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One of the most powerful experiences of Jesus' life was his identification with those who were marginalized, and his unwavering compassionate response to them. When we read the gospels from this point of view, we can discover much of value for us today, for those outside the centres of influence in society and church, and particularly for the GLBT person. What does it mean to be marginal? How do the marginalized see the world differently? Do the gospels and Jesus show us the value of being marginalized? What makes outsiders more perceptive? Do we need "the poor" for our conversion? How does a GLBT person respond to being marginalized? Does she/he have a special incentive for his/her own spiritual development? The margin of society is the place where those who suffer inequality, injustice and exploitation live their lives as well as those who are simply "born poor," without the resources of the middle class. People at the margin do not have either voice or status to make their experience count. Often they lack power and access to many resources. A small group of people in positions of influence, the insiders, control the decisions and shaping of society. The marginalized, the outsiders, see the world differently particularly in terms of justice and power. They have to respect the rules and privileges of insiders yet they know these do not apply to their own lives. Outsiders speak both languages: that of the insiders and their own. Insiders know only their own language because it gets them all they need.
One can be an outsider in a number of ways: economically, politically, religiously, sociologically or sexually. Jesus exemplified outsider status in a number of ways. Some of these were:
The
Spirit of the Lord has been given to me,
If we read the gospels from the point of view of the outsider status of the poor, the ill or diseased, the religiously ostracized or those excluded socially or politically, we can see not only how Jesus continually made himself vulnerable, but also how he calls upon the excluded "poor" for an understanding and wisdom not available to the insiders. According to the perceptive exposition of Kopas, each of the four gospels presents the outsider in a different context: The financially poor were a primary category, comprising 98% of the inhabitants of Jesus world. They were either poor peasants living in fishing or agricultural villages and working class labourers living in the few pre-industrial cities. Beggars and slaves were the most marginalized. In Luke's gospel one finds a number of examples of the voices of the poor challenging the understanding of insiders, particularly widows (Lk 7:11; 21:1, 18;1). It is instructive to read Luke for examples of hearing the truth that the poor have to speak. We discover outsiders know many things the insiders do not. We learn we cannot celebrate in good conscience without considering the plight of those who are outside the celebration (Lk 14:12). The poor find their experience confirmed and the non-poor discover they need to keep on listening to the poor.What is the particular wisdom of the poor? They perceive the pretensions, vanities and games of the insiders, the inevitable blindness of those in power, how self-righteous and closed they are. Outsiders can more easily recognize their own complex vulnerability and thus a greater need for interdependence. They know that all security given by the world or others is illusory. They know that their safety cannot come from social status, health, wealth, or even religion. They know the good things of life belong to all and can never be enjoyed by excluding others. They, above all, know how fickle is the "good fortune" of the day. Because of their precarious vulnerability they can more easily grasp that their most unshakeable identity comes only from God's unconditional acceptance which they are constantly invited by their circumstances to model. Thus they are easily generous with the stranger. They comprehend that this kind of living somehow connects them with a larger Mystery of Divine Hospitality. The point is not that all outsiders accomplish this, but it is more possible than with those who must go through the "eye of the needle." Consider that we have often distorted the way of being Christian into a "salvation" exclusively for us, for our group of believers, and further, been ready to judge others as further from God because they do not hold the same beliefs. Rather than a dualistic acceptable/non-acceptable division of people, perhaps the unique way of being Christian has more to do with total equality of discipleship, and that each of us can learn from another, no matter how divergent the path, history, experience, or sinfulness we confront. Many Christians have no contact with these various classes of the "poor." Yet, often, they are all around us. Prophets measure the faith of the community by their care for and their acting justly with the poor.
Some personal crisis, confrontation with the dark Shadow side of personality, or being with the poor enables one to encounter one's own still existing place of personal poverty. The sort of people who were open to Jesus' message was seldom the insider, but more likely the marginal, the dispossessed, alienated, excluded, and the ostracized. To have a sense of one's own spiritual poverty is a powerful insight and grace that can open one to the power of God, particularly God's unconditional love. It enables one to escape the compulsive need to earn one's way to heaven and one's hidden and pervasive self-centredness. Can we accept the grace-ful-ness of our roles of being marginal, as an incentive for understanding the role of all the outcasts, as a spur for joining in prayerful solidarity with the marginal of the world, and, hopefully, becoming spokespersons for them to the principalities and powers of the world? Are we not called by Baptism to make ourselves vulnerable to others and their needs? Does Jesus measure our energy for the Kingdom by the extent we respond to the "poor," and are willing to live marginally ourselves? Our status as a marginal person can be a tremendous gift of grace that has given us perspectives we would never be capable of had we been insiders. By embracing the exile we share the dark journey with countless brothers and sisters. We can glory in our exclusion, as Paul gloried in his weakness, because of the many graces and insights it has brought us. When we are humanly weak, then are we strong in God (2 Cor 12:9). Strong also in gratefulness, hopefully also in humility, and in the giftedness of everything. Especially with the precious gift of faith, which transforms everything. Jesus of Nazareth took it upon himself to mediate Yahweh's healing to the poor and outcast. He unilaterally declared a Jubilee for those doubly oppressed by the symbolic order: the unclean were pronounced whole, the debt-ridden forgiven. And then he liberated Yahweh's presence from its controlled seclusion in the Holy of Holies, announcing that it dwelt among the people. The people could now eradicate debt by co-operating in a new community of sharing and forgiving; the people could welcome the impure and anoint the sick and cast out demons. Jesus role was to do away with priests, to radically democratize the body of Israel. The "blood of atonement" would no longer be a vicarious offering controlled by the temple stewards. The only acceptable sacrifice was that of one's own lifeblood, shed in service to the people and in resistance to oppressors. So Jesus embraced this priestly vocation: not to rule over, but to be "reckoned with the sinners," and in the end to "pour out his soul to death" (Is 53:12). --Myers, 445. Could it be that some condition of marginality -- either economic, political, social, physical, religious or sexual -- is necessary for the emergence of radical discipleship? For the apostles and the early church, the experience of marginality was an intrinsic step for genuine conversion. Without some kind of hardship or setback, few persons will be open to the radical invitation of Jesus, and few will discover the profound beauty of Life and deep laughter of soul offered by faith and the grace of unconditional love. The movement of the Spirit is always on the margins. There is no other place to look... all other issues are secondary. God is not only out on the margins. God is the margin. Some questions facing gay persons who desire spiritual growth are these: Can I accept the grace-ful-ness of my role of being marginal, as an incentive for understanding the role of other outcasts; as a spur for joining in prayerful solidarity with the truly "poor" of the world, as a call to humble service that does not depend upon being an insider, and, hopefully, when led, becoming spokesmen for others without voice to the principalities and powers of the world? |
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It is particularly difficult for we GLBT persons to accept and, in addition,
to embrace our position on the margin. In fact much of our city life customs
is geared to making us an insider group and to put others on the margin.
Accordingly some gays try to keep out bi's and separate themselves from
lesbians to whom they "campily" refer as "dykes" just like any other insider
heterosexual male.
Our need to be accepted and to win respect is so great that we buy into a high middle-class lifestyle -- designer clothes, designer apartments, plush condos, specialized food. Many of us advocate, support our very own queer culture from within which we can look down upon and marginalize all those who do not belong to it. Advertisers know that there is a lot of money among GLBT people who belong to our queer culture and they go after this money by mainlining the culture's more glittering and superficial lifestyle. In some crazy way we do unto others as they have done unto ourselves. What makes the need to belong to the inner circle more intense is the need to establish our human rights. We have learned to deal with the system in the way the system has taught us -- by establishing strong and vociferous lobby groups, by use of the courts and intelligent use of the media, and the writing explicitly into law of our civil rights as citizens of our respective countries. As a result, in many North American places, we have been able to prevent discrimination on many significant fronts. However when it comes to developing a spirituality there is a big BUT. In the process of establishing our rights with the equality and respect we deserve, we have had to act like the inner group. In this process we might lose our solidarity with those people on the margin and in turn oppress others in the way we have been oppressed. Is it not a sociological fact that, after one set of immigrants get themselves established and improve their lot by getting better jobs and positions, they turn around and prevent other people from entering into our country, getting better jobs and housing. "... And the beat plays on!" I repeat the point that was made above --- |
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| Could it be that some condition of marginality -- either economic, political, social, physical, religious or sexual -- is necessary for the emergence of radical discipleship? For the apostles and the early church, the experience of marginality was an intrinsic step for genuine conversion. Without some kind of hardship or setback, few persons will be open to the radical invitation of Jesus, and few will discover the profound beauty of Life and deep laughter of soul offered by faith and the grace of unconditional love. | ||
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How can a disciple of Jesus maintain the needed solidarity
with those on the margin while at the same time exercise his/her skills
which appear to make him/her part of the insider group. Did not Jesus say:
"Blessed are the poor in spirit...." and "Blessed are those who fight for
justice...."?
-- Justin
McBride
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From Which This Was Adapted Evely, Louis. That Man is You,
Newman. 1964
Other relevant articles by Paschal Baute (send SASE...) Patriarchy is a Black Walnut Tree
(the
influence of personality type in Catholic/Christian
loyalties and the sacred necessity of Dissent) What it means to me to be Catholic today |
| Each of the following articles may help to further explore themes similar to those in the above article: |
