Christ Needs No Pawns
Last week, I published “Rohr, Francis, Merton and Lewis”, in which I shared some of Pope Francis’ remarks to both chambers of the United States Congress during his Apostolic Visit of 2015. Without proselytizing, he affirmed the important work of the legislative body in our society: Each son or daughter of a given country has a mission, a personal and social responsibility. Your own responsibility as members of Congress is to enable this country, by your legislative activity, to grow as a nation. You are the face of its people, their representatives. You are called to defend and preserve the dignity of your fellow citizens in the tireless and demanding pursuit of the common good, for this is the chief aim of all politics. A political society endures when it seeks, as a vocation, to satisfy common needs by stimulating the growth of all its members, especially those in situations of greater vulnerability or risk. . . .
For possibly the first time, I realized that Donald Trump had descended an escalator to announce his candidacy for President of the United States only three months earlier. Did Francis perceive the rising level of evil on our nation’s horizon, or was it palpable from his experiences and observations? Our worst demons were reawakening with a vengeance.
As a citizen in a Black body, it is horrific to witness the grave evils of this nation, born of colonization, racism and crimes against humanity, return to a position of dominance. In little more than a decade, this man and those of the same ilk have overseen the rise of intentional cruelty, white christian nationalism, entitled greed, and state-sanctioned violence resulting in the suffering and deaths of countless people not only in this nation but across the globe.
After publishing the article, I received word that a former colleague had experienced an unjust disemployment, as did I, by the archdiocese. We both worked in promoting what is known as the Church’s Social Teaching. I often refer to it as the heart of the Gospel and wish that more Catholics were familiar with this priceless treasure. The disturbing news stirred emotions deep enough for me to recognize that my wounds have not healed. Maybe they will not on this side of eternity. Maybe they are to be reminders of the injustice I am called to resist and reveal. Unable to call my friend, I write.
How bitter the memories from more than a decade ago of injustice within the institutional church. How bitter the memory of being reprimanded for attending a Catholic organization’s event outside my office hours. How bitter the memory of being raked over the coals for encouraging the faithful to engage in dialogue about how the two major political parties differ regarding Catholic teaching and that neither is fully aligned with the Church. How bitter the memory of being told by the head of Human Resources that the bishops supported Republicans.
The scandal is revealed in the significant numbers of Catholics identifying as white or Hispanic who voted for and supported Trump. They are being used willfully as pawns by a rabid wolf in sheep’s clothing. It is also scandalous when the faithful are not taught the primacy of their own conscience over what they may be told by someone who is either ordained or a vowed religious. This requires the faithful learning to recognize empire, and to know the risk and danger of taking every word of scripture literally and ignoring its context.
Faithfulness grows through wrestling with the idea that Jesus asked a Samaritan woman for water and then recognizing today’s Samaritans. Faith is not about certainty. Ponder and ask the questions. Growing in Christ requires recognizing the flawed systems in which we exist, and hearing the call to meet the Resurrected One among those marginalized by these systems. Christ never calls us to be pawns in society, in creation, or in the Church.