St. Francis of the rEvolution
According to the Gospel of St. John, Jesus said: "I came that you might have life, and have it abundantly." More often than not, those words have been preached and assumed to mean a spiritual gift or an unfolding-into-essence... But looking into the news of the day, that is simply not good enough. And it definitely is not about Jesus blessing acquisition and greed -- as the foundation of racism and racist / classist economics!
It is all about rEvolution.
Think about it. Jesus quite clearly, with a powerful emphasis, condemns greed with his "Woe to you rich!" And blesses Justice with his "Blessed are you poor". Any economic system with an organizing principle of unlimited privilege, profit, and power for a few over and above their legitimate needs, is contrary to the Wisdom of Jesus... Seriously. Why else would St. Basil have said, in the early days of the Church, "The rich take what belongs to everyone, and claim they have a right to own it, to monopolize it"?
So, an abundant life is something other than wealth, just as it is different from only spiritual gift. Rather, abundance is the foundational principle of partnership economics and community of faith: as the mundane so to the spiritual (in Jesus' mind). Partnership economics is simply community love-in-action, lived out, intentionally, day-by-day. Again, looking at the news of the day, there is a hell-of-a-lot of "looting" going on. Seeing that news, some folks summon up their self-righteous anger: shouting "Criminals"! And yet, they are silent at the legal looting that allows for fewer than 1% of the population to own better than 50% of the national personal wealth: of course, all without paying a living wage to their employees: and the disparity between that 1% and the rest grows by leaps and bounds everyday! (Note: that "disparity" is trillions of dollars.)
It is all about rEvolution.
Towards an "abundant life" is the call of the Master to rEvolution! Certainly not a "call to arms" in the violent sense: but a reaching for the dream of St. Francis... Famously known and revered as the little poor man, he lived a radical poverty to provide a sample of rEvolution: we can organize intentional communities of 'abundant life' wherein everyone will have sufficient food, shelter, loving-care, purpose, with a pursuit of justice and peace, and the holy joy of intentional community -- which was exactly what the first Christian communities did and how they lived... instead of being co-opted by the greed of either priests or empires (this co-option eventually, and obviously, did occur). Sadly, the rEvolution of both Jesus and St. Francis floundered and flounder still, though of course, with the example of saints and heroes to keep alive the dream...
Modern-day saints and heroes like: Dorothy Day and the Catholic Worker Movement, Thomas Merton, Nelson Mandela, Wangari Maathai, Mahatma Gandhi, Danilo Dolci, Lanza del Vasto, Martin Luther King, Jr., Oscar Romero, Daniel and Phillip Berrigan, Cesar Chavez, Vandana Shiva, Amma, Arundhati Roy, Fr. Louis Vitale, OFM, Angela Davis, and Dolores Huerta, have, or are, continuing the rEvolution: it is our single most important task in life to join in... to help in the bending of the arc of time towards an increase of justice and the Beloved Community for All!
So, it is all about you!
How you might ask?
Take a gander through Matthew 25 for a viable plan of action... a blueprint, if you will... for it's on these wings that the rEvolution cometh!
According to the Gospel of St. John, Jesus said: "I came that you might have life, and have it abundantly." More often than not, those words have been preached and assumed to mean a spiritual gift or an unfolding-into-essence... But looking into the news of the day, that is simply not good enough. And it definitely is not about Jesus blessing acquisition and greed -- as the foundation of racism and racist / classist economics!
It is all about rEvolution.
Think about it. Jesus quite clearly, with a powerful emphasis, condemns greed with his "Woe to you rich!" And blesses Justice with his "Blessed are you poor". Any economic system with an organizing principle of unlimited privilege, profit, and power for a few over and above their legitimate needs, is contrary to the Wisdom of Jesus... Seriously. Why else would St. Basil have said, in the early days of the Church, "The rich take what belongs to everyone, and claim they have a right to own it, to monopolize it"?
So, an abundant life is something other than wealth, just as it is different from only spiritual gift. Rather, abundance is the foundational principle of partnership economics and community of faith: as the mundane so to the spiritual (in Jesus' mind). Partnership economics is simply community love-in-action, lived out, intentionally, day-by-day. Again, looking at the news of the day, there is a hell-of-a-lot of "looting" going on. Seeing that news, some folks summon up their self-righteous anger: shouting "Criminals"! And yet, they are silent at the legal looting that allows for fewer than 1% of the population to own better than 50% of the national personal wealth: of course, all without paying a living wage to their employees: and the disparity between that 1% and the rest grows by leaps and bounds everyday! (Note: that "disparity" is trillions of dollars.)
It is all about rEvolution.
Towards an "abundant life" is the call of the Master to rEvolution! Certainly not a "call to arms" in the violent sense: but a reaching for the dream of St. Francis... Famously known and revered as the little poor man, he lived a radical poverty to provide a sample of rEvolution: we can organize intentional communities of 'abundant life' wherein everyone will have sufficient food, shelter, loving-care, purpose, with a pursuit of justice and peace, and the holy joy of intentional community -- which was exactly what the first Christian communities did and how they lived... instead of being co-opted by the greed of either priests or empires (this co-option eventually, and obviously, did occur). Sadly, the rEvolution of both Jesus and St. Francis floundered and flounder still, though of course, with the example of saints and heroes to keep alive the dream...
Modern-day saints and heroes like: Dorothy Day and the Catholic Worker Movement, Thomas Merton, Nelson Mandela, Wangari Maathai, Mahatma Gandhi, Danilo Dolci, Lanza del Vasto, Martin Luther King, Jr., Oscar Romero, Daniel and Phillip Berrigan, Cesar Chavez, Vandana Shiva, Amma, Arundhati Roy, Fr. Louis Vitale, OFM, Angela Davis, and Dolores Huerta, have, or are, continuing the rEvolution: it is our single most important task in life to join in... to help in the bending of the arc of time towards an increase of justice and the Beloved Community for All!
So, it is all about you!
How you might ask?
Take a gander through Matthew 25 for a viable plan of action... a blueprint, if you will... for it's on these wings that the rEvolution cometh!
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