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Social Justice Reflection
Tom Moos - Social Justice Ministry Chair
Our Advent theme is “Preparing our minds, bodies, hearts and spirits for the birthing of Christ consciousness”. I’d like to suggest a few ideas on preparing our minds from a Social Justice perspective.
The term, “Christ Consciousness”, may have several meanings. It is often associated with an Eastern mystical spirituality centered on awakening a level of enlightenment that deeply perceives the divine within ourselves and recognizes a radical interconnectedness with the universe – an enlightenment, proponents claim, that Jesus attained.
One of Thomas Merton’s most beloved quotes describes a divine spark, belonging to and manifesting God, in each one of us. If we could see them, these billions of points of light would be the “blaze of a sun that would make all the darkness and cruelty of life vanish completely.” Perhaps, one goal this Advent might be to actively seek out at least one person on the fringes, and to truly see, with our mind’s eye, the divine in them. Can we find Jesus in the man on a highway off-ramp or the woman outside a grocery store holding a cardboard sign that reads “Anything helps”? What might be a Christ-like compassionate response, devoid of judgment, beyond giving a few bucks and moving on?
Or, can we expand our understanding of our connectedness to the planet and develop a sense of place, belonging, stewardship and relationship with nature? Like indigenous peoples, can we regard not only people but trees, rocks, rivers and all creation as relatives not just resources? Can we have substantive conversations with family and friends and commit to take action to reduce our carbon footprint and help turn the tide of climate change (e.g. for ideas, click here)
What does “Christ Consciousness” mean to you? How can we prepare our minds this Advent to birth “Christ Consciousness”, however we define it?
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