Remember TS Eliot’s poetic drama,
Murder in the Cathedral ?
A play, a TV broadcast, and several movie versions
have appeared since 1935, its first performance.
Church and state enter into conflict:
the Archbishop of Canterbury, Thomas à Becket,
and the English King, Henry II.
Eventually, Thomas is murdered in his Canterbury cathedral
by four of Henry’s knights.
Time will provide similar assassinations: including
Martin Luther King “On the evening of April 4, 1968,
while standing on the balcony of his motel room in Memphis,
Tennessee, where he was to lead a protest march
in sympathy with striking garbage workers of that city,
he was assassinated”*;
and Archbishop Oscar Romero** (1917 – 1980)
in El Salvador on March 24 1980,
who shed his life for justice:
“When the church hears the cry of the oppressed
it cannot but denounce the social structures that give rise to
and perpetuate the misery from which the cry arises"***;
Christians need to respond at every level.
How can I to contribute to “justice and peace” in my family,
in my society, and in my world?
What is my role as a Christian in the Church?
What is my role as a citizen of the State?
The debate continues.
But I need to respond, to
“give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar,
and to God what belongs to God”
(Mt 22:21).
I am not a politician, but I suggest we begin with
“giving to God what belongs to God.”
And perhaps the Liturgy given to us today by the Church
can inspire a response when we read these words
in the Responsorial Psalm (Ps 33),
“Look towards him and be radiant;
let your faces not be abashed...”
The First Reading (2 Tim 2:8-13; 3:10-12)
implores a fidelity to Christ:
“If we have died with him, then we shall live with him”
and we can begin by “dying” to sin,
even the “smallest” sin in our lives…
Jesus has been reborn in us this Christmas
– keep Him alive this way!
The extract from this Letter ends:
“You are well aware, then, that anybody who tries to live
in devotion to Christ is certain to be attacked”
(the original Greek states:
“the ones wanting to live Godly in Christ Jesus
will be persecuted”).
Jesus prepared us for this in the Gospel –
so, remain “in Christ.”
The “attack” could emerge from a lack of understanding,
a jealousy, or even a revenge
for something that happened in the past.
Whatever the origin - remain "in Christ."
Then I apply this maxim from Jesus (Mt 16:24-27):
“For anyone who want to save his life will lose it;
but anyone who loses his life for my sake will find it.”
I think of
# parents “losing it all” initially for their children,
# students of life losing it all for discovering
and giving back to Life the essence of God’s Love; and
# having to re-read the stories of St Thomas à Becket,
and the likes of Martin Luther King Martin Luther King
and Archbishop Oscar Romero,
so as to be faithful to the newborn Jesus in me.
Begin with God... and let that Christ in you inspire you
to then "give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar" ...
Stay blessed.
G
[pics:
top: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Murder_in_the_cathedral_poster_picture.jpg
* Martin Luther King:
http://nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/peace/laureates/1964/king-bio.html
** Archbishop Oscar Romero:
http://www.victorshepherd.on.ca/Heritage/Oscar%20Romero.htm
***
http://www.google.co.za/imgres?imgurl=http://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/Martyrs/Romero/romero.jpg&imgrefurl=http://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/Martyrs/Romero/index.html&h=337&w=300&sz=8&tbnid=MFAXN2xc2oeQvM:&tbnh=119&tbnw=106&prev=/images%3Fq%3DArchbishop%2BOscar%2BRomero&hl=en&usg=__6wEPq-M4qi7A2NV7n-NEwN-GXUk=&ei=C485S4WbJJCi4Qav4aGqCA&sa=X&oi=image_result&resnum=7&ct=image&ved=0CB4Q9QEwBg ]
