"The Christian Life as a Balancing Act"
Fr. George Wertin
Sunday, September 8th, 2002

It’s fall and the new school year has begun. It is a time of renewal, of reprioritizing. It’s the time to change the patterns of our lives and get in touch with ourselves - and with God.

We at SJA are committed to reclaiming the authentic vision and message of Jesus - the one that call us to “Be compassionate as God is compassionate.” The Jesus’ movement was a reform movement within Judaism. Jesus was challenging people to embrace an inclusive community where there is a partnership of equals. In ‘the kingdom of God’ that Jesus proclaimed peace is not achieved through violence. Poor people are respected and empowered. The powers that be are challenged.

This is an overwhelming challenge. In fact, few aspects of Jesus’ vision have been achieved in 2,000 years and these only in parts of the world: equality for women, an end to slavery and discrimination, a greater sensitivity to the dignity of poor people…

The call to a Christian is “to make a difference in the world,” to transform this broken world. We are called to be ‘doers,’ activists who cannot sit on the sidelines and complacently view the injustice and suffering in the world.

Abraham Joshua Heschel, the great Jewish theologian, expresses well what it means to live with compassion in the world today. He states: “Our concern is not how to worship in the catacombs, but how to remain human in the skyscrapers.”

Indeed, we first have to recognize that the first obstacle to following Jesus faithfully is our own busyness. Busyness has become a way of life for most Americans. Technology has not freed us up to do more good in the world. It has simply allowed us to take on more tasks. We all recognize the dangers of losing perspective and being consumed with the pace of modern life. But we have an almost visceral fear of being still and turning our focus inward.

Of course, this is a perennial problem even if it has reached a new peak of intensity in the modern world. The psalmist expressed it powerfully in Psalm 127: Unless the Lord builds the house,

Those who build it labor in vain.
Unless the Lord watches over the city,
The watchman stays awake in vain.

It is in vain that you rise up early

And go late to rest,
Eating the bread of anxious toil;
For Yahweh gives to his beloved in sleep.

Put simply, if we are to be faithful followers of Jesus who are ‘doers’ and activists transforming this world, we need to find our spiritual strength - within us.

In the past we prayed to God, the other, who was out there. We prayed our devotions and petitions to God to change the world. But now we have a new paradigm - a new worldview. God is not out there manipulating the world from outside. Rather, God is within. If we want to get in touch with the divine we have to get in touch with ourselves. As Peter Russell reinterpret the words of Jesus: “Be still and know that I am God.’ We have to discover our own consciousness that is a part of the divine life force of this evolving universe.

In other words, we have to meditate. We have to become centered. We have to go beyond words. We have to go apart and pray, as did Jesus. People are searching today. And there are all sorts of helpful techniques to achieve centering and mindfulness. But all the authentic ones require that we seek a balance between doing and being in our lives.

The Dalai Lama has it right. He says: “If we are to save the world, we must have a plan. But no plan will work unless we meditate.”

Secondly, we must get in touch with our mother the earth. It is the earth that gives energy and respect for all creation. We need to touch the earth and commune with it. The true original sin is our alienation from the earth.

Third, we must not attempt to walk alone. God is to be found not only within ourselves and our connection with the earth. God is to be found in the relationships that bind us together as God’s family. As Chesterton said, “The hand that is cut off from the body cannot heal it.’ We need to pay attention to our relationships too.

My conclusion is simple. We must balance spirituality and action for justice in our lives. A spirituality without justice is sterile. But a justice without spirituality will surely lead to burnout and despair.

I invite us all to renew our commitment to achieving the balance of integrating justice and spirituality in our journey.

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