Confession #2

The poor are always with you.

Jesus spoke these words to his disciples, who were questioning him about why he allowed Mary, the sister of Martha and Lazarus, to anoint him with costly perfume shortly before his death. They contended, rightly I might add, that the perfume could have been sold and the proceeds given to the poor. Yet, Jesus knew, as Mary apparently did to some extent as well, that what was in the offing was a crisis of as-of-yet unseen potential. Theologically speaking, it would be a trinitarian crisis as the Son of God suffered torture and death for the sake of us humans and our salvation (so says the Nicene Creed).

So, was Jesus preoccupied? Were his true colors coming out? Was working among the poor not really as important as he had led his followers to believe? Certainly not! Rather, this unique moment in history legitimated Mary's actions.

So, what about the poor? What does Jesus expect of us, his followers, all these years later? At least two things. First, he expects us to read his words honestly, appreciating the context in which they were spoken. Saying that the poor are present always simply means that, ouside of the uniqueness of Jesus' death and resurrection, there is (and always will be) ample opportunity and demand to work for the alleviation of poverty. Second, Jesus demands that resources be given to stem the tide of poverty. The disciples' assessment of the situation would have been correct in any other circumstance. When you think about it, they really had learned this lesson well.

All this makes me wonder about my own life, my priorities, my pursuit of raises and advancement in work. What am I doing to alleviate poverty? Not feeling particularly guilty here, but, honestly, I do not do enough. I do not give enough, to be sure, but I also do not spend enough time among the poor. And, yet, no matter how much I try to ignore poverty, it's always there.

Guess this makes me a liberal too.

Confession #1

I have a confession to make, actually several confessions, which I plan to be making in this very open forum. I am a liberal. (It's kind of liberating to see it in print, and not just think it.) I believe freedom of speech is sacrosanct. It's no accident that this freedom is first in the Bill of Rights. In my opinion, freedom of speech is the liberty that we Americans should guard more carefully than any other. Without it, freedom begins to ebb from our grasp as sand through even the most tightly clinched fist. Indeed, the others all depend on the constitutional guarantee to express ourselves in the ways we see fit.

In fact, I hesitate to endorse any restriction on our right to express ourselves. Of course, this means that even unpopular and vulgar speech has a right to exist, constitutionally speaking. Do I like that kind of speech? No. Do I think vulgar speech has any intrinsic value? Again, no. As a Christian, I cannot and will not endorse such speech. But, do I believe it is my job to stamp out such speech? NO! What should do I do then if I find vulgar speech, well. . . vulgar? I must compete and overcome the profane in the marketplace of ideas because my experience leads me to believe that the sordid nature of the human mind cannot be overcome with more legislation. Thus, the task for Christians is to allow the light and love of Christ to transform the person from the inside out, replacing the desire for the sewer with a yearning for the sublime.

Problem is, this is an extremely hard task, and a long one too. However, I would contend (1) that this task yields the greater results and (2) that this is where Jesus Himself competes. If Jesus had intended to form a new political regime wherein He ruled with an iron fist and subjugated all of humanity to him the first time around, he could have done so. He chose to take a redemptive course instead, a course wherein he competes for and wins the hearts and minds of his followers, if they be His followers. And, then, he commited this same agenda to us, His co-laborers. Thus, the task before us is not passing a legislative agenda in which people's rights (even their rights to do evil) are restricted, but overcoming evil with good, especially good ideas.

I guess this makes me a liberal.