On Love and Justice
This will probably be a stream of consciousness - a lot has been going on in my head for the last little while... I have discovered that I am not a natural blogger - the more people have known I blog, the less inclined I've been to put finger to key. On the other hand, my former, pen & paper, has been rekindled - probably wise - protecting all from my various whims and fancies..
Since some of my best friends, however, live far away, and I am useless and letter-writing and telephoning, this will continue sporadically, no doubt, to give glimpses of my inner canvas.
I read this:
"Love, like truth and beauty, is concrete. Love is not fundamentally a sweet feeling; not at heart, a matter of sentiment, attachment or being drawn toward. Love is active, effective, a matter of making reciprocal and mutually beneficial relations with one's friends and enemies. Love creates righteousness, or justice here on earth. To make love is to make justice. As advocates and activists for justice know, loving involves struggle, resistance, risk. People working today on behalf of ... the [marginalised and] poor in this country and elsewhere know that making justice is not a warm, fuzzy experience. I think also that sexual lovers and good friends know that the most compelling relationships demand hard work, patience, and a willingness to endure tensions and anxiety in creating mutually empowering bonds.
For this reason loving involves commitment. We are not automatic lovers of self, others, world, or God. Love does not just happen. We are not love machines, puppets on the strings of a deity called 'love'. Love is a choice - not simply, or necessarily, a rational choice, but rather a willingness to be present to others without pretense of guile. Love is a conversion to humanity - a willingness to participate with others in the healing of a broken world and broken lives. Love is the choice to experience life as a member of the human family, a partner in the dance of life, rather than as an alien in the world or as a deity above the world, aloof and apart from human flesh." Isabel Carter Heyward, 1984, 272.
Yes, and yes. I am sure that it can be pulled apart, but it spoke into my thinking and need and life.
What else? At the moment I am wrestling against a deep rage. I visited Lebanon some years ago - very depressed. And, whilst there, she, the land, the people, and God working in and through them, I suppose, healed me. Likewise, visits to Gaza & the West Bank have deeply impressed themselves upon me.
So, mindful of the mine-field of middle eastern politics, and deeply conscious that people I know will have vastly different opinions, I am so very helpless with the rage I feel at the excess and guile-full bombing that is going on now. I also do not support Hezbollah, yet... yet... I am so full of pain for what many are suffering. As I know many of you are. And, as I write those words I know that today, my friend Raja is travelling back from the safety of his homeland, Jordan, to his place of ministry, Beirut, to be with his 'flock' - who are part of the 23% of Christians of Lebanon (never mentioned in the press here - it is seen as a Muslim/non-Muslim question. Not so). Anyway, I knew that once I started writing I would want to pour it all out - and I mustn't. But, our prayers must be earnest... And our love-justice-action must be thought through.
Andrew and I joined the protest march here in Manchester last weekend - at least to show some solidarity with the oppressed. And there are some political vows I have made that will at least enable me to express my distress.
There. That's all on the matter.
Other things -
Diego has moved in - he's great
Our car was stolen - argh! (It had only just finally been fixed and was working perfectly!! Typical)
Our cds which were in the car are also gone - the greater tragedy :(
We leave on my birthday to go camping & walking
The allotment is very needy
Andrew -Thanks be to God - has been offered a supply job at Inscape House, Salford, a specialist school for Autistic children.
Longsight makes me smile.
Have been reading Seamus Heaney, Pierre Berton, Bill Bryson and lots of theology
Went to three conferences in a row - (brain-ache) that were really stimulating
I have only 16 months until my PhD needs to be handed in - which prompts me to love you, and leave you :-)
Since some of my best friends, however, live far away, and I am useless and letter-writing and telephoning, this will continue sporadically, no doubt, to give glimpses of my inner canvas.
I read this:
"Love, like truth and beauty, is concrete. Love is not fundamentally a sweet feeling; not at heart, a matter of sentiment, attachment or being drawn toward. Love is active, effective, a matter of making reciprocal and mutually beneficial relations with one's friends and enemies. Love creates righteousness, or justice here on earth. To make love is to make justice. As advocates and activists for justice know, loving involves struggle, resistance, risk. People working today on behalf of ... the [marginalised and] poor in this country and elsewhere know that making justice is not a warm, fuzzy experience. I think also that sexual lovers and good friends know that the most compelling relationships demand hard work, patience, and a willingness to endure tensions and anxiety in creating mutually empowering bonds.
For this reason loving involves commitment. We are not automatic lovers of self, others, world, or God. Love does not just happen. We are not love machines, puppets on the strings of a deity called 'love'. Love is a choice - not simply, or necessarily, a rational choice, but rather a willingness to be present to others without pretense of guile. Love is a conversion to humanity - a willingness to participate with others in the healing of a broken world and broken lives. Love is the choice to experience life as a member of the human family, a partner in the dance of life, rather than as an alien in the world or as a deity above the world, aloof and apart from human flesh." Isabel Carter Heyward, 1984, 272.
Yes, and yes. I am sure that it can be pulled apart, but it spoke into my thinking and need and life.
What else? At the moment I am wrestling against a deep rage. I visited Lebanon some years ago - very depressed. And, whilst there, she, the land, the people, and God working in and through them, I suppose, healed me. Likewise, visits to Gaza & the West Bank have deeply impressed themselves upon me.
So, mindful of the mine-field of middle eastern politics, and deeply conscious that people I know will have vastly different opinions, I am so very helpless with the rage I feel at the excess and guile-full bombing that is going on now. I also do not support Hezbollah, yet... yet... I am so full of pain for what many are suffering. As I know many of you are. And, as I write those words I know that today, my friend Raja is travelling back from the safety of his homeland, Jordan, to his place of ministry, Beirut, to be with his 'flock' - who are part of the 23% of Christians of Lebanon (never mentioned in the press here - it is seen as a Muslim/non-Muslim question. Not so). Anyway, I knew that once I started writing I would want to pour it all out - and I mustn't. But, our prayers must be earnest... And our love-justice-action must be thought through.
Andrew and I joined the protest march here in Manchester last weekend - at least to show some solidarity with the oppressed. And there are some political vows I have made that will at least enable me to express my distress.
There. That's all on the matter.
Other things -
Diego has moved in - he's great
Our car was stolen - argh! (It had only just finally been fixed and was working perfectly!! Typical)
Our cds which were in the car are also gone - the greater tragedy :(
We leave on my birthday to go camping & walking
The allotment is very needy
Andrew -Thanks be to God - has been offered a supply job at Inscape House, Salford, a specialist school for Autistic children.
Longsight makes me smile.
Have been reading Seamus Heaney, Pierre Berton, Bill Bryson and lots of theology
Went to three conferences in a row - (brain-ache) that were really stimulating
I have only 16 months until my PhD needs to be handed in - which prompts me to love you, and leave you :-)
posted by erdreid at 11:42
4 Comments:
Great news with the job at Inscape. We know how fulfilling and exciting this will be.
Longsight makes us smile too. We have missed it. (Today we listened to a 42 minute sermon! Thankfully Emily slept through it and did not protest at the length!)
My best wishes for your PhD work - when we first moved here I remember going to sleep at night to the sound of my mum playing the piano, and awake around six to the sound of my dad typing out his thoughts on the computer down the hall :) academia is a harsh mistress (or master, depending on which way you roll) but of your [cap]ability we have no doubt!
r
Hey Meesis B, why you no blog no more?
Hey!
I see that it has been a while since you last blogged but I did enjoy reading the stuff on here - you should do it more often!!
I'm working as (some kind of) secular youthworker for a christian charity at the moment and it feels like every day at the moment is a struggle to love the people I work with and the young people we meet especially when it seems to get thrown back at you! but I guess love always was (and is) a sacrificial choice and a willful step in someones direction in many respects.
But on the flipside the love as a desire/pain/gut twisting groan for justice seems to be built into me; the physical pain that goes with seeing the young people i work with (and of course those in situations like Lebanon, Gaza & the West Bank) suffer needlessly is something that comes without seeking or pursuing... in fact sometimes I actually find myself making an effort to supress it at times when it's expression would be innapropriate. So maybe we are "love-machines" to some degree as well.
Its a great quote anyway - really got me thinking!
And I never thought I'd end up saying this... but I really miss your Church History lectures! They were awesome!
Hope you are well!!!
Mike Prescott
Post a Comment
<< Home