In my first post on "signs of the times," I offered a reflection on the meaning of the phrase. Referring to the work of liberation theologian, Ignacio Ellacuría, a distinction was made between signs of “sin” - those things which on both a personal and social or structural level negate life, and signs of “grace” – those things that both personally and structurally give life.
So, in considering our world today and in reflecting on where we are called, as people of faith, to make our stand, the questions we must ask are: Where are the places and what are the actions and structures that negate life, that literally kill, in our world? And where are the places and what are the actions and structures that support and bring life in our world? I suppose that there are many responses that could be given to each of these questions. Here I highlight some that come to mind.
So, in considering our world today and in reflecting on where we are called, as people of faith, to make our stand, the questions we must ask are: Where are the places and what are the actions and structures that negate life, that literally kill, in our world? And where are the places and what are the actions and structures that support and bring life in our world? I suppose that there are many responses that could be given to each of these questions. Here I highlight some that come to mind.
Much of our society, worldwide it would seem, is driven not by a concern for people but by a primary commitment to the all-powerful dollar. And so, in the U.S. we have people in power who deny that humans are contributing to global warming – not because they don’t know better (regardless of what they may claim), but because affirming that premise threatens their short-term wealth accumulation. It amazes me that even though this position could very well spell death for their own children and grandchildren, they somehow cannot let go. This same driving force leads to wars as well that, contrary to the official storyline (from both political parties in the U.S.), are not about fighting for democracy and freedom but are about petroleum and minerals and economic advantages and control. Similarly, global economic decisions are driven by the insistence on never-ending growth, access to and growing new markets, and protecting and growing profits without regard to any potential “collateral damage.” Built on this premise of the primacy of the dollar and of profits (for the few), i.e., the value center of global capitalism, we see death reflected in many ways. People are dying because of racist prejudices and social structures. People are dying because of anti-immigrant attitudes and policies. People are dying because dollars are prioritized for war, at the expense of healthcare, education, and services to support and make life abundant. The flip side of that coin is that people are dying because of wars – the war machine that destroys cities, and countrysides, and nations, that results in young men and women returning to their homes in body bags, that results in non-combatants literally dying or having their life and livelihoods completely destroyed. People are dying, fleeing from violence, war, and economic disaster; seeking safety or a better life and being refused by nations who stereotype their presence. People are dying because our global system ensures advantage for a few to maximize their gain (the 1%) at the expense of the rest of us, resulting in a rapidly-increasing gap between the rich and poor, and in an increasing poverty around the world. Although we have the resources to feed the entire world today, millions go to bed hungry each day and millions die of hunger every year. These are just a few examples of what I see as acts and systems in our world today that are, in the words of Ellacuría, objectifying the power of sin, that are the vehicles of that power against humanity, against human life; in other words, vehicles of death.
Thankfully, these are not the only signs we see in our times. Although at times it may seem that the vehicles of death have the upper hand, we also see signs of grace or, as my friend Geraldo suggested recently, “signs of hope.” Signs of grace are those commitments and actions that stand over against the signs of sin. In the face of death, they speak to us about the possibility of hope and life. And, as people of faith, it is here that we are called to place our actions and even our very lives - on the side of grace, on the side of hope. What are some of these signs in our times?
Again, the primary context I am reflecting on is the United States. One of the signs of life that I see is a sometimes-independent judiciary (a fragment of democracy still intact in this country). On some occasions judges have acted to block anti-immigrant and anti-refugee policies and, in at least one case a police officer was recently charged with murder after shooting a black man running from him. [*] Another sign of grace, in my view, is DACA recipients and other immigrants who, at great risk to their own security, are openly challenging the politics and politicians bent on deporting them.[†] Another sign of hope is that movements are joining each other across lines of race, immigrant status, age, and gender, to take to the streets by the thousands all across this country, challenging politicians who are doing the bidding of monied donors while ignoring the death-dealing impact of policies on the lives and in the communities of their constituents. On Valentine’s Day this year, we sadly witnessed yet another school shooting, the massacre of 17 people at the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida – clearly a sign of the death powers at work in our nation and society. But the sign of grace in response is that students of the Parkland school, joined in solidarity by students and others all across the country, are standing up, taking on politicians and the NRA face-to-face, to demand change, to demand that our representatives place themselves on the side of life, even if it means denying the idolizing power of the dollar. These students are not succumbing to the detracting rhetoric coming from the mouths of politicians, but are speaking truth to power about guns and making it clear that those who choose not to stand on the side of life will be voted out.[‡] A further sign of hope and a signal of possible change is that several dozen companies have now withdrawn their support for the NRA. These actions reflect a primary commitment, not to money and power but are, in Ellacuría’s words “vehicles for the power that favors human life” – certainly some of the many signs of grace and hope in our times.
One final observation. I recognize, or at least it seems to me, that the signs of sin and death appear to have the upper hand today. The money interests (and their political puppets) in our world seem to be especially brash and unreserved in their all-out effort to establish absolute hegemony and power. They unabashedly align themselves with the powers of disregard for the interests of the majority while protecting the concerns of their own narrow group, the 1%. However, even in this, in a perhaps not so obvious way, I see a sign of grace and promise of life, because I believe that what we are witnessing is the end of an epoch. The world as we know it, the world structured around the extraction of resources - both natural and human – and capital is coming to an end. Those who have held power and benefited from this arrangement see the end coming, and so are fighting with all they have to keep it going. But this system has run its course. What we are living today is the capitalist system coming apart at the seams. As Karl Marx predicted more than a century and a half ago, capitalism will destroy itself and, out of the rubble, a new system will be born.[§] It is my view that we are somewhere in this destruction/rebirth process today.[**] And, so, it is in our hands to determine what the new reality will be. The possibility is available in the present generation to put in place the building blocks for a world that prioritizes sustainability and life – a sign and opportunity for grace, for hope in our times!
In the words of the Canticle of the Turning:
"THE WORLD IS ABOUT TO TURN!"
IT'S UP TO US!
IT'S UP TO US!
[‡] See “A Gun Culture in Collapse” http://www.truth-out.org/opinion/item/43662-behold-the-reckoning-of-a-gun-culture-in-collapse
[§] See “Marx’s Analysis of Capitalism” https://www-tc.pbs.org/wgbh/commandingheights/shared/pdf/ess_marxsanalysis.pdf
[**] Emily Kawano, Coordinator of the US Solidarity Network speaks of this transition in terms of what she calls the developing “solidarity economy.” It is about an economy taking shape in many small and larger places and ways all around the world, an economy, states Kawano, “that works for people and planet as opposed to private profit and blind growth.” Click here to read or listen to a podcast where Kawano discusses in more detail how she sees the development of this new economy.