Most Popular Choices
Share on Facebook 101 Printer Friendly Page More Sharing
Exclusive to OpEd News:
Life Arts    H3'ed 10/20/19

A Frightening Child & Prayer to Save the Planet

Follow Me on Twitter     Message Mike Rivage-Seul
Become a Fan
  (54 fans)


(Image by iforher.com)   Details   DMCA

Readings for the 29th Sunday in Ordinary Time: EX 17: 8-13; PS 121: 1-8; 2 TM 3: 14-4:2; HEB 4: 12; LK 18: 1-8

Were you inspired by Greta Thunberg? I couldn't get over her courage.

Imagine: a child of 16 years suddenly thrust beneath the blinding spotlight of the world's stage speaking confidently with a pope and with heads of state, addressing huge crowds and the United Nations itself. All of that would frighten me. How about you?

And she called them all to task. "How dare you!" she repeated again and again to the world's movers and shakers whose programs for addressing climate change fell far short of the goals set by climate scientists. "Don't listen to me," she repeated; "listen to the scientists." In other words, align yourselves with what Mother Nature, Life Itself, and the Universe are telling us.

And, of course, you saw the effects of her audacity. Millions were mobilized across the planet.

What started as a one-girl protest before the Swedish parliament swiftly became a thing.

Youngsters everywhere, including my own grandchildren, walked out of class and imitated Greta's defiance. My five-year-old grandson challenged us all for driving a Volvo van whose gas engine, he said, is destroying the environment. "We should be driving an electric car instead" he objected. A five-year-old!

As someone pointed out, it's a "Children's Crusade" against capitalism's worship of Moloch.

And what fear it inspired in the powerful! This wisp of a girl exercising the super-powers of concentration and focus conferred by an Asperger's condition that would have others hiding under a rock, suddenly had the movers and shakers shaking with fear. Some ganged up on her, attacked her parents, and even belittled the teenager as mentally deficient. Their cowardly desperation showed that they were more afraid of her than she of them.

All of that is relevant to today's liturgy of the word. It's about prayer understood as Greta- Thunberg-like alignment with Life's processes. Regardless of what we might call it, such re-orientation can change the world and cause powerful enemies of justice to tremble even before those they see as the weakest among us.

More specifically, today's readings trace biblical understandings of prayer from a voodoo-like practice intent on harming one's enemies to the alignment with Life's purposes just described. Here's the way they run according to my own "translation." Judge for yourself to see if I've got them right. You can read the originals here.

Long ago
When Israel's primitive faith
Still pictured God
As a Man O' War,
They magically imagined
A Yahweh persuaded
To slaughter their enemies
By Moses' adoption
Of Wiccan postures,
Magic rocks
And feats of
Super-human endurance.

PS 121: 1-8

They were right,
Of course,
To intuit
That the Creator
Is eternally helpful
In protecting
The lives
And chosen paths
Of his creatures
Providing sunlight by day
And moonlight by night.
Divine power
Is always disposed
To help
The oppressed.

2 TM 3: 14-4:2

Next Page  1  |  2

(Note: You can view every article as one long page if you sign up as an Advocate Member, or higher).

Rate It | View Ratings

Mike Rivage-Seul Social Media Pages: Facebook Page       Twitter Page       Linkedin page url on login Profile not filled in       Instagram page url on login Profile not filled in


Mike Rivage-Seul is a liberation theologian and former Roman Catholic priest. Retired in 2014, he taught at Berea College in Kentucky for 40 years where he directed Berea's Peace and Social Justice Studies Program. His latest book is (more...)
 

Go To Commenting
The views expressed herein are the sole responsibility of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of this website or its editors.
Follow Me on Twitter     Writers Guidelines

 
Contact AuthorContact Author Contact EditorContact Editor Author PageView Authors' Articles
Support OpEdNews

OpEdNews depends upon can't survive without your help.

If you value this article and the work of OpEdNews, please either Donate or Purchase a premium membership.

STAY IN THE KNOW
If you've enjoyed this, sign up for our daily or weekly newsletter to get lots of great progressive content.
Daily Weekly     OpEd News Newsletter
Name
Email
   (Opens new browser window)
 

Most Popular Articles by this Author:     (View All Most Popular Articles by this Author)

Sunday Homily: Pope Francis to Women: The Next Pope Should Be One of You!

The Case for and Intimate Relationship between Jesus and Mary Magdalene

"Cloud Atlas": A Film for the Ages (But perhaps not for ours)

Muhammad as Liberationist Prophet (Pt. 2 of 4 on Islam as Liberation Theology)

What You Don't Know About Cuba Tells You About YOUR Future

Sunday Homily: Pope Francis' New Song -- Seven Things You May Have Missed in 'The Joy of the Gospel'

To View Comments or Join the Conversation:

Tell A Friend