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Christ before His enemies
Dear Parish Faithful, "And in Antioch the disciples were first called Christians." (Acts 11:26) "I want to be a man of the Church. I do not want to be called by the name of some founder of a heresy, but by the name of Christ, and to bear that name which is blessed on the earth. It is my desire, in deed and in spirit, both to be and to be called a Christian." - Origen (+254) It is not exactly a compliment to be called a Christian in today's world. And it is not simply a matter of the unbelieving world dismissing Christians and the Gospel. "Christian" rhetoric of a most uncharitable, and at times vitriolic kind, is now widely scattered among the battlefields of today's "culture wars." This rhetoric is now no longer shocking, but rather expected from the Christian front. When overly-zealous Christians encounter anything that they fully disagree with in these "culture wars," they will inevitably label it as "demonic" - and make the point loud and clear. That derisively dismissive term has a finality about it, that closes off any further discussion or analysis of the given topic of disagreement. In addition, "politicized theology" is just as easily expressed and proven to be divisive within various Christian bodies, at least in America. Loyalty to a political party or to an ideology seems to be more passionately embraced than loyalty to Christ and the Gospel. This state of affairs, widely covered in the press, has only proven to demean and devalue the title of "Christian." Unfortunately, Christians who are not caught up in the "culture wars" or "politicized theology," also bear the brunt of the opprobrium now attached to the title "Christian." It can all get a bit embarrassing. In the light of this, there is something very refreshing and inspiring in what Origen says about being called a Christian. For Origen, in the 2nd - 3rd centuries of the Christian era, it was such an honor - and responsibility - to bear the name of Christ. Origen, we know, suffered torture as a confessor for his confession of being a Christian during a time when Christians were persecuted within the confines of the Roman Empire. And it is possible that when the disciples of Christ were "first called Christians," in Antioch, that the title was used disparagingly. To declare oneself a Christian in such an oppressive atmosphere was a courageous act that will potentially inspire others. It seems like we have to recapture and rediscover some of the fire and energy with which Origen imparts to the honor of being "called a Christian." The name of Christ "blesses" the earth and just to recover that truth is essential to our commitment to the vocation of bearing His name in the world. Yet, Origen is clear that we must do so "in deed and in spirit." It was just two Sundays ago, that we heard these words during the Liturgy from the Gospel According to St. Luke: "But I say to you that hear, Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you." (Lk. 6:27-28) It my take a lifetime to be able to put that part of Christ's teaching into practice. A good deal of the unbelieving world looks for reasons to mock Christians as hypocritical and unloving. Christians, in turn, have a noble obligation to struggle against these unwanted labels, which hardly belong to the 'mind of Christ." Restoring dignity and honor to the name of Christian is a worthy vocation to be pursued in a world in which both Christians and non-Christians seem to be confused and misguided. |
