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July 2007 |
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Stories Seldom Heard
86th Edition
A Prophetic Woman: A Prophet Prayer
July 2007
Welcome to Stories Seldom Heard. June’s Stories Seldom Heard reminded us that each of us is called to be a prophet through our baptism. I would like to continue this idea and hopefully give some specific ways in which we can find our prophetic voice.
Like many of you, last Thursday night I watched on television the Democratic Forum at Howard University, hosted by Tavis Smiley (The Republican Forum will take place on September 27.) The questions to the candidates focused on racism, poverty, the HIV/AIDs epidemic, economic disparity, crime and punishment, outsourcing of jobs and the crisis in Darfur. In spite of the fact that this list of major concerns will take many years to research and much work to develop strategies that will be effective, the candidates’ answers to these questions and interaction among themselves, helped many of us realize once again, the importance of studying these significant social and moral issues.
I have no idea if or how these candidates will fulfill their spoken desires for a more just society, but they committed themselves to work for just treatment of all people no matter what a person’s race, economic status, educational background or religious affiliation is. As they spoke I wondered about many things. But the question I would like to pursue in this Stories Seldom Heard is: What is our role in helping to bring about a more just society? How can we be a prophetic voice and presence where we live and work?
The campaigning has begun unusually early this season. And so today I wonder how many Catholic parishes/church organizations/religious congregations have begun thinking and planning for non-partisan meetings to begin discussing the topics that were on the agenda for the Forum. And I wonder, if these Catholic forums have been planned, how many gatherings will begin with a discussion and review of our long and broad tradition of Catholic Social Teachings. I wonder how many meetings will begin by reminding us that we are called to work for the common good of all. (1)
In the 1980’s the bishops of the United States wrote many letter concerning the social concerns of our day. They drew from the teachings of Jesus, Old Testament writings and other church documents that addressed social and, thus, religious issues. They discussed war and peace, nuclear armament, violence, economic justice, to name just a few. In these pastoral letters, we heard words like “the common good”, “God’s preferential option for the poor”, “living in right relationships”. One of the most fascinating aspects of these pastoral letters is that many, if not all of them, were first published as drafts. This was done to emphasize the fact that the bishops wanted these documents studied, critiqued, revised and returned to the bishops for further consideration before the final pastoral letter was written. Some of these topics went through many drafts before publication. The bishops also hoped that through this process of inclusion we Catholics would become familiar with the material and the theological/scriptural background out of which these letters came.
As I listened to the Forum held at Howard University in Washington, DC last Thursday night, one sentence still lingers in my memory. “We need to see these children as our children.” The speaker was referring to poor, disadvantaged children. But for me those words also echoed the words of the bishops’ pastoral letters and also in the Magnificat: God has “exalted the lowly. The hungry God has filled with good things.” When the most vulnerable, the least powerful are protected and cherished we know that God’s will is being done here on earth. And certainly the welfare and care of children in our society and in the world is a good litmus test to evaluate whether or not God’s commandments are being fulfilled in our lives.
Biblical justice is different from our contemporary understanding of justice as it is seen in our legal system. Biblical justice walks hand and hand with mercy and is safeguarded by authority, prophets and God’s people. Justice in the Bible means living in right relationships with God and with others. Biblical justice cares about the common good and those who are the most vulnerable in society. In a world that is marked by so many conflicts and intolerable social and economic inequalities, Pope John Paul II has often reminded us of our need for individual and corporate conversion.
Lady Justice in the New Testament is not symbolized by the image of a blindfolded woman with scales in her hands - the one we often see depicted on the walls of a courthouse building. Rather Lady Justice in the New Testament can see, hear and speak and with those powers she speaks as God’s servant and friend. Lady Justice, Mary of Nazareth, speaks with God’s authority and she speaks for the poor. She and her song are so well known that it has been put to music, danced in liturgies, chanted daily as part of the official prayers of the church and prayed in the silence of our rooms. Her soul praises God and her spirit rejoices in God her savior. She reminds us that the promises God makes to the poor are not for some far off time; they are for now - for us in our time.
Mary of Nazareth praises God who scatters the proud, brings down the haughty from their thrones, fills the hungry with good things and lifts up the oppressed. Mary in her life time experienced the God of surprises, of unheard of possibilities, the God of reversals. Mary knew God and God knew her intimately. The God who could do powerful things entered into her life and she could do nothing else but praise God, remind us of God’s power and offer hope to all generations of people who strive to do the work of God’s justice and mercy in their lives.
Dietrich Bonhoffer, the German theologian who was killed by the Nazis, says, “This is not a gentle, tender, dreamy Mary whom we sometimes see in paintings; this is a passionate, surrendered, proud, enthusiastic Mary who speaks out here.” This is a “hard, strong, inexorable song about collapsing thrones and humbled lords of this world, about the power of God and the powerlessness of humankind. These are the tones of the women prophets of the Old Testament that now come to life in Mary’s mouth.” (2)
Over the years there have been many debates discussing the origin of Mary’s Magnificat. Some connect its origin with the Song of Hanna from the First Book of Samuel. (1Sam. 2: 1-10) Other scholars suggest that it was written by the early church in Jerusalem. Still others argue that it was addressing the political struggle of the people of Palestine against their Roman oppressors. There is merit to all of these ideas and certainly to the discussions they evoke. But for our purpose we don’t have to choose sides in this debate. What comes through clearly is that “people in need in every society hear a blessing in this canticle. The battered woman, the single parent without resources, those without food on their table or without even a table, the homeless family, the young abandoned to their own devices, the old who are discarded - all who are subjected to social contempt are encompassed in the hope Mary proclaims.” (3) And, yes, even we who might not fall into the categories I just named, find hope as we struggle to live justly and mercifully in our daily decisions and actions.
Mary’s Magnificat, her song of joy and hope has echoed throughout every land and century. We in the US might not always recognize the revolutionary quality of this prayer, but in other countries it has been heard and acknowledged. In the 1980’s the Magnificat was banned from public worship in Guatemala because the government of Guatemala recognized its subversive message. The Peruvian theologian Gustavo Guiterrez, now a Dominican Friar, reminds us that this song of praise underlines God’s preferential love of the lowly and the abused. (4). God is on the side of the poor and lowly not because they are holier than other people, but because no one else will stand with them or speak on their behalf. God is on the side of the poor because God is a God of justice. God is on the side of the oppressed because God desires everyone to be justly treated.
The Magnificat is a prayer for every person and for all seasons of our lives. It is a prayer that helps focus our attention on what is important and what God desires of us. I wonder what changes would take place in each of us if we were to pray the Magnificat each day. I wonder if we read it slowly and reflected on it, would it give us the courage we need each day to face the small and large issues of injustice in our lives. I wonder if it would confirm our tenacity and encourage our desire to continue to work for social and economic change that would help bring about the common good of all. Would it support us in our small and large works of justice and allow us to feel the joy that Mary expresses? Would praying this revolutionary prayer each day allow us to continue our daily works of justice confident that our works are not in vain or too little to make a difference? What if we prayed this prayer with others who also desire to work for a more just society? Would it, could it, strengthen our faith and hope that through our actions and good will that God’s kingdom might become more a reality in our lives?
There are many issues in our lives as American Catholics that need to be viewed and reviewed in light of our Catholic Social Teachings and the Word of God. Even though most of us neither feel called to announce our values at a Democratic, Republican or Independent Forum, nor through a large movement such as the Social Forum that is taking place in Atlanta, Georgia this weekend, it doesn’t mean we don’t have a responsibility to speak and act on behalf of God’s justice and peace. (5)
The Magnificat (6) reminds us that God works in mysterious ways in the lives of ordinary people like us who desire to hear and follow God’s ways. Even though our arena for action might be closer to home it doesn’t make our actions any less valuable or less important. Never underestimate the power of small deliberate acts of kindness and justice. Never underestimate our God who desires that “kindness and truth shall meet, and justice and peace shall kiss”. (Ps. 85: 10)
1. Faithful Citizenship, a publication of the United States Catholic Conference of Bishops. This statement of the bishops makes it clear that the dual calling of faith and citizenship is at the heart of what it means to be a Catholic in the United States.
2. Johnson, Elizabeth, Truly Our Sister, Continuum International Publishing Group Inc, New York, London, 2003. p 267
3. Johnson, p. 269
4. Johnson, p. 269
5. There are 10,000 people gathering this weekend in Atlanta, Georgia for the US Social Forum. The social forum process began in South Africa when the United Nations gathered to discuss issues on race. While the appointed UN delegates met in their official meetings, other non official delegates gathered off site. These groups developed an independent process to discuss world issues, design strategies and build new coalitions to help bring about social change. Social Forums have been held in Brazil, India and Kenya. The Forum in Atlanta is entitled “Another World is Possible. Another World is Necessary.”
6. Luke 1: 43-54 The Magnificat
Special thanks to Sharon Grant, Mary Ellen Green and Jeanne Keating who have helped in editing this article.
"Stories Seldom Heard" is a monthly article written by Sister Patricia Bruno, O.P. Sister is a Dominican Sister of San Rafael, California. This service is offered to the Christian community to enrich one's personal and spiritual life. The articles can be used for individual or group reflection. If you would like "Stories Seldom Heard" sent to a friend, please send a note to "purple115@juno.com". If you would like to support this ministry, please send tax deductible contributions to Dominican Sisters of San Rafael, c/o Sister Patricia Bruno, O.P., 1520 Grand Avenue, San Rafael, CA, 94901
Thank you.
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