Dangerous Gospel
Sermon
Some time ago there was a series of programmes on BBC 2 on the recent history of the Catholic Church. The series was called "Absolute Truth", and one programme looked at Catholicism in the developing parts of the world. It studied the work of liberation theologians in Latin America, particularly Leonardo Boff and Oscar Romero.
The work of these liberation theologians grew directly out of their close contact with the people amongst whom they were living. Many people in Latin America live in abject poverty, and under a very repressive regime, and both these men in different ways retold the story of the gospel message, relating it to the people and the conditions in which they live.
Leonardo Boff has been preaching an activist gospel in Brazil for decades. The people he works with now are committed to building a better world. The poor in Brazil are now finding a vision of social justice and community through the 'Base Christian Communities' founded by Boff.
There are more than 100,000 of these grassroots Christian groups in Brazil which attempt to fuse the teachings of Christ with a liberating social gospel. Boff believes these are the places where liberation theology is lived concretely and where the political dimensions of a liberating faith come into play. He says that the poor must understand that poverty is not natural, so his brand of liberation theology deals with fundamental issues like work, health, food, and shelter.
He says this: "The earth has arrived at the limits of its sustainability. Our task is not to create sustainable development, but a sustainable society - human beings and nature together."
(Taken from this web site: http://www.infoasis.com/people/stevetwt/index.html )
An unyielding determination to do what is right and true and just, became the guiding principle for Archbishop Oscar Romero. He demanded peace, a peace that could only be found in human rights and assurances of basic dignities. He informed the world about all the people who had been tortured, slaughtered, and of those who had "disappeared" in his country, El Salvador.
Romero became a beacon of hope in a country ravaged by poverty, injustice, and sorrow. As with many Central American countries, El Salvador was a national security state, a country where the military is accountable to no one and the people are defenceless against tyranny and oppression. There was no peace. In the face of this injustice, Romero took it upon himself to use the Church as a light of hope and to challenge the oppressors.
Romero was determined to redefine the nature of the Church as the defender of the poor and to denounce from the pulpit the evils of state-supported death squads. He soon became the voice and conscience of El Salvador. His words and actions crossed state borders and were heard internationally. His fight for human rights led to his nomination for the Nobel Peace Prize. He spoke gospel words of peace, but they were a threat to the tyrannical policies of the government.
Romero said this: "Peace is not the product of terror or fear. Peace is not the silence of cemeteries. Peace is not the silent result of violent repression. Peace is the generous, tranquil contribution of all to the good of all. Peace is dynamism. Peace is generosity. It is right and it is duty."
(Taken from this web site: The Nuclear Age Peace Foundation An International Education and Advocacy Group On Issues of International Peace and Security)
With both these priests, Leonardo Boff and Oscar Romero, it became apparent that when the gospel message of freedom, of liberation, is relayed to those who aren't free in any sense of the word, it becomes extremely dangerous to both secular and religious authorities. So much so that Leonardo Boff was ordered by the Vatican to cease all teaching and preaching, and has since resigned his priesthood, and Oscar Romero was shot and killed by an unknown gunman.
When Jesus came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, he went to the synagogue on the sabbath day, as was his custom. He stood up to read, and the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to him. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written:
" The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,
because he has anointed me
to bring good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives
and recovery of sight to the blind,
to let the oppressed go free,
to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor."
And he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant, and sat down. The eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on him. Then he began to say to them, "Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing."
And immediately the religious authorities recognised the danger of those words, and knew they must get rid of him. An option for the poor has always been a dangerous option, because the poor have always kept well-heeled society well-heeled. The poor maintain the comfortable stability of society.
But it wasn't just the authorities. His own people, his home town, rejected him. They couldn't cope with the new interpretation of scripture he was offering them. They couldn't face the retelling of the God-story, the relating of it to the times and conditions in which they lived. Because once it's related to real life, the gospel becomes dangerous. And so they too, at some level of their being, recognised the danger in Jesus' words.
The Christian gospel is a dangerous gospel, and requires those with courage to live it and to pass it on, retelling the story anew to each generation. Retelling the story so that it's not some pleasant tale from long ago which enables its listeners to feel comfortable inside, but so that it relates to real life.
Those with courage who must live the gospel and retell the story aren't necessarily the fearless. Those with courage are often very frightened, not least of the disgrace and stigma often forced upon them by their own people, their hometown.
And those with courage are also often very uncertain, not knowing for sure and in the face of powerful opposition, whether they're right or whether they're wrong. But they continue to live the gospel, despite the fear, despite the uncertainty, learning to survive and endure these painful, distressing emotions. Like Leonardo Boff and Oscar Romero and Jesus Christ, they often pay a great price for their courage and for their integrity. But they live the gospel and they discover the truth and the strength of it through their own experience.
We too can help shape the global landscape by working for justice, peace and respect for the whole of creation. What can we do, tucked away in this pleasant rural area of South Norfolk, where there is apparently no danger to those who live and retell the gospel story? We can care. We can care enough to become informed. We can care enough to become involved, to take action. We can care enough to commit ourselves to the option for the poor, the gospel.
Any of us who dare to do that will probably find the danger of the gospel quite quickly. And then we'll really begin to understand what the gospel is all about.
The work of these liberation theologians grew directly out of their close contact with the people amongst whom they were living. Many people in Latin America live in abject poverty, and under a very repressive regime, and both these men in different ways retold the story of the gospel message, relating it to the people and the conditions in which they live.
Leonardo Boff has been preaching an activist gospel in Brazil for decades. The people he works with now are committed to building a better world. The poor in Brazil are now finding a vision of social justice and community through the 'Base Christian Communities' founded by Boff.
There are more than 100,000 of these grassroots Christian groups in Brazil which attempt to fuse the teachings of Christ with a liberating social gospel. Boff believes these are the places where liberation theology is lived concretely and where the political dimensions of a liberating faith come into play. He says that the poor must understand that poverty is not natural, so his brand of liberation theology deals with fundamental issues like work, health, food, and shelter.
He says this: "The earth has arrived at the limits of its sustainability. Our task is not to create sustainable development, but a sustainable society - human beings and nature together."
(Taken from this web site: http://www.infoasis.com/people/stevetwt/index.html )
An unyielding determination to do what is right and true and just, became the guiding principle for Archbishop Oscar Romero. He demanded peace, a peace that could only be found in human rights and assurances of basic dignities. He informed the world about all the people who had been tortured, slaughtered, and of those who had "disappeared" in his country, El Salvador.
Romero became a beacon of hope in a country ravaged by poverty, injustice, and sorrow. As with many Central American countries, El Salvador was a national security state, a country where the military is accountable to no one and the people are defenceless against tyranny and oppression. There was no peace. In the face of this injustice, Romero took it upon himself to use the Church as a light of hope and to challenge the oppressors.
Romero was determined to redefine the nature of the Church as the defender of the poor and to denounce from the pulpit the evils of state-supported death squads. He soon became the voice and conscience of El Salvador. His words and actions crossed state borders and were heard internationally. His fight for human rights led to his nomination for the Nobel Peace Prize. He spoke gospel words of peace, but they were a threat to the tyrannical policies of the government.
Romero said this: "Peace is not the product of terror or fear. Peace is not the silence of cemeteries. Peace is not the silent result of violent repression. Peace is the generous, tranquil contribution of all to the good of all. Peace is dynamism. Peace is generosity. It is right and it is duty."
(Taken from this web site: The Nuclear Age Peace Foundation An International Education and Advocacy Group On Issues of International Peace and Security)
With both these priests, Leonardo Boff and Oscar Romero, it became apparent that when the gospel message of freedom, of liberation, is relayed to those who aren't free in any sense of the word, it becomes extremely dangerous to both secular and religious authorities. So much so that Leonardo Boff was ordered by the Vatican to cease all teaching and preaching, and has since resigned his priesthood, and Oscar Romero was shot and killed by an unknown gunman.
When Jesus came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, he went to the synagogue on the sabbath day, as was his custom. He stood up to read, and the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to him. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written:
" The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,
because he has anointed me
to bring good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives
and recovery of sight to the blind,
to let the oppressed go free,
to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor."
And he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant, and sat down. The eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on him. Then he began to say to them, "Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing."
And immediately the religious authorities recognised the danger of those words, and knew they must get rid of him. An option for the poor has always been a dangerous option, because the poor have always kept well-heeled society well-heeled. The poor maintain the comfortable stability of society.
But it wasn't just the authorities. His own people, his home town, rejected him. They couldn't cope with the new interpretation of scripture he was offering them. They couldn't face the retelling of the God-story, the relating of it to the times and conditions in which they lived. Because once it's related to real life, the gospel becomes dangerous. And so they too, at some level of their being, recognised the danger in Jesus' words.
The Christian gospel is a dangerous gospel, and requires those with courage to live it and to pass it on, retelling the story anew to each generation. Retelling the story so that it's not some pleasant tale from long ago which enables its listeners to feel comfortable inside, but so that it relates to real life.
Those with courage who must live the gospel and retell the story aren't necessarily the fearless. Those with courage are often very frightened, not least of the disgrace and stigma often forced upon them by their own people, their hometown.
And those with courage are also often very uncertain, not knowing for sure and in the face of powerful opposition, whether they're right or whether they're wrong. But they continue to live the gospel, despite the fear, despite the uncertainty, learning to survive and endure these painful, distressing emotions. Like Leonardo Boff and Oscar Romero and Jesus Christ, they often pay a great price for their courage and for their integrity. But they live the gospel and they discover the truth and the strength of it through their own experience.
We too can help shape the global landscape by working for justice, peace and respect for the whole of creation. What can we do, tucked away in this pleasant rural area of South Norfolk, where there is apparently no danger to those who live and retell the gospel story? We can care. We can care enough to become informed. We can care enough to become involved, to take action. We can care enough to commit ourselves to the option for the poor, the gospel.
Any of us who dare to do that will probably find the danger of the gospel quite quickly. And then we'll really begin to understand what the gospel is all about.
