Br. Dan Horan, OFM writes over at Dating God a very good point about some of the more divisive issues in church and politics.
The thing about abortion and same-sex-marriage, to pick two of the several contentious issues, is that they rarely impact the person rallying against them directly. On the other hand, the Gospel raises challenges for all people in every age and at all times. You can demonize the unwed and poor pregnant woman outside a Planned Parenthood office because you are not that person.
But we are all the Body of Christ, to whom God demands much for much has been given to us — more is demanded than political lip-service and vacuous religious affectivity. Unlike the targets of these political hot-button issues, the poor, the marginalized (who may also be your political targets), the forgotten and abused, they implicate all of us in a world that remains unjust.
Amen! I wonder how many of the people who demonize women outside abortion clinics (and to be fair, how many persuasive people who treat the people headed into these clinics respectfully and yet directly) have ever spent a moment in the inner city with the great number of women who seek abortions out of fear? Br. Dan brings up an excellent point that to be Catholic is to always look to the margins and to see the face of Jesus in the people there and then to consider that they are us! The children of a loving God.
He makes an excellent point about the megachurch movement too. Perhaps I’ll riff on that later but you should read his comments now.
I regret not being able to attend his lecture here in Buffalo this weekend as I have a pre-cana to work at and Sunday night mass and a lecture to follow. However, I’m sure there’s another opportunity around to come and see him. Dating God is an excellent and thought-provoking blog that is on my list of must reads. Check him out today and if you’re in Buffalo, head over to the Buffalo State Newman Center and see him this Sunday from 5p-7:30. You can even catch mass at St. Joe’s afterwards (8PM) and then hear Elizabeth McIntyre talk about Human Trafficking and what we can do about it.