

For example, giving food to Central America is great. But why give them food that can be produced and sold there? All you do is kill the local economy even more.

We have to let the problems of Arabs become our problems. We have to make the problems of the poor across town our problems. They aren’t getting enough money for food, yet we have enough money for too much food. To quote Hotel Rwanda, and we sit and say, “Wow, that’s horrible,” then go back to our TV show and dinner. Something is not right. No, we should not go and give up our money and extra possessions right now as individuals. That is why we have a government. Not to do the job for us, but to do the job in a centralized manner, beginning with proper education.

we all need... somebody... to leeeeaaaan on....

When it comes down to it, unity is such a pivotal part of humanity and its survival. In order for our race to survive, a man and a woman are called to become one with each other out of love for each other and God. They are called to make the total gift of self through the conjugal act, not withholding one bit of himself/herself from the other, nor stopping until both have reached their goal.

But marriage is not the only place where unity is found. Unity is also called for in everyday life. Christ himself called for it when he told us to love our enemies, pray for our persecutors, and love our neighbor as ourselves. But what love are we to give those who hate us and will not listen to us? Well, if it’s not eros, then it must be agape (God’s love). And how did Christ respond to those who betrayed him and watched him suffer and slowly die? “Father, forgive them for they know not what they do.”

Will Osama bin Laden (among others) ever leave us alone if we do not make the effort to show him God’s love? Will he ever leave us alone if we do not try to learn of his cause and beliefs? Why would he ever think about forgiveness if he has never experienced God’s love through us? And the same goes for even the smallest crook on the street.

Think of St Paul. He killed numerous Christians. But when he finally experienced the love of God first hand, he asked for forgiveness and converted. Who’s to say that this could not happen again?

If we want violence to end, we must first quit holding ourselves above those who are violent towards us. Rather, we must do as Christ did and become one with them. We must realize that they too are creatures of God and have the potential of bringing his love to life. But for that to happen, we must first bring them in. Responding with hatred only adds more hatred.

You're special, but not that special

“God is love, and whoever remains in love remains in God and God in him” (1 John 4:16b)

With this quote of John’s, Pope Benedict began his first encyclical Deus caritas est (God is love). This was an extremely eloquent discourse on love, its forms, and its place in our world today. It is something that I find to be highly recommended to all.

God’s love is something that at times can be hard to find in our world today. For one, it seems that our culture, particularly in the media, has become obsessed with only one form of love—eros. This form of love, also known as erotic, focuses on the love between two human beings (these days not necessarily of opposite sex), particularly in the physical/sexual arena. It seems that we focus more on a love that is grounded in this world, completely taking out the world beyond, that is that which is transcendent and of God. But, one may ask, isn’t everything of God? Sure… But there can also be a privation of God, which is known as evil.

When a man and a woman come together physically, they do it out of a need of one another. But when is this need at is purest form? When is it not experiencing a privation of God? I would venture to say when it is based out of a love that is open to Love itself—God. When a man and a woman come together, it should be done with God in mind. Unfortunately, many have made God taboo in this area, as Fr Rolheiser pointed out in the article I posted last Monday. God created all that is in it, so he should definitely be a part of it.

Thus, why should the two not go as far as to imitate each other when they come together? God made the total gift of self (death) when he became man. So too should a man do for the woman he loves (and vice versa). Naturally, I am not talking about literally dying for the one you love. Rather, a man and a woman should give themselves totally when they come together. But is this “total gift of self” made when a condom is worn? Or is the unity broken by a piece of rubber or latex? Or is that gift hindered when the semen is withheld? I would venture to say yes.

** I am in no way condemning those who use condoms or partake in fornication, as many times it seems they do it without thinking of the morality behind it. Rather, it is the act itself, and the condom itself that is in question.