{"id":44658,"date":"2013-05-10T15:36:22","date_gmt":"2013-05-10T15:36:22","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/theanchoress\/?p=44658"},"modified":"2017-03-02T20:57:54","modified_gmt":"2017-03-02T20:57:54","slug":"shall-we-embrace-human-wholeness-in-church-and-in-government","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/theanchoress\/2013\/05\/10\/shall-we-embrace-human-wholeness-in-church-and-in-government\/","title":{"rendered":"Shall we Embrace Human Wholeness in Church and in Government?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

<\/iframe>\n<\/p>Deacon Greg features this<\/strong> with thoughts on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/deaconsbench\/2013\/05\/remarkable-christie-and-mcgreevey-and-the-importance-of-second-chances\/\" class=\" decorated-link\" target=\"_blank\">the importance of second chances<\/a>, and that\u2019s certainly part of this bit with Governor Christie and Former Governor McGreevey, both in context and subtext. But I\u2019m seeing something else.<\/p>\nI see an increasingly recurrent theme being given expression here, but it\u2019s one coming from various corners, and with a little room, and a little attention, it could possibly restore both our national equilibrium and our church-wide, spiritual balance, as well. What is it? A willingness to embrace the wholeness of humanity, rather than simply shutting out any idea, or any person, not in full conformity to our ideologies, our worldviews and our understanding on all the questions of mind, matter and spirit. It is a trend \u2014 hopefully a Holy Spirit-inspired one \u2014 to truly become post-partisan, post-labels, post-side-clinging-screaming-scheming animus.<\/p>\nWe see it in Rome, where Pope Francis is demonstrating<\/strong> a willingness to talk of mercy and of justice with equal bluntness; his language is not couched with qualifiers; he is not so overcareful with his words that he risks smothering his point. Most importantly, he\u2019s not spinning anything in order to skew it for the advantage of one particular view over another, and he is not belittling anyone. For Francis, I think there are not two views; there is only one: the lover of God strives to embrace God\u2019s Word in fullness, which means no cherry-picking but faith lived with so much tenderness toward others \u2014 tenderness that is safe, because it is rooted in Christ \u2014 that there will be enough to go around when one needs a little tenderness, oneself.<\/p>\nFrancis has very quickly demonstrated that he is willing to make both \u201cconservative\u201d and \u201cprogressive\u201d Catholics a little uncomfortable if it teaches us about embracing the wholeness of humanity within the church, and beyond. <\/p>\nWe see it here, with Christie and McGreevey<\/strong>, two men who could not be more different in comportment, outlook or expression, but who are managing to work together for something better, and bigger, than mere political gain \u2014 because it too is about embracing the wholeness of humanity both personally and beyond. This is a joint-interview full of Mercy, but also yes, Justice. Both men are managing to reach beyond the pointless, increasingly toxic partisan schtick, and <a href=\"http:\/\/www.firstthings.com\/onthesquare\/2012\/12\/between-loving-and-labeling\" class=\" decorated-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">beyond the labels<\/a>, to do the right thing, but neither is giving up who he is<\/em> while doing so. I think that\u2019s really made clear when Christie shares that McGreevey will advise him and \u201csome advise I accept, some I reject\u2026\u201d but as adults capable of respect, acceptance or rejection of an idea, or an opinion, does not mean enmity must follow.<\/p>\nWe also see it here,<\/strong> in Marc Barnes\u2019 piece, where he <a href=\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/badcatholic\/2013\/05\/catholic-nuff-said.html\" class=\" decorated-link\" target=\"_blank\">delves into how destructive and suffocating we have become<\/a> by our incessant need to distinguish ourselves, hyphenate ourselves and label ourselves and others \u2014 which makes everything all about us<\/em> \u2014 and thus takes us away from the wholeness of humanity in church, in government, in the world:<\/p>\n<blockquote> The Catholic Church transcends the idiocy of both liberals and conservatives by transcending the very language of liberalism and conservatism, claiming \u2014 with their founder, Jesus Christ \u2014 that there is one faith, a faith that frustrates everyone as Pope Francis frustrates everyone, simultaneously declaring a love for the poor, an intolerance of unjust economic schemes, and an opposition to the objectification of children within gay marriage and IVF. Far better than giving the world an opportunity to subsume you into a political label is to be Catholic. Then, when Pelosi begins posing, you have \u2014 as a Catholic, not as a conservative Catholic \u2014 the opportunity to explain that Catholicism, naked without shame and preceding adjectives, is a faith lived insofar as we \u201cbelieve and profess all that the holy Catholic Church teaches, believes and proclaims to be revealed by God,\u201d and that \u2014 shock and terror \u2014 the Catholic Church has written these revelations down in the finalized language of authority, so we can all check up on whether or not support for abortion is Catholic, successfully ignoring the liberal\/conservative dichotomy that makes this country stupid.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/wp-media.patheos.com\/blogs\/sites\/7\/2013\/05\/shutterstock_yes.jpg\" class=\" decorated-link\" target=\"_blank\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/wp-media.patheos.com\/blogs\/sites\/7\/2013\/05\/shutterstock_yes-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-44662\"><\/a>The power and reality of the \u201cYes\u201d of the church<\/strong> has been broached by Pope Francis (who calls the church <a href=\"http:\/\/en.radiovaticana.va\/news\/2013\/05\/02\/our_church_is_a_community_of_yes,_pope_francis,_during_thursda\/en3-688506\" class=\" decorated-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">\u201ca community of \u2018yes'\u201d!<\/a>) and <a href=\"http:\/\/www.osv.com\/tabid\/7631\/itemid\/8752\/Building-a-Culture-of-Vocations.aspx\" class=\" decorated-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">Cardinal Dolan<\/a>. Recently the New York Times Magazine did a feature on a 31 year old Wharton School professor, Adam Grant, who <a href=\"http:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2013\/03\/31\/magazine\/is-giving-the-secret-to-getting-ahead.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0\" class=\" decorated-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">simply never says no<\/a>, because \u201cyes\u201d is so much better. From a completely secularist point of view, he says something Jesus would heartily endorse: \u201c\u2026my responsibility is to be open.\u201d<\/p>\nEphphatha!<\/em><\/p>\nI\u2019ve written about the importance of \u201cyes\u201d too,<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/theanchoress\/2010\/07\/30\/anne-rice-quits-christianity\/\" class=\" decorated-link\" target=\"_blank\">several<\/a> times <a href=\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/theanchoress\/2011\/12\/10\/our-yes-to-god-brings-his-more-perfect-yes-to-us\/\" class=\" decorated-link\" target=\"_blank\">here<\/a> on the blog, and <a href=\"http:\/\/www.amazon.com\/dp\/1594713421\/?tag=theanchoress-20\" class=\" decorated-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">even in my book:<\/a><\/p>\n<blockquote>What has \u201cno\u201d ever created, besides Hell? And what is Hell founded upon but the \u201cno\u201d born of a prideful idea of self that became an idol and drew beings, willfully, away from God. Having been offered the breadth and depth of vast creation, having lived with and for truth that is bright, alive and sometimes scary in its ever-newness, angelic beings settled for the stultifying sameness of self, and then we humans did it, too. We settled for ideas that do not grow and opportunities that do not appear. We settled for atrophied potentialities, which, perhaps, seemd safer to hoard to the self rahter than offer to God, who with our every consent expands creation. <\/p>\nNothing grows in \u201cno\u201d.<\/p><\/blockquote>\nSomething is in the air<\/strong>; something is stirring the waters, like an angel at the healing pool. It is, perhaps, the surrender of the kneejerk word \u201cno\u201d that has penetrated too deeply into all of our dialogues and exchanges, and paralyzed us civically, personally and spiritually. <\/p>\nThe embrasure of the world \u201cYes\u201d does not mean a free-for-all \u2014 and sometimes \u201cYes\u201d must come with a surprising <a href=\"http:\/\/www.firstthings.com\/onthesquare\/2011\/05\/the-efficacy-of-ldquonordquo\/elizabeth-scalia\" class=\" decorated-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">balance<\/a> of <a href=\"http:\/\/www.firstthings.com\/onthesquare\/2011\/06\/homosexuality-a-call-to-otherness\" class=\" decorated-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">\u201cno\u201d<\/a> in order to be more fully the \u201cyes\u201d that frees us and sustains us in freedom \u2014 but it might be a good step away from shadows and toward fullness of light. <\/p>\nLet us not be afraid to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/egregioustwaddle\/2013\/05\/seven-buses-the-love-that-builds-bridges.html\" class=\" decorated-link\" target=\"_blank\">meander into \u201cyes\u201d<\/a><\/p>\nImage courtesy of <a href=\"http:\/\/www.shutterstock.com\/\" class=\" decorated-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">shutterstock.com<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Deacon Greg features this with thoughts on the importance of second chances, and that\u2019s certainly part of this bit with Governor Christie and Former Governor McGreevey, both in context and subtext. But I\u2019m seeing something else. I see an increasingly recurrent theme being given expression here, but it\u2019s one coming from various corners, and with […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":112,"featured_media":44662,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[50,1251],"tags":[4916,1310,4930],"class_list":["post-44658","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-chris-christie","category-pope-francis","tag-culture-of-life","tag-say-yes","tag-strange-gods"],"yoast_head":"\n<title>Shall we Embrace Human Wholeness in Church and in Government?<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Deacon Greg features this with thoughts on the importance of second chances, and that's certainly part of this bit with Governor Christie and Former\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link 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