Which Side Is Jesus On?

1 • Pulling Jesus by the hem of his robe…

Bringing Jesus to one’s side has always been a “winning move.”

A masterstroke of “marketing” and “brand awareness.”

We all want Jesus on our team.

Saying “even Jesus says so!” is like the discussion’s cure-all.

Saying “even Jesus says so” is like choosing Cristiano Ronaldo in the parish indoor soccer game…

2 • …And Throwing Jesus at Others’ Heads

Another strategy (political, but not only) in which Jesus is often employed is that of the “mud-slinging machine.”

This involves turning Jesus into a weapon, “playing in the heads of others” his words (perhaps by making up some quotes from the Gospel):

Perhaps someone might say:

• “Oh, we live in bad times…”
• “Once upon a time, people had more respect when mentioning the word of God!”
• “Once upon a time, Jesus wouldn’t have been used ideologically as it is nowadays!”

… Not at all! 😅

Around the year 55, the Apostle Paul wrote to the citizens of Philippi (the first European city to embrace the Gospel):

Even before Jesus had been resurrected for thirty years, there already existed a Christian community where his words were being exploited.

3 • May God Be My testimon(ial)

Jesus – in an election campaign – is one of the most effective influencers:

In the early 1900s, the theologian and Lutheran missionary Albert Schweitzer (1875-1965) amusingly commented (in his “The Quest of the Historical Jesus”) that in all the “Lives of Jesus” written in the second half of the 19th century, the “new” Jesus being described always resembled the author of the book… what a coincidence…😅

Using Jesus’ words ideologically is the oldest sport in the world; cherry-picking quotes from the Gospel (taken out of context) to support our own views is an excellent way to garner support:

• “For he that is not against us is on our part” (Mark 9:40): this one works well if you’re liberal;
• “He that is not with me is against me” (Luke 11:23): this one, on the other hand, if you’re conservative;
• “Judge not, that you be not judged” (Matthew 7:1): this is on the lips of all libertines;
• “But let your communication be, Yes, yes; No, no: for whatsoever is more than these comes from evil” (Matthew 5:37): for those who thrive on conflict, and the word “dialogue” is not in their vocabulary;
• “I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance“ (C): this one (ignoring the second part) if you want to justify any mischief that comes to your mind;
• “Suppose you that I am come to give peace on earth? I tell you, No; but rather division” (Luke 12:51): for all the secessionists and schismatics;
• “And when he had made a scourge of small cords, he drove them all out of the temple, and the sheep, and the oxen; and poured out the changers’ money, and overthrew the tables” (John 2:15): this one is a bomb if you want to organize a wrestling match in the parish…

The whole Jesus is inconvenient… much more convenient to tailor-make a “made-to-measure” Jesus for my ideology, who only says the things I like.

That cardboard Jesus always ready to prove to me that “the others” are the bad guys, and that only in my team (whether it’s a political party or my parish group) are the “good” ones, the “true” Christians…

Once, Pope Francis said:

Often, I have come across statements from public figures (both political and, alas, ecclesiastical) who play the role of “spiritual bouncers”: those who stand on the “threshold” of the Church and check whether “the others” meet the requirements to enter… where “the others” are solely and exclusively those who don’t vote for their party (or those from a Catholic association or movement different from theirs); absolute silence on the shortcomings of those “on their side.”

From their platform (whether it’s the pulpit or a Twitter profile), they distribute the so-called “certificate of Catholicity” to others.

(*) (Just to be clear: there is one such character for every ideology and political faction… don’t think that “yours” is an exception…🙃)

4 • Christians and Politics

So, what should a Christian do to avoid “polluting the Gospel” with the logics of politics?

Stay out of all this chaos?

Ignore the “public affairs”?

Mind their own business?

A few years ago, Pope Francis said:

Hats off!

What does it mean – for a Christian – to be involved in politics “with an evangelical spirit” (words of the Pope)?

“Evangelical spirit” means many things (I’ll mention the first two or three considerations that come to mind, or we’ll end up tomorrow):

• Having a balanced attitude: “Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: be you therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves” (Matthew 10:16)
• Not being indignant: “Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice” (Ephesians 4:31)
• Being gentle – since the world began, quarreling has never borne fruit: “[Remind them] to speak evil of no man, to be no brawlers, but gentle, shewing all meekness unto all men” (Titus 3:2)
• Being kind: “Let your speech be always with grace, seasoned with salt, that you may know how you ought to answer every man” (Colossians 4:6)
• Understanding the “subtle difference” between fraternal correction and having a poisoned tooth and spewing insults against “the-bad-ones-from-the opposing-party”: “Brothers, if a man be overtaken in a fault, you which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness” (Galatians 6:1)
• Having patience: “And the servant of the Lord must not strive; but be gentle unto all men, apt to teach, patient, in meekness instructing those that oppose themselves; if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth” (2Timothy 2:24-25)
• Speaking with boldness – that is, with the freedom to speak the truth without fear or shame (and, if possible, without having a cerebral embolism): “But let your communication be, Yes, yes; No, no: for whatsoever is more than these comes of evil” (Matthew 5:37)

I believe that meekness, kindness, gentleness, patience, sweetness, etc. (now more than ever) are indispensable requirements for a healthy political discourse and for successful dialogue.

Already in the 19th century, John Henry Newman (a cardinal, English theologian, and philosopher canonized by Pope Francis last October), fearing this “race to the bottom,” said:

Clearly, the warning applies in the reverse direction as well; as recalled a few years ago by the French philosopher Fabrice Hadjadj (born in 1971):

No, it’s not easy at all! (*)

(*) (And that’s why we need to remain rooted in Jesus… how? Through prayer, silence, asking for grace, sacraments, etc.)

5 • Catholic Politicians and Political Catholics

Christians who are interested in the “public affair” are divided into two categories (*):

(*) (In the scheme in my somewhat peculiar mind, which doesn’t necessarily correspond to reality)

• Catholic politicians
• Politicized Catholics

A Catholic politician (where “politician” is the noun and “Catholic” is the adjective)…

• …when the Pope says something that aligns with his political agenda, uses the words of His Holiness as a headline on his newspaper, front page;
• …when the Pope says something uncomfortable for his party, the pontiff’s speech slides away into indifference and press silence;
• …if the Church is “in agreement” with him on a certain issue, applauds like a devout altar boy;
• …if the Church disagrees, comments indignantly that “the Church should update itself and be more in line with the times!” or that “Peter’s boat is sinking!”;
• …uses the Gospel as a menu: “I like this, this disgusts me, this yes, this no”; chooses only what best suits the “religion of his little room”;
• …thinks of politics in football terms: “Go us, down with them!”; has lost sight of the concept of the “common good”;
• …believes that the Gospel is a means (among many) and politics is THE end.
• …(almost always) has serious doctrinal gaps on the Catechism, the social doctrine of the Church, the Magisterium, etc.;
• …thinks of the Church in political categories: “the progressives, the traditionalists, us, them, those”; the Body of Christ has ended up in the butcher shop, divided into many pieces, for to better fit his ideological scheme.

A political Catholic (where “Catholic” is the noun and “political” is the adjective)…

• …thinks that politics is “a high form of charity” (as Pope Francis, whom I mentioned earlier, has said, and Benedict XVI in 2012)
• …sees in politics a way (among many) to live the Gospel
• …is “in the world, but not of the world” (John 17:15-19)
• …
• …and all the other aspects I mentioned above, which I won’t repeat (however, like every Christian virtue, they are the fruit of prayer, silence, contemplation, a lively relationship with Jesus, and communion with the Church, etc.)

Conclusion (a.k.a.: User Manual)

I have the fear (hopefully unfounded 😅) that someone, after reading this little page, might want to share it on their wall, tagging that Christian friend of theirs who, when it comes to politics, instrumentalizes Jesus…

…hoping not to deceive anyone, that is not the reason I wrote this page!

The sense of this page (if one must look for one) lies in a question that I have been asking myself often lately: “How many times do I instrumentalize Jesus?”

How many times – instead of converting to Him – do I want to convert Him to me? To the “custom-made Christianity” that I am tempted to tailor to myself? To my schemes?

…

In short, if someone was looking for an extra weapon to get indignant against “others” or against “that one over there,” this is not it 😅 (on the other hand, the watermelon seller on the Ardeatina road sells some watermelons that if you carry them around to hit people on the head, you need a gun permit…)

For all the others who are involved (more or less) in the world of politics, I would suggest watching the good “The Little World of Don Camillo” by Giovannino Guareschi to tone down the rhetoric…

sale

(Winter 2019-2020)