Seeking Understanding

All week I have been sitting with the theme from last Sunday's gospel that the power is in our powerlessness.  I took that further or renamed it to say that our power is in our vulnerability.  Just what does that mean?  Is that to simply wallow in or celebrate our weakness?  I never thought that. 

I did think that a key to my pursuit for understanding would be in this Sunday's gospel which continues on with Mark's gospel, and there is!  The key is in once again in taking the gospel as a community based document that it is written from a community for the community.

It is not that I alone am vulnerable but that we are all vulnerable, that we naturally share in human vulnerability.  There is solidarity in this shared human vulnerability.  This tells me that together we are vulnerable and in solidarity we find the way forward to work for justice and build a better world.

When we just focus on how strong we are and how we have everything or can get everything ourselves, we become isolated individuals acting for ourselves and in competition against everyone else.  With this mindset, when we don't succeed, we then tend to blame ourselves and become victims; and when we see others not succeeding, we just blame them and they become victims. 

Awareness of our shared vulnerability acts to help us build up our connectedness with others.  It is then that we can act together and together we can make our life better.  With this mindset, compassion is for the strong and not for the weak and we are called out of ourselves to act for the other and not be self-absorbed.  So we don't throw the unwanted to the side; we don't put the weak down; we don't blame the victim.  True, the world is not just, as I am so often told!  However, the other side then is that together in our shared vulnerability, we can work to make the world a just place.  Here is our true strength - solidarity in our vulnerability. Yes, this is mind-blowing. No wonder last Sunday's gospel reading held a "WOW" statement for me.  Now this week's gospel reading gives me a key to understanding it and living it. 

My vulnerability has been the source for my power

I keep reflecting on this key gospel theme of the past week - our power is in our powerlessness.  I think it is true and so powerful.  It has been true in my life.  I can see how my brokenness has been the source of great steps forward in my life.  I can see how my brokenness has given me powerful life themes for good. 

Why else do I identify with a life focused on reaching out to the poor and marginalised? 

The power is in our Vulnerability

This arises from my last entry and from my being hit by a WOW! moment when reflecting on Sunday's gospel reading from Mark 9.  It is the well known scene of Jesus taking the child and telling his disciples to accept one as these into their midst.  It is in this child that we see who is the greatest.  The introduction to this was the disciples' discussion on who was the greatest and how does Jesus respond?  By an action of taking a child and saying here is your answer.  Jesus was doing more than just including the excluded into the inner circle.  He was actually giving the power to the excluded, to the most fragile, to the most unlikely.  For me, he was saying that our power is in our most vulnerable; that our power lies in our very vulnerability. 

Where we are most vulnerable, there lies our power. 

This is WOW!  I am still not sure exactly what it means.  It will take me time to digest and theologise. 

Maybe I can best illustrate this by an example in my working life.  In reaching out to the urban refugees in Bangkok, the big institutions have enough protection through their institutions, backing and resources to think that they know it all and have all the answers.  Meanwhile these poor people continue to linger and suffer.  Then in comes the under-resourced, community players.  They want to help but how as they lack the same level of institutional backing and resources.  Without something to fall back on, they sit vulnerable in their attempts to help.  So what do they do?  They have to take risks and be creative and look to new and needed ways for acting in response to a need.  They then lead the way because of their known vulnerability. 

The Power of Powerlessness

In my day, I deal with a young guy from Sri Lanka who, because of his lack of a nourishing family background, is what I would name as a 28 year old man who is still a 13 year old boy.  This means that he keeps getting into all sorts of bother as he tries to deal with the complex issues of his daily life while a urban refugee in Bangkok. 

I also try to get my head around trying to yet again deal with, what for me, are two difficult and unhealthy adult, western males in my life here.  They are connected and whenever I get caught into their issues, through the nature of my ministry here, I find myself trapped yet again thanks to their own personal dysfunctions. 

Then I place both situations into the context of this coming Sunday's gospel where the story is from Mark's gospel with Jesus bringing in the children.  As I read and reflect, I am hit by a tremendous one liner:
The Power of Powerlessness. 
It says that Jesus' power was rooted in his vulnerability and NOT in "iron, muscles, guns".  WOW!!!
That sits with me and speaks to me so powerfully.  Our vulnerability is the very source of our real power for life.  In our shared vulnerability, we are powerful people. 

Why then are we so frigthened to face the hard issues of life, its difficulties and injustices? 

Then there is this week

I write about the danger of generalising. 

I experience the urban refugees I work with as being made up of a range of characters and personalities.  Some are most admirable and gifted individuals and would be a great addition to any country.  They all deserve a go and, like everyone, have the right to live in safety.  There can't just be the automatic negative reaction as if they are evil criminals when ones hear asylum seeker and illegally present in the country. 

Then this week has seen the outbursts of violence in Cairo, Libya and Yemen in response to a film on the Prophet.  One can't assume that all Americans or westerners are anti-Muslim like the one who produced such an ill-conceived and distasteful film.  Neither can one assume that all those in the Middle East and who are Muslim are into perpetrating violence and are anti-American or anti-west.  Such generalisations seem to overlook the reality that you have extremism and fundamentalism on both sides acting against each other.  It is all very dangerous. 

Don't generalise

Well, the last week has been huge with so much happening all at once and major tasks to face. 

I had a good friend here for the weekend from Sydney.  He is my one wealthy friend.  In the work I do and amongst the people I meet, I sometimes hear an ideological position that says wealthy people are not good people.  Then I say that I know this wealthy person in Sydney and he is one of the kindest and most generous people you could meet, a good man.  I shared this with my friend and as he said - you can't generalise - and he smiled. 

A major challenge I have had to face in my work recently with urban refugees is trying to find help in starting a university course here for three young members of the population who now have the opportunity to study on-line through the generosity and good work of Australian Catholic University.  In approaching some quarters here, there has been a real resistance as there is a mindset that sees them simply as being here illegally and breaking Thai law.  But then there has been the other experience of meeting impressive ones who just want to help.  So once again, you can't generalise. 

Generalisations are dangerous and lead to unnecessary misunderstanding.