Albert Nolan, Joseph Cardijn, and Lous Putz: The Synod and Where is the Kingdom of God?

Albert Nolan, Joseph Cardijn, and Lous Putz: The Synod and Where is the Kingdom of God?

Rabbi Heschel defines a prophet as "one who interferes." We need to ask ourselves, who are the prophets today? The Rabbi states, "Self-respect is the root of discipline: The sense of dignity grows with the ability to say no to oneself." This is the making of a prophet.

As we watch and try to understand the happenings at the Upcoming Synod starting in October, I suggest reading a book to set the tone. Read JESUS BEFORE CHRISTIANITY by Albert Nolan OP, published by Orbis Press. Ensure you get the 25th Anniversary edition with a foreword by Sr. Helen Prejean. It makes so much sense!

Albert Nolan was a prophet in the true sense of the words of Rabbi Heschel. So with Albert's friends Joseph Cardijn and Louis Putz.

All three men in their lives have tried to show us the purpose of understanding the teachings of Jesus by seeing Jesus in his human skin. 

The book is very clear that it is not an attempt to convert anyone, not a defense of the Christian faith, nor a deep historical analysis of the historical Jesus, and it is not merely academic writing. It is discovering what bringing the Kingdom of God here and now means.  

In the life and times of Albert Nolan, we see a person who was moved by an "urgent and practical purpose."

As we see in the book by Albert: "I am concerned about people; the daily sufferings of so many millions of people, and the prospect of much greater suffering in the near future. My purpose is to find out what can be done about it."

Hopefully, the Synod can open people's eyes to our purpose on this earth, and together, we all collaborate on finding the paths to bring about the Kingdom of God here and now.

Look at our political and economic systems and ask ourselves what we have created. How often do we think the world is on the brink of disaster? What insights have our local churches and religious organizations offered us to understand better the mission of bringing about the kingdom? Do we sometimes feel "religion" as we know it exacerbates the problems? 

Jesus of Nazareth lived in a time and place with problems similar to ours, an empire with great power and religious leaders who conflicted with each other, and we see Jesus trying to show them the way and what the meaning of living with God is all about here on earth. Think about the socio-politico-religious environment that was contemporary to Jesus in our world today. 

Do we SEE? How do we JUDGE? And most importantly, how do we ACT to bring about the change?

Nolan, just like Cardijn, chose our contemporary situation as the model to understand better what is standing in the way of seeing the teachings of Jesus. They both point out in their work the big picture of that world and why it is critical to SEE JUDGE and ACT to develop a correct interpretation of what we read in the Gospels. 

Nolan implemented the SEE JUDGE and ACT methods function as any modern detective to discover the root cause and the core problem at the heart of the matter. 

A vital understanding of the work of Nolan and Cardijn, including Putz with the CFM movements and learning centers across the US, was to realize It is a misunderstanding to locate this "kingdom of heaven/God" in an otherworldly or afterlife existence. It is here and now!

Lous Putz was well known for this quote: "On the Day of judgment, Christ's sentence will not bear on your assistance at Mass, reception of Holy Communion, your fasts, and abstinence, nor will good intentions be of any avail; these are a means to an end, but it will call for your concrete acts of love."

What Nolan and Cardijn have taught us by their understanding of Jesus and His teachings is the Kingdom of God is here and now! It is a way of living here on earth that makes the difference about our time in eternity. When we read the book "Jesus Before Christianity," we begin to understand the concept of an afterlife in heaven was unknown to Jesus' contemporaries. For Jesus, The kingdom of heaven would replace the established system, the "kingdom of Satan," and not really the Roman Empire, but that was not understood then, and I think we see how it is misunderstood today. 

Key elements of the teachings of Jesus and what we read in Nolan's book were 1) money, 2) prestige, 3) exclusive group solidarities, and 4) power. And Nolan devotes a chapter to each for good reason. Those concepts were embedded in the socio-politico-religious fabric of the word Jesus lived, and we see how they are embedded in our world today. 

Our understanding of Jesus is not a way of thinking or speaking about faith but a way of living. It is identifying with all people and begins with compassion for all. It is what the meaning of solidarity is all about in our lives. It starts with "SEEING the signs of the times" and recognizing (JUDGING) that all the forces working against humanity are the forces of evil. This Seeing and Recognizing will spur us to ACT.

Even if you have read Nolan’s book, pick it up again, dust it off, and I suggest reading it. And let the message he writes about in each chapter bring surprising insights into your mind. 

Hopefully, the Jesus Nolan uncovers in his book will be discovered during the upcoming Synod. And discover Albert Nolan’s ‘Spirituality of Radical Freedom’. As we watch and see the events starting next week in Rome with the Synod, I remind myself that Hope is not a strategy but a vision, and in the words of Erich Fromm:

“Hope is not a prediction of the future. It is the vision of the present in a state of pregnancy” Erich Fromm.

NCR photo/Mev Puleo