"Pizzaonia Emerging" Courtesy of the Pizzaonian Art Institute, Abe Straction, curator (C)2009
Continuing our dialogue on the state of Christian fatih, Sister Veronica responds to Brother Franco’s comments
On a more reasonable but still as demanding Christianity
For most people Brother Franco’s concept of Christianity will seem pretty harsh. Certainly Jesus’s concept of love and service is a radical message. It centers completely on love, service and sacrifice. Everybody likes the idea but few seem capable of accepting the complete message.
Where Brother Franco and I separate is on what did Jesus mean and did Jesus understand how impossible it would be for most of us to be able to embrace the message on the level that Brother Franco states?
I am sure Jesus did. For one, he did not tell everyone “to sell everything and follow me.” Here is where it is very easy to get into trouble. No doubt Jesus is demanding the best we have. The question is – what is that best?
What is ignored by Brother Franco’s analysis is that we are not all capable of giving equal levels of love and sacrifice at the same time. Union with God is an individual process. This is true for all religions, and it seems to me to be particularly true of Christianity.
After all, why do we have the concept of mercy? If we were all saints, the totality of the Christian message would be embraced and completely lived to the fullest. Indeed, there are some who have achieved this. However, most of us have not. And that does not make us any less Christian.
As for the man in the Gospel who was told, “to sell everything and follow me,” Jesus was asking for what he wanted from him. Every day, if we are aware of our faith, Jesus is letting us know what he wants from us. And what he wants from each of us can be very different.
What gets confused in His message is that, for some reason, if we are not asked to sell everything, it assumed by many that what we are asked to do in order to be his disciple is less than complete sacrifice. I obviously disagree with this all-or-nothing perspective.
Each of us has a gift to be realized. For many of us bringing that gift into the fullness of life regardless of how small it may be is worthy in His eyes. It may be more or less than others depending on what we are capable of at any giving moment, but I suspect if it is the best we have, it is all equal in God’s eyes.
Sister Veronica
We also recommend: "The Pizzaonian."
