Authentic human existence and the preferential option for the poor
An excellent commentary comes from Charles Talbert’s commentary “Mary, IdealBeliever and Social Paradigmâ€. Talbert writes that the Magnificat'
“... clarifies the links between what God has done for oneindividual and what he will do for the structures of society atlarge ... Stanza 2 of the Magnificat expands the horizon [ofstanza 1] to speak of Gods social revolution througheschatological (to do with theology connected events at the end of time) are reversed. God in regard for one humble womanbecomes the sign of an eschatological act for the world (now)...Toread the Magnificat in terms of Luke’s Gospel and thought, therefore, is to seean individual’s (from Mary's) experience of Gods grace asprototypical of the way God will ultimately deal with the world atlarge.â€
Charles Talbert advises us “to read†the canticle. Do we not, rather, want topray the canticle (the Magnificat) and to live it in the spirit of the Church’s preferentialoption for the poor? What does this “option†- that our modern,consumer society tells us is, definitely not a (preferred) option today - mean inpractice? Different voices echo slightly different emphases on thissingle theme.
Pope Paul VI’s In teaching us charity, the Gospel instructs us in thepreferential respect due to the poor and the special institution they havein society: the more fortunate should renounce some of their rights soas to place their goods more generously at the service of others.
Pope John Paul II’s the preferential option for the poor gives a specialform of primacy in the exercise of Christian charity to which the wholetradition of the Church will bear witness.
While, Gustavo Gutierrez says the intention is to emphasise the freedom andcommitment expressed in a decision. The commitment to the poor is notoptional in the sense that a Christian is free or not free to make or notmake this option or commitment to the poor, just as the love we owe toall human beings without exception is not optional.
However, we choose to describe the “preferential option for the poorâ€,there is an understanding that Christians have a moral commitment tothe kind of caring love that reaches out to those in need through poverty, alienation or vulnerability, in whatever way these are interpreted. Parallel to the “option†is our Christian response to the Gospel beatitudes, which provide as significant a charter for Christian spirituality as they did in the first century AD.
If we are to live the demands of this discipleship, then it is imperativeto acknowledge first-hand our own poverty, our own hungers, our ownneed for weeping. As a faith community, it will be necessary for us todevelop support strategies for accepting the backlash of those whoresent a genuine beatitude lifestyle.
The Mary reflection from Luke’s mirror may appear to be too ideal forpersonal achievement! It may be easier, perhaps, to relate to peoplemore like ourselves who have become wisdom figures in their optionsfor the poor.
Jean Vanier, Dorothy Day, John Griffin and our own Mary McKillopare names that spring readily to mind as wisdom figures. Of course, inAustralia there are a multitude of people and church agencies who,through their work in areas as diverse as campaigns to ban landmines toworking for the rights of Indigenous Australians and relieving theplight of refugees and asylum seekers, embody the ideals of justice andthe option for the poor.
Who is my neighbour? “Authentic human existence†may be understood only as related to theGospel question: Who is my neighbour? Luke’s Gospel gives an everexpanding response. My neighbour is anyone, any stranger calling forhospitality, looking for a safe home. The frequency of meal narrativesin this Gospel is more than idle story-telling. More than eating anddrinking happens at a meal, especially when the guest list is as full ofthe hoi polloi as it is at Jesus’s table! Having been created in the imageof God gives every person the human dignity deserving of hospitality.The pertinence of an ancient tradition captured so incisively in theBook of Leviticus (19: 33-34) still stands. When the stranger, the“otherâ€, is welcomed, there is a palpable experience of the hospitalityof God. Hence my choice of wisdom figures from among the wholecloud of witnesses (Hebrews 12:1). Let me comment on the first threenamed regard to the Church’s standing on the side of the poor, both in itsprayer and in action.
Catholic theologians are now working doggedly to reverse the effects oflong-held patriarchal interpretations of the Mary/Fallen Eve connectionso detrimental to women. In a curiously reverse sort of way, someprevailing images of Mary herself are still in need of liberation if theauthentic human existence of all women is to be realised. Thoughtfulartists and sculptors around the world are attending to this reversal.The success of Vatican Il’s theology of recovering the ancient traditionof thinking of Mary as an active member within the Church, rather thanabove it, is being reflected in contemporary art and devotion. Erstwhilesentimental images of a pale, vapid maiden with downcast eyes andsubmissive mien - the idealised Virgin - are disappearing in favour ofimages of the Woman of the Gospels. As well as deeply theologicalicons of Mary from the eastern Christian tradition, robustrepresentations of Mary hastening to the hill country under theinspiration of the Spirit are replacing “pretty†Marys in chapels andchurches. One particularly striking example is Elizabeth Frink’s“Walking Madonna†in the grounds of Salisbury Cathedral, England.Frink’s intent is clearly depicted in the resolute stance of her creation ofthis mature Mary:
Walking with purposeful compassion as a member of the community of the Risen Christ, to bring love where love is absent.
Closer to home, we have in St Stephen’s Cathedral in Brisbane, JohnElliott’s dauntless “Pregnant Mary’’ stepping out into today’s “HillCountryâ€. We witness also to the immense power of George; Mung’s“The Pregnant Maryâ€, illustrated in the Oceania edition of the CatholicCatechism. Mung carved this Australian Aboriginal Madonna from asingle block of carefully selected timber from the Bungle Bungles. She,like Elliott’s sculpture, is also a travelling Mary. Whether or not Mungwas aware of the symbolic cosmic tradition of the Black Madonnas ofhistory, his Mary, being “blackâ€, is certainly “of the earthâ€, one of us.She is accompanied by a small carved bird, her guiding spirit.
Contemporary adaptations of devotional prayers are supporting newconsciousness about Mary as the Woman of the Gospels. The Litany ofLoreto is frequently supplemented with others. A Marianist litanyincludes such invocations as:
Woman responsive to God’s Word, pray for us Woman willing to believe the impossible ... Woman who rejoices in her lowliness Woman of perfect freedom ... Woman champion of the poor and lowly ...
In similar vein, the Litany of Mary of Nazareth promoted by PaxChristi for the 1988 Marian Year, introduced innovative elements to thepopular litany genre. Selected examples illustrate the point:
Mary, wellspring of peace, be our guide Model of courage ... Model of risk... Model of openness ... Model of perseverance...
Mother of the liberator, pray for us Mother of the homeless ... Mother of the non-violent... Mother of widowed mothers ... Mother of a political prisoner ... Mother of the executed criminal...
Oppressed woman, lead us to life Marginalised woman ... Sign of contradiction ... Political refugee ... Seeker of sanctuary... First disciple ...
Woman of mercy, empower us Woman of faith ... Woman of vision ... Woman pregnant with hope ... Woman centred in God...
Such new insights in devotional prayer respect the guidelines of PopePaul VI in Marialis cultus, namely, that Marian prayer should reflectbiblical, liturgical, ecumenical and anthropological themes.
Beatitude - I wonder how the concept of being poor in spirit challenges our cultural emphasis on material wealth and success as portrayed in the content. (By A. D. - Marist Laity - from AUSTRALIA. - 2023-7-13)
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