Jesus is in favor of Globalism

Today, July 10th 2015, Pope Francis spoke of Globalism in a new light.

“We want change in our lives, in our neighborhoods, in our everyday reality. We want a change which can affect the entire world, since global interdependence calls for global answers to local problems. The globalization of hope, a hope which springs up from peoples and takes root among the poor, must replace the globalization of exclusion and indifference!”

PopeFrancis-Bolivia-GlobalizationOfHope

For those who are interested, I wrote about a different kind of Globalism myself about almost exactly 5 years ago, in a paper for my Master’s at Fordham. I contended:

From the very beginning of time, “God and the world [have been] in a creative relationship of progressive evolution.”[1] That is Globalization.

So, I thought I would share the paper, and hope that we can all share and expand “the globalization of hope” Pope Francis is alluding to.

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Jesus is in favor of Globalism.

From the very beginning of time, “God and the world [have been] in a creative relationship of progressive evolution.”[1] That is Globalization. Not the economic globalization that angry nay-sayers decry as terribly detrimental to those in poverty or in further destroying our environment; not the political globalization where nations and critics fear for their national sovereignty, identity, and/or traditions.[2] Pope John XXIII said to the pessimists at the open of the Vatican II: “We must disagree with these prophets of doom.”[3] And it was made clear “that God’s providential plan for the world involves absolutely every dimension of existence.”[4] Jesus supports this humanistic globalism. The kind that cannot be denied; the kind we are called to in the gospel (see references above); the globalization that embraces evangelization, coming together, contemplation and concerted efforts, guided and inspired by prayer to make the world a better place.

Jesus & The World

 In a visionary form [globalization] will bring all     nations together and have one language in a   metaphorical sense. So there’s not the fear of [one] destroying [another] but the anticipation of how [each] can make [the other] whole. So that the [coming together] is much more positive.”[5]

The beauty of this visionary world is not made for a select few, the graces of God are not only for those enlightened enough and wealthy enough to have time to ponder and consider them, no, the strength of humanity is to build up, not to tear down, exclude or judge. We are all called, every person in existence, to contribute to that building up. It is the very ‘core’ of our being that knows that this movement to raise all people up is right and just. Whatever an individual’s opinion might be, most would not, if face-to-face with one in need, deny them the right to a decent standard of living, a job, food, home and a right to a life without violence or injustice. The mystics we have studied these past seven weeks have taught us how to access that ‘core’. Some like St. Ignatius of Loyola, St. Teresa of Avila and Thomas Merton have journeyed out into the world in their time and reaching into ours, to make a difference, while others, like St. John of the Cross or St. Therese of Lisieux, through their writings, have changed the world.

As I think on how the mystics can touch on the ‘globalization’ of the world I thought of the mission we are sent on by Jesus – to spread the good news, but this mission had its pitfalls and set backs, the apostles must have been discouraged many times. I know for myself, after spending time with one facing a hardship, that I become pensive for a time, perhaps thinking of a way to help them, to bolster them, yet I can also feel a sense of grief, helplessness, a feeling that I am ineffectual, that can truly be a bit of the dark night, a suffering, a dark place – and if I am not careful I can get caught there, feeling useless, that there is no point in getting involved with others, no point in helping at all. St. Teresa of Avila is present at that very moment with perseverance and Thomas Merton with his advice to try another route and St. Therésè of Lisieux with her ever present desire to save souls even from the cloistered confines of house and home. St. Ignatius teaches how to reflect back and, yes, see my own flaws, but also the gifts I bring and how well I am using them – and all of these teachers know that it is God that will bring me through, not myself, as St. John of the Cross teaches we must surrender everything and God will then light a way in the darkness. [6]

All of them point us to this basic understanding: At the very heart of our relationship with God is the most important commandment Jesus gave us in addition to remembering the Shema, and yet, going further:

He said to him, “You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the greatest and the first commandment. The second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. The whole law and the prophets depend on these two commandments.”[7]

Love is a Verb

The closer we come to perfection in these commandments, the closer we come to experiencing God’s love for us, then the deeper the two commandments become etched into our very souls. (Critical to this understanding is that ‘love’ is a verb, it is an action, not an emotion.)

Even though St. Augustine taught that no one era is closer to God than any other, it is not enough to ‘know’ this only intellectually.

The most important conclusion to be drawn from this is that no historic age could grow closer to God than any other age. Yet Augustine possessed a deep sense that each and every moment was equally filled with God’s presence and activity.[8] (Sheldrake 97)

And, extrapolating, each and every person and place is equally filled. All life and existence is sacred, we must teach this, we must emanate it out of our very being, and it must be taught to beyond those who already know and believe it. ‘Preaching to the choir’ will do nothing to build God’s kingdom up.

Thomas Merton

We are sent out by Christ, with the Holy Spirit, as he sent his original disciples to bring the good news, good actions, good efforts, and good fruits to the world around us. To love. “Whether [we] understand of not, God loves [all of us], is present in [all of us], lives in [all of us], dwells in [all of us], calls [all of us], saves [all of us],…”[9] (Merton 158) and we must respond.

Globalization in our era has come to be understood as the process by which regional economies, societies and cultures become integrated through global networks of communication, transportation and trade. (including transnational circulation of ideas, languages, pop-culture, etc.)[10], a far cry from the simple intent of our original mission to ‘globalize’ the world. An ever-changing societal definition of this process has been the norm throughout our Christian history. Any conquering force was ‘globalizing’ their world. Alexander brought Greek culture, the Romans brought the government of their republic, and the Age of Exploration brought colonialism and missionaries, who, as we know, often spread their form of globalization in a less than enlightened or loving manner. St. Ignatius of Loyola, who had a spiritual worldview that traditional monastic living would not suffice “in order to win all humankind to faith and salvation; [was] calling for cooperators who would volunteer for this enterprise…” Ignatius was not only a contemplative, but “apostolic, with the world as [his] scope.”[11] Like Ignatius, we are called to contemplate how our individual lives, our means, our gifts and talents can be volunteered to this mission, hoping ever to improve from our predecessors and to reach farther and farther afield, as well as, into our own backyards.

St. Ignatius of Loyola

Globalism is an evolution. We need not resist it, though we should not be submissive to it either. The process must be steered by leaders and communities alike, by those who consider and contemplate their actions in a ‘community of spirit’ so as to not bring detriment as opposed to benefit and improvements for all. We must be a willing partner, called to participate. The world continues to grow smaller and smaller and we are implicated in its future, positive or negative.[12] Jesus is not just about the sacrifice of His life. His teachings and His living example are just as important. The negative aspects of modern theology (Calvinism, Jansenism, the doctrine of Predestination, etc.) that believe only some are destined to be saved, that man has no power over his ultimate fate, cannot be allowed to persist as they have thus far.

…this stark and uncompromisingly pessimistic spirituality [has exerted] far-reaching influence despite its repeated condemnation.[13](Wood 214)

Our ever-smaller world clearly calls us to consider carefully our actions and to put an end to these pessimistic beliefs. We are no longer separated by oceans and languages, thus we must reach out to

Hopeful Globalization

save all. As Thomas Merton tells us, if we travel to the ends of the world and come face-to-face with the souls there, we will undoubtedly face ourselves.[14] And there we will be – facing those most important commandments again, to love our neighbor as we love ourselves. It is at these same ‘ends’, or margins of society, that face-to-face, with the suffering and downtrodden, we experience Jesus.

And then the Most High God, He that lifts up the poor man from the dung-hill, was pleased to come down and speak with him there face to face, revealing to him the depths and heights of His wisdom, in a way that He had never done in the time of his prosperity.[15] (St. John of the Cross, 82)

The more man goes out from himself or goes beyond himself, the more the spiritual dimension of his life is deepened, the more he becomes truly man, the more also he grows in likeness to God, who is spirit. On the other hand, the more he turns inward and encloses himself in self-interest, the less human does he become. This is the strange paradox of spiritual being – precisely by going out and spending itself, it realizes itself. It grows not weaker but stronger.[16] (Macquarrie 67)

So how are we to ‘spend’ ourselves? Radically, at least in comparison to our own time and accepted norms. Radically, as Jesus did in his own time and as he taught us. Two weeks ago, Deacon Terrance Nolan at St. Teresa of Avila Church in Woodbury, Connecticut, touched on Jesus as a radical revolutionary of his time in his homily.

St. Teresa of Avila, Woodbury, CT

I found two citations depicting our saving and loving God, as a radical revolutionary activist. That term sounds emotionally void and cold, certainly not warm and endearing, it would be a real stretch for most of us to address our Lord, our God, using such a phrase [but] … there’s nothing more radical in human history than Jesus Christ’s post-resurrection treatment of his apostles. After years of living with Jesus every day, witnessing his miracles, his cures, his healings, his message and demonstration of his gospel of loving tolerance and respect, the apostles abandon him when Jesus needed them the most, at his arrest. When confronted, Simon Peter denies even knowing Jesus. They all fled in terror. Not one stood in our Lord’s defense. What does Jesus do when he meets Simon Peter after our Lord’s resurrection, Doesn’t Jesus even dress down Simon Peter for his denial and abandonment? No, not one word of reproach, criticism, or judgment. Just, “Simon Peter, do you love me?”… Jesus’ whole public ministry was non-stop activism. With Jesus there were no angry rants from a bullhorn, no mudslinging, no street riots, no assaults, no hidden agendas, no teleprompters or speech writers, Jesus was, is, the eternal model of social and religious activism in human affairs and history. Jesus’ activism operated between two bookends, love and obedience to his father, and love and concern for you and I. Self sacrificing love and actions is the totality of his blessed existence.[17]

Even St. Teresa of Avila was a radical. Her writings have spoken to many in our present time and over the ages, but she was a rebel in her own time. Not only did she begin her own contemplative monastery, but she was called to travel throughout Spain, despite ill health, weather, or political threats. She worked tirelessly to found and reform monasteries – changing the world (her world as she knew it), globalizing in her own way. Her work, her gender, her perseverance were all radical for their time, and despite being decried by popular sentiment, she historically altered the life of the Church. A lesson from her own teaching, one that kept her and us on the positive track for globalization, is “what cannot be done all at once can be done little by little.”[18] (St. Teresa of Avila 131) We need not make massive changes or contributions, just effective ones.

St. Teresa of Avila – Interior Castle

Three centuries later, a young and bold Therésè of Lisieux, would make her own radical impact, ‘little by little’, with her Story of a Soul. Therésè’s little ways endeared her to her sisters (both in family and in her order), yet their impact was enormous on the world as a whole. Experiencing holiness in the everyday, the tediousness, the trials of life is a blessing we can only hope to comprehend. She had desires beyond her years and beyond her ken:

Like the prophets and the doctors of the Church, I should like to enlighten souls. I should like to wander through the world…”[19] (St. Therésè of Lisieux 153)

Therésè was aware of her ‘insignificance’, but also keenly aware of her closeness to God and how she could make a difference through prayer and good will. “You see … I am a very little soul who can only offer very little things to God,” [20] (St. Therésè of Lisieux 143) but as Therésè herself noted “[God] has always used human beings to accomplish his work among souls.”[21] (St. Therésè of Lisieux 130)

Even in her cloistered world she knew the power and reach of Jesus and she is witness to this from a very young age when she would sneak away from her class to adore the Blessed Sacrament and her desire for the eucharist, to know and experience Jesus, was and is an incredible inspiration.

St. Therese of Lisieux

Like St. Therésè of Lisieux in her youth, we are led through Jesus’ teaching at the mass, through his life to his sacrifice, and as we are rejuvenated by his body and blood, his being and his spirit (recognizing the ‘blood’ to be his very life essence given willingly to sustain us) and we can either be ‘awed’, reverent and thankful, or we can contemplate deeper and realize that we are one with him through the eucharist – we are Christ, alive, here and now:

 

 

 

For Christ has no body on earth but ours,

and Christ has no hands on earth but ours,

Our eyes are the eyes through

which he looks out with compassion on the world,

Our feet are the feet with which

He chooses to go about doing good,

He is the head, we are as members of His Body,

Here on earth, all in one Christ Jesus.[22]

The call to globalize – ‘all in one’…

To live eucharistically beyond the church doors commits us to cross the boundaries of fear and prejudice in an embrace of strangers in the public square in whom we are challenged to recognize the Real Presence of God.[23] (Sheldrake 176)

So we either stand in awe of the sacrifice He made for us or we come to terms that He lived for us more than He died for us. (The dying is the personal gift, the living is the gift to the world.) Isn’t death a part of life anyway? It is the living that is the example. We are not all meant to be martyrs, surely not all of us are to die for Jesus. We are to live for him. We are to live in the way he lived; helping, blessing, and raising others up. For is it not in baptism, confirmation, and our lifelong conversions that we are called to ‘live in Christ’? Each time we are ‘born again’, each time we renew our baptismal vows, it is not only to glorify Him, not simply to die like Christ, it is to live like Him. Radically. Globally.

Religious Globalization

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Bibliography

*Some sources listed were not cited specifically in the paper but were part of forming my thesis and opinions.

Bouyer, Louis. Orthodox Spirituality and Protestant and Anglican Spirituality. New York, NY: The Seabury Press, 1982. Print. (Chapters on Eighteenth and Nineteenth Centuries)

Cain, Edmund. “Equitable Globalization.” 34^th Annual Frank Church Symposium. Idaho State University, Pocatello, ID 2 March 2005. Public Address.

Collins, Kenneth J. Ed. Exploring Christian Spirituality: An Ecumenical Reader. Grand Rapids, MI Baker Books, 2000. Print. (“Spirit & Spirituality” by John Macquarrie and “A Model for Describing Spirituality” by Lawrence L. LaPierre)

Covey, Stephen R. Spiritual Roost of Human Relations. Salt Lake City, UT: Desert Book Company, 1970. Print.

Covey, Stephen R. The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People. New York, NY: Free Press, 1989. Print.

Downey, Michael. Understanding Christian Spirituality. New York, NY: Paulist Press, 1997 Print.

Dupré, Louis and Saliers, Don E. Ed. Christian Spirituality: Post Reformation and Modern. New York, NY: Crossroad Publishing Company, 1991. Print.

Eknath Easwaran. Ed. God Makes the Rivers to Flow. Tornales, CA: Nilgiri Press, 1991. Online

The Faithful Revolution: Vatican II Genius of the Heart. Film

Frankl, Viktor. Man’s Search for Meaning, Part One, “Experiences in a Concentration Camp”. New York, NY: Pocket Books. Print.

Ganss S.J., George E. Ignatius of Loyola: Spiritual Exercises and Selected Works. Mahwah, NJ: Paulist Press, 1991. Print.

Ignatius of Loyola. A Pilgrim’s Journey; The Autobiography of Ignatius of Loyola. Trans. Joseph N. Tylenda, S.J., Revised Edition. San Francisco, CA: Ignatius Press, 2001. Print.

St. John of the Cross. Dark Night of the Soul. Trans. E. Allison Peers, New York, NY: Image Books/Doubleday, 2005 (1959). Print.

Martin S.J., James. My Life with the Saints. Chicago, IL: Loyola Press, 2006. Print.

Merton, Thomas. Contemplative Prayer. New York, NY: Image Books Doubleday, 1968. Print.

Merton, Thomas. The Hidden Ground of Love: The Letters of Thomas Merton on Religious Experience and Social Concerns. Ed. William H. Shannon. New York, NY: Farrar, Strauss and Giroux, 1985. Print.

Nolan, Terrance. “Martha Homily.” St. Teresa of Avila Church. Woodbury, CT. 18 July 2010 Homily.

Noonan, Peggy. Patriotic Grace. New York, NY: HaperCollins, 2008. Print.

O’Grady, Selina & John Wilkins. Great Spirits 1000-2000. New York, NY: MJF Books, 2002. Print.

Senior, Donald and Collins, John J. Ed. New American Bible, The Catholic Study Bible, New York, NY: Oxford University Press, 1990. Print.

Sheldrake, Philip E.. Explorations in Spirituality. New York, NY: Paulist Press, 2010. Print.

St. Teresa of Avila. Selections from the Interior Castle. Trans. Kieran Kavanaugh, O.C.D., New York, NY: Harper Collins, 2004 (1979 Paulist Press). Print.

St. Therese of Lisieux. The Autobiography of St. Therese of Lisieux; The Story of a Soul. Trans. John Beevers. Garden City, NY: Image Books, 1957. Print.

Woods, Richard J. Christian Spirituality: God’s Presences Through the Ages. Maryknoll, NY: Orbis Books, 2006 Revised Edition. Print. (Chapters 18, 19, & 20)

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[1] Smith, Lany. Re: Module 4 – Week 1 – Part A “My Favorite Spiritual Writiers and Their Body of Works” Christian Spirituality Discussion Board. Fordham University, July 18, 2010. (paraphrasing Pierre Teilhard de Chardin)

[2] Sheldrake, Philip E.. Explorations in Spirituality. New York, NY: Paulist Press, 2010. Print. p143 “Fear is one of the most powerful currents in our contemporary world. Ongoing religious or ethnic divisions, as well as the notorious, global “war on terror” since the events of 9/11, suggest how fear and its close associate anger shape our responses and cripple our ability to respond effectively to the deeper needs of fellow humans. The overwhelming imperative then becomes the satisfaction of emotional needs posed by fear and anger. We tend to rush toward emotionally satisfying but actually superficial actions – politically we create places to detain dissidents, expel illegals, or religiously marginalize certain voices without addressing the deeper challenges. Fear and anger are among the greatest spiritual blocks to effective corporate discernment and good choices.”

[3] The Faithful Revolution: Vatican II Genius of the Heart. Film

[4] Downey, Michael. Understanding Christian Spirituality. New York, NY: Paulist Press, 1997 Print.

[5] “Globalization: WCC Assembly Participants
Describe Divine, Diabolical Aspects.” quoting Rev. Dr. Kwasi Aboagye-Mensah, International Fellowship of Evangelical Mission Theologians. NCCUSA.org, December 14, 1998.

[6] Personal Journal Writings of Alexis Chacchia

[7] Matthew 22:37-40. New American Bible, The Catholic Study Bible, Senior, Donald and Collins, John J. – editors. New York, NY: Oxford University Press, 1990. Print.

[8] Sheldrake, Philip E.. Explorations in Spirituality. New York, NY: Paulist Press, 2010. Print.

[9] Merton, Thomas. The Hidden Ground of Love: The Letters of Thomas Merton on Religious Experience and Social Concerns. Ed. William H. Shannon. New York, NY: Farrar, Strauss and Giroux, 1985. Print.

[10] Wikipedia and CarterCenter.org

[11] Ganss S.J., George E. Ignatius of Loyola: Spiritual Exercises and Selected Works. Mahwah, NJ: Paulist Press, 1991. Print.

[12] Ice, Mildred. Re: Module 4 – Week 1 – Part B “Module 4 – Week 1 – Part B – Thomas Merton” Christian Spirituality Discussion Board. Fordham University, July 21, 2010.

[13] Woods, Richard J. Christian Spirituality: God’s Presences Through the Ages. Maryknoll, NY Orbis Books, 2006 Revised Edition. Print.

[14] Merton, Thomas. Online

[15] St. John of the Cross. Dark Night of the Soul. Trans. E. Allison Peers, New York, NY: Image Books/Doubleday, 2005 (1959). Print.

[16] MacQuarrie, John. “Spirit & Spirituality.” Exploring Christian Spirituality: An Ecumenical Reader. Ed. Kenneth J. Collins. Grand Rapids, MI Baker Books, 2000. Print.

[17] Nolan, Terrance. “Martha Homily.” St. Teresa of Avila Church. Woodbury, CT. 18 July 2010 Homily.

[18] St. Teresa of Avila. Selections from the Interior Castle. Trans. Kieran Kavanaugh, O.C.D., New York, NY: Harper Collins, 2004 (1979 Paulist Press). Print.

[19] St. Therese of Lisieux. The Autobiography of St. Therese of Lisieux; The Story of a Soul. Trans. John Beevers. Garden City, NY: Image Books, 1957. Print.

[20]St. Therese of Lisieux. The Autobiography of St. Therese of Lisieux; The Story of a Soul. Trans. John Beevers. Garden City, NY: Image Books, 1957. Print.

[21] Ibid.

[22] Saint Teresa of Avila. God Makes the Rivers to Flow, Ed. Eknath Easwaran. Tornales, CA: Nilgiri Press, 1991. Online

[23] Sheldrake, Philip E.. Explorations in Spirituality. New York, NY: Paulist Press, 2010. Print.