COMMENT REALITY CHECK PETER McVERRY SJ
THE REVOLUTION OF CHRISTMAS DAY
CHRISTMAS IS A TIME TO REAFFIRM OUR RESPONSIBILITY TO CREATE A SOCIETY WHERE ALL ARE EQUALLY LOVED AND VALUED, AND WHERE THE HUMAN RIGHTS OF ALL ARE RESPECTED
R
evolutions change both the way we think and the way we act. They have changed the course of events in many countries, such as France, Russia, the US, and Ireland. But they are generally pretty violent, seeking to overthrow the established order and replace it with a new one. The birth of Jesus was a revolution, but a revolution like no other. This insignificant child, of poor parents, from a town that was a source of ridicule to many (“Can anything good come out of Galilee?”), who preached non-violence and love of enemies, has changed both our understanding of religion and our politics forever. In Jesus, God became a human being: the human and divine have become one, inseparable. That is the revolution that the birth of Jesus brought about. Other religions might tell us that we encounter God in sacred places, in temples, mosques, and churches. But we Christians believe that we encounter God in other human beings. Other religions might tell us to worship God with sacrifices and prayers, but we Christians worship God by loving God in each other, by caring, reaching out to fellow human beings. In our western societies, the dominant mindset is a neoliberal ideology with its excessive individualism. It seeks to persuade us that each individual is solely responsible
for the life they lead. All should strive to become self-sufficient, independent human beings. Selfsufficiency is the ideal human state, and independence is a sign of maturity and growth. This virus of excessive individualism has often infected our spirituality, which then becomes focused exclusively on the relationship between God and me, and on what I have to do to gain a place in heaven.
Since we encounter God in other human beings, my spirituality must be concerned with their lives, and so upholding human rights must be an integral part of the faith we profess. Hence this revolution that the birth of Jesus brought about is not just a spiritual revolution but also a political revolution. We affirm the basic human rights of all people, and when secular political policies and structures deny those rights to anyone,
then we must oppose and challenge them. Our spirituality must be political. This neoliberal mindset also creates a league table of meritocracy. It tries to persuade us that those who do well in life have achieved their success by themselves and so deserve to be respected and looked up to, while those who have not achieved have only themselves to blame and are not worthy
of the same esteem. It values people differently. But if every human being is the presence of God to us, then our faith requires us to value every human being equally. Those monks and nuns who live in cloistered monasteries, cut off from the world, praying and tending their gardens, do us a great service. In the eyes of the neoliberal mindset, they are unproductive, and therefore their lives are wasted. They could
A
be out doing good, creating wealth, or helping others and making a positive contribution to our world, instead of spending their lives in useless isolation. However, it is precisely because their lives are “useless,” as many would judge, that they are important, as they remind us that our value does not depend on what we do but on the fact that we are. Each human being, the secluded monk and the activist priest, the billionaire and the homeless person sleeping on the street, the person who is paralysed, and the marathon runner, all have the same dignity and value simply because they exist. Hence, the promotion of equality, along with human rights, must also be an integral part of our faith. The Christmas revolution, then, is a time to reaffirm our responsibility to create a society where all are equally loved and valued, and where the human rights of all are respected. Christmas is not a day in the year; Christmas is an attitude in our hearts. Those who seek to build such a society can, like Jesus, expect persecution, ridicule, and opposition. There are those who do not respect the human rights of all and who think equality is naïve idealism. We Christians should expect to be crucified. For more information or to support the Peter McVerry Trust: www.pmvtrust.ie info@pmvtrust.ie +353(0)1 823 0776
46 REALITY DECEMBER 2022 Reality-Dec-2022-v3.indd 46
18/11/2022 10:23
JO
C
TO
C W P St