Cultivating Justice: St. Patrick’s Day Edition

St. Patrick, legendary saint and evangelist of the Irish, is known for his Celtic spirituality. Celtic spirituality is grounded in the belief that God is a part of every aspect of the creation: every fiber and every cell, every breath and every hello. Celtic Christianity is not so much pantheistic (God is everything) as it is panentheistic (God is in or God touches or God connects with everything). Such a spirituality leads quite naturally toward a desire to cultivate justice.

One of St. Patrick’s more famous prayers is the “Christ in…” prayer, which says, in part, “May the Christ in me speak to the Christ in you that we may have fellowship one with another.” For Patrick, it is always before the individual Christian to see other people not according to their outward form but according to the divine mystery and divine grace that says we are each vessels in which the God of the Universe chooses to dwell. Such a spirituality leads quite naturally towards an ability to cultivate justice.

Being able to see one another as bearers of divine mystery and grace (c.f. 2 Corinthians 5:16) opens opportunities for the kind of depth conversations required of God’s people if God’s people are to seek the mind of Christ for the sake of the world. That is, seeing one another as Christ bearer’s is a prerequisite to deeply honest engagement that probes questions, explores possibilities, speaks with humility and listens with openness to those who may disagree with us. Only such honest engagement creates the kind of community that allows us to cultivate justice together.

I have a game I like to call “the spirituality of respect” game. Its rules are simple to understand even if they are difficult to live. The game goes something like this. Whenever two individuals or a faith community (where two or three are gathered in Jesus’ name) gather to discuss the mind of Christ for the sake of the world, and especially when it is known that surface disagreement exists, allow the dialogue to flow according to these rules:

1.      Acknowledge the weakest point in one’s own argument.

2.      Acknowledge the strongest point in other arguments.

3.      Ask probing questions of one another, seeking to see one another’s views in the best possible light.

4.      Seek to articulate areas of agreement in values, principles and practical choices that may impact the situation.

I am not saying that playing the spirituality of respect game with one another will always or even usually lead to agreement. Respect rather than agreement is the goal; even more, a deeper, more penetrating discernment is the goal. Such a discernment may allow the Body of Christ to engage the people in our communities not according to what is selfishly best for our own interests but what provides dignity, models compassion, and seeks justice for those in whom the living Christ dwells. May the Christ in us speak to the Christ in them that we may have fellowship one with another.

Happy St. Patty’s Day,
Brad Munroe