The Rev. Dr. Larry D. Pickens, Executive Director, Pennsylvania Council of Churches
The failure to respect the value and dignity of another human being is a sin. I thought of this recently as I reflected on the words of Pope Francis while addressing the pernicious and toxic effect of excluding marginalized individuals and groups from community. In recent days, the trial of Derek Chauvin, the former Minneapolis police officer being tried for the murder of George Floyd, following the act of holding his knee to the neck of a handcuffed Mr. Floyd for over nine minutes, has reminded us of the destructive impact of a malignant heart. In fact, sin is sown in the presence of indifference and uncaring. Pope Francis describes an antidote to such indifference as “integral ecology”, which is an ecology that is larger than caring about nature; “it is about caring for each other as fellow creatures of God, and all that this implies.”
Sin is deeply rooted in isolating and “othering” behavior which is generally framed in white supremacy and ideologies of superiority. Othering and isolating people have set the context for scapegoating and promoting violence against Asian people, blaming them for the coronavirus. Sin is centered in the belief that some of us are superior to other people because of our tribal relationships. Superiority ideology represents an unwillingness to accept the other because of their race, gender, immigration status, or sexual orientation- those whom we consider to be different.
We are suffering from an identity crisis which is inherent within both Church and society. Some Christian movements are centered in an insular nationalistic and ethnically grounded understanding of faith. I want to advocate for a more expansive foundation for our faith today that widens our inclusivity and ability to honor the sacredness of others, even when they are different. Jesus lived to reclaim the dignity of every human being from abuse and violence. Our responsibility as disciples of Jesus Christ is to claim the dignity and worth of every human being. Ministry is grounded in solidarity with hurting and marginalized people.
In the 14th chapter of Mark, a story about Jesus in Bethany before the Passover festival is told. At the home of Simon, the leper and a marginalized man, Jesus was approached by a woman, who broke open a jar of ointment and anointed his head. As she anointed Jesus some in the gathering criticized the woman because they thought that the use of the expensive ointment on Jesus was wasteful. Their argument was that the ointment could have been sold and the proceeds could have been used to help the poor. But Jesus intervened and told the people to leave the woman alone. He tells them that “the poor will always be with you.” Then he said, “She has done what she could.” The woman who anointed Jesus was affirming his humanity. She was personalizing his experience and struggle. The crowd was expressing concern universally for the unidentified poor. Their plea seemed more like a diversion rather than a concern. The woman, however, saw the need in Jesus. You could say that she saw in Jesus, his humanity. It is impossible to see the humanity of others without looking at them, their experience, their history, and reality. The woman responded to Jesus by doing what she could. The crowd was talking while the woman was acting. The woman saw Jesus, she could feel his pain, she understood him. To her this was her mission. Jesus is saying to his followers, “Don’t miss the forest for the trees.” Instead of focusing on the unrecognized and unseen, ministry is centered in our ability to see and know the experiences of our brothers and sisters. The poor will always, but only because we do not see them, know their experience and act to transform the circumstances of their lives.
The poor, marginalized, wounded, dehumanized, and dispossessed will always be with us but so will our opportunities to see them and do what we can to engage them and their humanity.
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