We are called to be revolutionaries.

 

Archbishop Oscar Romero, saint and martyr

How often do we treat religion as an escape valve or a magic potion to get where or what we want?  Let us not do religion such a disservice.  Let us neither spiritulaize nor individualize our faith.  By doing so, we are devaluing that which is at the core of our being, of our shared identity as humanity on this earth.    

T have read more than once that "the gospel is about transformation or nothing at all."  This is a powerful statement, highlighting that the gospel is not just a document we read, reflect upon and respect.  It is so much more.  It actually is the living Word of God, impacting us at the very heart of who we are as a people on a journey of life; transforming us, a people of faith.    

The gospel transforms us at every level of our being - spiritual, personal, communal, social.  The gospel is a revolutionary document, revolutionizing us.  Our faith calls us to be revolutionaries for the life, good and dignity of all.   We are not called to be revolutionaries in the line of Karl Marx or Che Guevara, but as followers of Jesus of the gospel.  

Pope Francis names it as we are called to be "revolutionaries of tenderness". 

"What is tenderness?" he asks.  It is not about being mushy or nice.  Rather "it is the love that comes close and becomes real.  It is a movement that starts from our heart and reaches the eyes, the ears, the hands."  Powerful!  

As we finish Christmas for another year,  Francis presents a lasting image of the Christ child.  Simply put - "By being born in a manger, God himself launches the only true revolution that can give hope and dignity to the disinherited and the outcast: the revolution of tenderness."  

Viva la revolucion!