The Joy of the Gospel

Much has been made of the Evangelii Gaudium, (The Joy of the Gospel) released by P Francis this week. Many liberals have applauded, but some conservatives and others in the Church have arisen to challenge the sentiments of some of the overflows of support. Indeed many liberals, disgusted by the long history of moral turpitude in the church, finding almost nothing to praise for decades and more, now rise to applaud. While I can understand that this can be confounding and frustrating for those who maintained their faith, I hope that the weeks and months ahead will provide a growing oasis on which dialogue and reconciliation can take place.

An old friend, a lifelong Catholic, raised the issue of selective reading of Francis' words, when he wrote this week, "It is wrong to selectively use minuscule parts of his message to hurl condemnation at others." I am too tired, and perhaps too old for condemnation. Since our politics suck, maybe the most we can hope for is a melody of reconciliation which provides a path on which we can rise and our song can find flight. I think one reason this P resonates, is that so much else is disagreeable.

That said capitalism, as currently practiced in America and around the world is an imploding orgy of self-interest and narcissism. When five members of the Walton family control more wealth than 80 million Americans something is wrong. I don't need to hear that from a Pope, this one or any other. That is just a basic fact. When our politicians tell us that we cannot afford to feed the poor and maintain the SNAP program even as dozens of them collect millions in farm subsidies, we have lost our moral compass.

In many ways our system cannot even be called capitalism it reeks so of selfish monopolism. Everything is for sale. Everything can be sold, and often what is not bought and sold is simply stolen, our heart, our soul, our morality, our homes, but very little his worth purchasing. Even window shopping seems soulless. Forget what we purchase, what we desire has been fouled with corruption. It's all "57 Channels and Nothin's on" to borrow Springsteen's song.

I invest a lot of hope in this P, specifically because he has made the suffering of the poor a hallmark of his papacy from day one. The most liberal among us still see the poor as they. I will applaud any leader, religious or political, that says that the hungry man, the person suffering with AIDS, the young woman in jail, or the addict, is not the other, but my brother or sister. No matter the serendipitous fortune that created our path and left baron someone else's, too many of us see ourselves as better than our suffering brothers and sisters. This is a morally bankrupt view, but many of us are so lost in the endless parade of stories on the friggin’ Kardashians we cannot be bothered to notice.

This P says they, the suffering they, are actually we, members of our family in a way that members of the Church are understood to be his family. My soul and my aspirations are fed by that. As human beings the alternative is such a restricted view it leaves almost all our humanity at the curb. When a religious leader says or implies that we are, check that, I am no better, that resonates with me. Evan as the Prince of the Church bends at the feet of the least among us, in a symbolic ritualistic cleansing, I can still look away, bored and cynically disinterested at the aged symbolism. But when this P includes those previously denied or ignored, women and members of other faith journeys I am forced to look, and to challenge what I believe. This Church, a bastion of corruption and moral surrender, once again commands my attention if not my loyalty.

Since the words and actions spring from a man who has with some subtlety tried to enunciate the reality that our differences divide us even as our humanity and the way we treat each other can unite us I cannot look away. There are many layers of cynicism to peal way, but my spirit embers still glow, strengthened each time his words call for action beyond reflection. While I accept criticism of those who would parse this P's words for the advancement of what is clearly his liberal, or at least pro-poor agenda, I note with some apprehension that others try to downplay and perhaps negate what is a pretty clear message of concern for the poor, and beyond that an activist agenda, for the dispossessed. The fact is that concern alone, if it ever was, is no longer enough. We are. we must be, called to action.

In absence of a political progress this P's message seems a timely salve. I do not accept all that he says, but he makes me question rejection of the church teachings in ways that others have not. Rather than condemning the pit of despair in which we live, wallowing in our anger and isolation, this P creates a mountain on which both believers and non-believers can see the far horizon of our hopes. Some of us may choose to join the climb. Others will stand at the base filled with all the good reasons that the climb will be fruitless.

Increasingly I think this is an important moment. Millions of people, most especially liberals have been forced to turn a more focused eye, more sensitive ears, and more open hearts to this P. While it’s easy to condemn, perhaps this is a better moment to welcome. We can bring our political mistrust, our narrow parochialism, to this dialogue, but then where are we? Millions of us have been disgusted by the institution of this Catholic Church. Some of us are thinking, meditatively focused, “Maybe I should take a moment and listen.” This is a time that we can either advance our understanding or crush it with our hurt, real or otherwise. I know what this P wants. I think the challenge for each of us now is to decide, what do we want?

Happy Thanksgiving.