Discipleship, Freedom, and Grace
Through our work in this world, we often find ourselves at the intersection of civic life and faith; we often encounter a Church and world grappling with deep divisions and profound questions about what it means to be disciples of Jesus Christ. This is similar to the times and experiences of Joseph Cardijn, or for that matter, the life and times of Deitrich Bonhoeffer or Thomas Merton.
These three men, Cardijn, Bonhoeffer, and Merton, lived at a time when the world was divided and often on fire, much like our world today. Their lives were simultaneously in the world, just as ours are. Though their lives never really crossed each other's paths, they were all focused on what it meant to live in the Kingdom of God here and now. Each was prophetic and spoke to a suffering world, their message resonating across time and space, connecting us to a larger narrative.
How does one hold onto one's convictions while staying in a relationship with one's neighbor, a neighbor who has views of human life drastically different from one's own? How does one engage passionately and peacefully? What is the most faithful path where hatred and spite reign as the day's mantra?
Like many others, you and I have turned to Cardijn's example for guidance. May I suggest we add Bonhoeffer and Merton when we study how best to bring about the Kingdom of God and what it means to practice Catholic Social Teachings?
I am not suggesting one over the other, but to read and experience all three because their writings and life experiences give us great insight into the struggle of figuring out the next most faithful step in a broken and imperfect system. A world on fire and a house divided.
In the lives and writings of all three men, we, as Christians, know that there are specific hermeneutics ~ ways of reading and interpreting that can lead to a grace-filled understanding of who we are and what we should do, even when it may be the most challenging thing we have ever done. We practice distinguishing these in the ways we read the scripture and the work of the prophets, both in old and modern times.
These three men in their lives were a hermeneutic of Christ and holding Christ at the center. This means that they interpreted their experiences and the world around them through the lens of Christ's teachings and life, using it as a guide for their actions and decisions.
We need to understand that what is needed today is an approach to the work of Cardijn, Bonhoeffer, and Merton. Like the Bible, one can read any number of agendas or ideologies into the lives of the three men and their words. But like any good social justice theologian, all three saw themselves centering around the question, "Who is Christ for us today?"
That question comes back over and over, again and again, in the writings and in discerning steps to take in their discipleship. Centering that question led them to reject the mantra of the day of injustices against humanity and other forces that sought to harm the most vulnerable of their neighbors.
Read and study and, most importantly, discuss with others the Key Themes we find in all three men during their lives on this planet:
Discipleship
Costly Grace
Freedom for Others
Brush the dust of "Laypeople Into Action" and read Bonhoeffer's "Letters From Prison" and Merton's "Conjecture of a Guilty Bystander." In each, look for the key three themes. Then, let's come together as a community to discuss how we can understand and apply these themes to bring about the kingdom of God here and now.