Besides being “everyday mystics and prophets,” we also share in Christ’s kingly office. We not only discern God’s presence and intentions and then act prophetically to elevate today’s society and culture in the grace of Christ, we are also called, empowered and responsible to heal and correct what is spiritually wrong with today’s society and culture. This includes, of course, ourselves and our families. In short, caring for today’s world is our spiritual responsibility and our spiritual life.
This is new to many of us, especially those who remember being taught to “Save our souls.” With this in mind, we looked away from the world in order to be holy. Spirituality was something private. It was in our homes and churches, or in monasteries or convents, but not in our public schools, work and professions, politics, economics, science, art and other fields. These things were “the world,” and we were not of the world, even though we lived in it everyday.
This spiritual confusion was strengthened by our misunderstanding of Jesus’ statement that the world hates him, and its works are evil (Jn. 7:7). But the world that hates Jesus and works evil is not our everyday world. Jesus himself lived fully within his everyday world. He spoke its language, was educated in it, worked in it, had friends, attended weddings, and so on. He taught in terms of his local culture, e.g., by referring to a good shepherd and his sheep, a vine and its branches, mustard seeds, and weeds among the wheat. His great prayer was that God’s kingdom should come and flourish here on earth.
The “world” that Jesus wants us to avoid is not today’s society itself but the corrosive influence that lives within every person and institution in today’s society. The everyday world is basically good, but the more we get involved in our schools, our work, politics, economics, etc., the more clearly we see that there are things in them that are spiritually corrosive and need to be corrected. Jesus faced this corrosive influence and broke its power, not completely but enough for us to safely get engaged with it. “Take courage,” he said, “I have conquered the world (Jn. 16:33).
In the grace of Christ, therefore, we are called, empowered and responsible to get deeply involved in today’s world to the point where we recognize the corrosive influence within it and actively engage it. This, in fact, is a major part of our spirituality. We are to take hold of the corrosive influence, touch it the way a physician touches an infection, without getting infected by it ourselves, and reshape it, “crucify” it and bring it to its own “Easter resurrection,” so that it works for the good of all. As Vatican II says, we are to remedy the customs and conditions of the world, if they are an inducement to sin … so that they may be conformed to the norm of justice, love and peace.
Clearly, healing and correcting our society calls for an ever maturing, adult spirituality. We can only get involved in our society and culture to the extent that we ourselves don’t get overwhelmed by their corrosiveness. The challenge is great. We can start by looking at ourselves. How many Catholic government officials are caught up in polarized politics to the detriment of serving the common good, with a preferential option for the poor, sick and vulnerable? How many Catholic business owners are maximizing their profits instead of giving fair pay and benefits to their employees? How many run companies that are polluting the environment? How many Catholics work for the banks and finance companies that brought down our economy? How many Catholics in the entertainment industry are involved in the kind of projects that vulgarize our culture?
In the face of all this, Catholics and others are spiritually engaged in their areas of today’s society. An elementary school teacher almost lost her job because she refused to use a reading book that used very vulgar language. The principal removed the book. The governor of Wisconsin recently signed a bill that took collective bargaining rights away from public employees’ unions. A bishop opposed this bill saying it contradicted Catholic teaching on social justice. What would have happened if thousands of Catholics had stood beside that bishop saying they wanted to correct what was wrong with the collective bargaining process without doing away with it?
At the end of every Mass, the priest tells us to, “Go in peace, to love and serve the Lord and one another.” The word, “Go!” is all-important. The spiritual work of the laity takes place during the week in the everyday world. Christ is there, waiting for us.
Anthony T. Massimini of Woolwich holds a doctorate in spiritual theology. He can be reached at massimini7@gmail.com
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