Practical spirituality for a complicated world.
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Someone from Truth or Consequences recently wrote a letter to the Editor of the
Reporter
, stating his views, as a Roman Catholic, that Jews inherit a 'curse' because of their ancestors' rejection of Jesus as the Promised One, or Messiah. This man certainly has a right to his beliefs, however to present those beliefs as Catholic teaching is a mistake. That view of Jesus' death is as far from Catholic teaching as one could get. If you're a regular reader of my column, you might be wondering what in the world the Redneck Hindu knows about Catholic theology. Hmmm, perhaps you've forgotten that before I became the Redneck Hindu, I was Catholic. In fact, I received a Master's degree in Theology from a Catholic graduate school. I think that qualifies me to comment on Catholic theology, even though I'm not a believer or follower of Christianity. And yes, it was a Roman Catholic school from which I got my degree. It wasn't one of those groups, cut from whole cloth, advertising themselves as "Catholic." It was the real thing, with cardinals, pope, interminable rules and regulations, and 2000 years as an historical institution. According to Catholic theology, even before the creation of the world, God the Father planned for God the Son to offer Himself as a sacrifice for the sins of the world. Since God is all-knowing, He foresaw the fall of Adam and Eve, their expulsion from the Garden of Eden, the great flood, etc.
According to the Old Testament, the Jews were chosen by God to be His special people. When you read the stories in the Old Testament, the history of their chosen status was spotty, at best. They were oppressed by their own kings, as well as enslaved by foreign conquerors on a fairly regular basis, ranging from the Egyptians to the Babylonians to the Romans. Then again, most tribes have stories about the Gods favoring them above all others. Catholic teaching tells us that Jesus willingly offered Himself to die on the cross, shedding His blood as an offering to God, to take away the sins of the world. He told the Roman court and the Jewish religious leaders that He willingly gave Himself over to them. Even as He was dying on the cross, He said, "Father, please forgive them, because they don't understand what they're doing." Does that sound to you like a curse? I think it is an example of compassion and love, the very opposite of a curse. To say that the Jews were responsible for Jesus dying on the cross is to miss entirely the theological premise of the crucifixion. According to the constant teaching of the Church, it was the sins of all mankind for which Jesus came to earth, died and arose from the dead. The sacrifice of Calvary is re-enacted every day (except Good Friday) in Catholic churches around the world. It is called Mass, and the Body and Blood of Christ are offered by the priest at the altar, as a sacrifice to God. Again, the Church teaches that Jesus died for the sins of the world. He was not murdered by the Jews, or anyone else. For a Catholic to believe or say otherwise is to commit a grave sin. This is not simply my personal opinion. It is the teaching of the Magisterium of the Church. I am writing about it today, for I am concerned that there might not be a logical rebuttal to the errors contained in the letter to the editor. We certainly don't need more hysterical, inflammatory rhetoric, adding fuel to the fire. There's already too much ill feeling, on all sides. Certainly, the Church certainly doesn't need me to defend Her teaching or explain it, for as I said, I am not a believing, practicing Catholic. But, I am a man well educated in Catholic theology, and it frustrates me when people make uninformed statements about the Church.
Now, let's move on and discuss the mistaken notion of group guilt. It is a highly dangerous and unjust action to blame any people for the guilt, real or imagined, of their ancestors. For example, to say that any group should suffer or be penalized today, because of their ancestor's deeds in the past, could never be justified as an action that is in any way affirmative. Quite apart from being spiritually unsound, it would also be most seriously unjust. It is equally mistaken to assign privileged status to people today because of claims made by their ancestors. When a group sees itself as special, that can be a sharp sword which cuts both ways. If we look at history, we see all sorts of horrors visited upon humanity in the name of God, religion, or especially, politics. It's way past time for us to put a stop to this evil insanity. If you find it impossible to love and respect your brothers and sisters, despite any differences of belief or opinion you might have, then you could at least leave them alone and occupy yourself instead, with walking your own talk.
Around the time of the letter to the editor to which I referred earlier, I was also dismayed by another letter, this time in Santa Fe's daily paper. A local Protestant minister, (a properly liberal, rainbow tolerant woman) wrote that her understanding of religion required that the government enact legislation to ensure that her beliefs about social justice become the law that all of us must follow. Isn't that the same thing that Pat Robertson, Jerry Falwell and the Pope all do? The answer is, yes! The only difference is in the particulars, not in the philosophy. The Liberal Left and the Radical Right both agree that we should all be legislated into conformity with their beliefs. They only differ in their particular beliefs, not in the need to make us all conform. Don't you see that? Why can't we just leave each other alone? If someone asks for your help, and you're able to assist them, and have a mind to, then by all means, help them. Otherwise, simply mind your own business. I'll wager that everyone of us has enough of his/her personal issues and challenges to keep us all busy for the next several lifetimes. A great spiritual master once said, "Remove the 2 by 4 from your own eye, and then you'll be able to better see how to get the splinter out of your neighbor's eye".
My wish is for us all, Jews, Catholics, Protestants, Muslims, Hindus, Liberals, Conservatives, Americans, Iraqis, and any other classification you can think of, to live in peace with each other. This is my deepest, heartfelt wish. Still, however, I don't want to compel you, through the force of law, to live out my wish. I hate to be the one to tell you this, but the Universe doesn't work that way. Blessings from the Redneck Hindu. OM Shanti OM
To ask Robert a question, visit his website at www.RobertOdom.com, email desertrj@msn.com or send mail to PO Box 33, Santa Fe, NM 87504.
