Christian Faith can be threatening to those in power but, alas, not in Ireland – yet. The cosy relationship between church and state and the kind of safe theology and preaching presented in Ireland has prevented that from happening here – yet.
The story is different in some places in Latin America. In Guatemala in the 1980s, the dictator banned the saying of the Magnificat of Mary because it was thought to be subversive. The people there had adopting the ideas of liberation theology about justice and God’s option for the poor and oppressed. These people have been subjected to a cruel regime which uses murder and torture to maintain power. We in the more secular and sophisticated western world have become so used to the words of the Magnificat of Mary that they probably have lost their radical meaning. We no longer notice how subversive this statement attributed to Mary, the mother of Jesus, is regarded by the political, military and economic establishment. Mary represents the poor and those who are socially excluded and despised by the ruling class and the law enforcers. In a country like Guatemala where many of the poor and oppressed have been conscientized and politicized through their radical interpretation of the Scriptures, their faith is now seen by those in power as threatening to the whole corrupt system.
In John’s Gospel (8:41) Jesus is regarded by the religious people as the illegitimate son of an unmarried girl. Mary challenges the world and the church about their values of respectability. She represents and furthers the hope of the Anawim /the poor who have always been excluded and despised.
It is sad to say that the Church in Ireland, for all its charitable work, has lost that edge because it pays little attention to the radical message of the Scriptures or towards facilitating people to interpret the Scriptures in a new and radical way as has happened in Guatemala and other Latin American countries. When the Church fails to identify with the poor, it loses its identification with Mary. It is no longer the Church of Christ.
With the sharp decline in the number of priests in Ireland there is now hope that the people will take the lead in reading and reflecting on the radical meaning of the Scriptures. I believe that if this happens a great renewal will take place that will challenge the entire unjust status quo in Ireland and hopefully in Europe because the political establishment has had its boot on the neck of the poor for far too long. It will also mark the beginning of an Irish liberation theology that will open up the subversive Scriptures to the people of God who cling to their faith in spite of everything. It is long overdue.
Long overdue a break from Rome, long overdue a secular society , both happening in part due to the role of the church both sides of the border, a failure to stand with their beleagured flock in the worst of times. The people are no longer afraid of Mother church. With a few honourable exceptions, the clergy are on the side of the middle class and the powers that be.
Hi, Joe thank you for this excellent article. I’ll say this without fear of contradiction, ‘ Librtation theology’ is Christianity in its purest form. Cardinal Ratzsinger and the other members of the inquisition were dead against any form of socialism. But Francis came to see that living in and amongst the poor was exactly what Christianity demands. That’s why we witness him washing and kissing the feet of the interrogated. Beautiful.