The CRY of the Marginalized

The epiphany to the slumbering heart should awaken the deep humiliation of a tender heart for God. It is humanity’s glimpse into our requirement for a Savior to rescue us from our pride and reason. In light of the crucifixion it is no longer acceptable to say, “I’m okay and you’re okay.” The crucifixion of Christ is a divine thrusting of a glimmering sword deeply implanted into our planet to be seen as the Truth of God’s humility and fullfilment of the Way through perfect love towards eternal Life. One must consider what are the actions of true love? It is to lay one’s life down for another. Why? When real courage steps into the breach shielding violence from a possible victim, the fruit of one’s action is both a symbol and sign of true freedom. Freedom becomes dualistic as a mentor of fearlessness and sign of the miraculous gift of acting in step with true love. This was demonstrated at Club Q.

However, what is antithetical to love, is abounding in our cultural rhetoric today. An insidious intention lurks below political and religious speech. There is a blind acceptance to political the false-shepherd’s fear-based ideology who flees the opposite direction while his blind and misguided sheep bloodthirst storms the Capitol. Their low-hanging, rotting fruit manifests in a gallow as their enthusiasm crushes to death a police officer standing in the breach. Without shame, the power of this ideology holds back its followers to even pay respects towards this “boy in blue”. The irony of this is not lost but stands as a conviction against those arrogantly flying a new American flag shaded in blue insinuating support towards the suffocating blue knee pressed upon the neck of a citizen pleading to breathe. This is the new fearful and cowardly ‘Merica not the home of the brave and free. ‘Merica’s fascination with guns, even when strapped tightly to body armor hesitates for two excruciating minutes while children in Uvalde are executed. No laying down of one’s life here just shaking knees wet pants, and indecision. Yes, many prayers and thoughts from bishops to politicians were paraded before all media. Yet there seems to be a line in the sand, certainly not drawn by Jesus, that even bishops and politicians refuse to empathetically cross with thoughts and prayers when victims are part of the LGBTQIA+ community. Why is there no heartfelt anguish for this type of violence? The reason is because this lower class of citizen, as well as non-white populations, and those with physical and mental challenges is deemed unworthy of ‘Merica’s melting pot. Lower class proves to be a favorite historical scapegoat. A history that lawfully cannot be taught. Truth has no place in history – it should only be aggrandized by the winners that wrote it. Yet, the human heart, despite its hardened facade, is designed to recognize the scapegoat. The plea from the ultimate scapegoat crucified upon Golgotha, still echoes today, “Forgive them Father, for they know not what they are doing.” Although the body can be killed, the soul cannot – nor can generations of memories. Let’s take a moment to remember Elie Weisel the Romanian-born American writer, professor, political activist, Nobel laureate, and Holocaust survivor. It’s his words I prefer, not of the groomed, white-royalty elected through monstrous warchests. Consider some of his famous quotes:

“The opposite of love is not hate, it’s indifference.”

“Words can sometimes, in moments of grace, attain the quality of deeds.”

“Some stories are true that never happened.”

“Because of indifference, one dies before one actually dies.”

It also should be added that hate, in all of its capacities of indifference, breeds self-hate.

Back to today’s ever-growing ideology proving only in divisiveness, the words
written in Zechariah 10 and 11, lists five signs of a false shepherding.

  1. The false shepherd is signified by false doctrine (10:1-2a).
  2. The false shepherd is signified by self-exaltation  (10:2b, 3).

3.  The false shepherd is signified by blind acceptance…from his flock (10:2c).

4. The false shepherd is signified by uncaring devastation (11:15-17).

5. The false shepherd is signified by divine judgment  (10:4; 11:1-3).
False shepherds should be corrected and avoided from being placed in leadership at all costs. 

Arguments rage in dividing religion and nation not in unifying. Unifying is the task of the Blessed Spirit while dividing is the onus of politics. An oldie but a goodie is found in Ephesians 6:12: “For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.” Why do you think we wrestle? In my humble opinion, we wrestle because our heart is designed towards empathy and in particular, the scapegoat. We forget God’s reasoning may not agree even with our biblical knowledge. Recall that Christ, the Son of God, often confronted the Pharisees understanding of what was written with what was intended. Jesus often asked questions, told parables, instead of giving opinions and answers. Why? To allow the listener’s heart a chance at the table.
America was founded upon Judeo-Christian principals allowing unforeseen equity in amendments for this nation’s heart to wrestle with.

My only question:

If Christianity still believes the Holy Spirit is still at work what is it convicting us of and what is It trying to unify?

By Chris Clody 11/28/22

The CRY of the Marginalized

The epiphany to the slumbering heart should awaken the deep humiliation of a tender heart for God. It is humanity’s glimpse into our requirement for a Savior to rescue us from our pride and reason. In light of the crucifixion it is no longer acceptable to say, “I’m okay and you’re okay.” The crucifixion of Christ is a divine thrusting of a glimmering sword deeply implanted into our planet to be seen as the Truth of God’s humility and fullfilment of the Way through perfect love towards eternal Life. One must consider what are the actions of true love? It is to lay one’s life down for another. Why? When real courage steps into the breach shielding violence from a possible victim, the fruit of one’s action is both a symbol and sign of true freedom. Freedom becomes dualistic as a mentor of fearlessness and sign of the miraculous gift of acting in step with true love. This was demonstrated at Club Q.

However, what is antithetical to love, is abounding in our cultural rhetoric today. An insidious intention lurks below political and religious speech. There is a blind acceptance to political the false-shepherd’s fear-based ideology who flees the opposite direction while his blind and misguided sheep bloodthirst storms the Capitol. Their low-hanging, rotting fruit manifests in a gallow as their enthusiasm crushes to death a police officer standing in the breach. Without shame, the power of this ideology holds back its followers to even pay respects towards this “boy in blue”. The irony of this is not lost but stands as a conviction against those arrogantly flying a new American flag shaded in blue insinuating support towards the suffocating blue knee pressed upon the neck of a citizen pleading to breathe. This is the new fearful and cowardly ‘Merica not the home of the brave and free. ‘Merica’s fascination with guns, even when strapped tightly to body armor hesitates for two excruciating minutes while children in Uvalde are executed. No laying down of one’s life here just shaking knees wet pants, and indecision. Yes, many prayers and thoughts from bishops to politicians were paraded before all media. Yet there seems to be a line in the sand, certainly not drawn by Jesus, that even bishops and politicians refuse to empathetically cross with thoughts and prayers when victims are part of the LGBTQIA+ community. Why is there no heartfelt anguish for this type of violence? The reason is because this lower class of citizen, as well as non-white populations, and those with physical and mental challenges is deemed unworthy of ‘Merica’s melting pot. Lower class proves to be a favorite historical scapegoat. A history that lawfully cannot be taught. Truth has no place in history – it should only be aggrandized by the winners that wrote it. Yet, the human heart, despite its hardened facade, is designed to recognize the scapegoat. The plea from the ultimate scapegoat crucified upon Golgotha, still echoes today, “Forgive them Father, for they know not what they are doing.” Although the body can be killed, the soul cannot – nor can generations of memories. Let’s take a moment to remember Elie Weisel the Romanian-born American writer, professor, political activist, Nobel laureate, and Holocaust survivor. It’s his words I prefer, not of the groomed, white-royalty elected through monstrous warchests. Consider some of his famous quotes:

“The opposite of love is not hate, it’s indifference.”

“Words can sometimes, in moments of grace, attain the quality of deeds.”

“Some stories are true that never happened.”

“Because of indifference, one dies before one actually dies.”

It also should be added that hate, in all of its capacities of indifference, breeds self-hate.

Back to today’s ever-growing ideology proving only in divisiveness, the words
written in Zechariah 10 and 11, lists five signs of a false shepherding.

  1. The false shepherd is signified by false doctrine (10:1-2a).
  2. The false shepherd is signified by self-exaltation  (10:2b, 3).

3.  The false shepherd is signified by blind acceptance…from his flock (10:2c).

4. The false shepherd is signified by uncaring devastation (11:15-17).

5. The false shepherd is signified by divine judgment  (10:4; 11:1-3).
False shepherds should be corrected and avoided from being placed in leadership at all costs. 

Arguments rage in dividing religion and nation not in unifying. Unifying is the task of the Blessed Spirit while dividing is the onus of politics. An oldie but a goodie is found in Ephesians 6:12: “For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.” Why do you think we wrestle? In my humble opinion, we wrestle because our heart is designed towards empathy and in particular, the scapegoat. We forget God’s reasoning may not agree even with our biblical knowledge. Recall that Christ, the Son of God, often confronted the Pharisees understanding of what was written with what was intended. Jesus often asked questions, told parables, instead of giving opinions and answers. Why? To allow the listener’s heart a chance at the table.
America was founded upon Judeo-Christian principals allowing unforeseen equity in amendments for this nation’s heart to wrestle with.

My only question:

If Christianity still believes the Holy Spirit is still at work what is it convicting us of and what is It trying to unify?

By Chris Clody 11/28/22

To Hate Evil

I believe this is our greatest struggle, especially returning evil with good. I was moved by the following video:

I hoping against all hope that our culture is evolving towards redefining this word tolerance. As mentioned in this short clip, “Tolerance is a cold, dead term…even dismissive.” The video concludes that this ‘problem’ and resolution begins with each of us.
How does change for a better society happen? Leadership. Society needs brave voices both politically and spiritually. Faith promotes the most unlikely solution to this problem that seems to kick against the goads. Found within our human history, an enticing contradiction collided with our hearts and mind. From the revelation at Sinai to its climatic and mysterious fulfillment in an itinerant man, in a G-d, named Jesus. This single and profound thread of repaying evil with good seems to have no place to lay its weary head. Whether upon the Palestinian-Israeli border, Pulse Nightclub in Orlando, or within the 32nd floor of the Mandalay Bay Resort.Jason-Aldean-fans-flee-the-scene-after-Mandalay-Bay-shooting-in-Las-Vegas-670x454 What good can be considered tribute towards carnage in the hearts imprisoned by faith? Seriously, what would Jesus do? What could we do when killers have committed suicide? How in hell can parents explain this to kids fully informed and influenced by the rabid and biased social media? How can even the highest platform of leadership, the president of the United States, who is disregarded, discounted as ’45’, and devalued as a person by half the country as without virtue or character, inspire leadership? Where do our hearts and America turn from here?

Restrict guns or ‘weapons of war’? Maybe…but that argument, despite America’s heritage and fascination with guns, holds both little promise and very little water.
Promote Conceal and Carry? Maybe…but carrying a gun changes the human psyche for it weighs upon the soul to employ its use. Remember when you first learned to do the Heimlich maneuver or CPR how you felt somehow responsible to save a life in need? Imagine the burden of taking a life – something that is repulsive to our souls. Could one with proper training and attitude help in taking down a shooter at Orlando or Las Vegas, surely that possibility exists however slim. I can only assume adding more fire to the flames of gunplay would only add to the chaos adding only to the victim count as people run in all directions. I would hope our first reaction focused on attending to the wounded and dying.

To be clear, I don’t believe in passivism but cling to a nonviolent perspective; there’s a difference.

Maybe the answer lies unexpectedly between the Palestinian-Israeli culture. It is bred within both cultures to defend what is believed rightfully theirs. From Kindergarten, especially Palestine, the formation of a child’s will is forced to hate. Both sides kill each other without hesitation over a narrow strip of land. I honestly cannot fathom the sadness and regret if the a repentant conscious was awakened to the dignity inherent within both cultures. Unfortunately the violent legacy continues in throwing rocks, spewing lead,  and launching mortars as the genetics of hate and intolerance dictate.

Dare we see the other side of the coin with hope? This is what best depicts the contradiction found hidden in Jesus. First and foremost, is to trust that love has no equal. None. Prayer is also the flipside of distrust. Prayer is a power we cannot understand just like forgiveness. The combination of faith, hope, and love is irresistible to both the human psyche and heart. To trust this power that we cannot feel is the gift patiently waiting to be unveiled within us all. Although we may not understand its practicality, love that is experienced can embrace it. If we just submit to the courage to embrace love then we can begin to redefine tolerance from its cold, dead, dismissive state.

Life, in all forms, is precious. It helps me imagine that I would not exist is G-d stopped hoping for my priorities to return to His higher will. Consider how patient, hopeful, and compassionate this same perspective of Christ who promises to unveil this newness in each and everyone of us when we seek this higher will.

So America is racing towards or running from a new definition of tolerance. We are all patiently given time to reflect or distrust the possibilities of adopting this culture of Heaven.

Remember, the greatest authority we are given is forgiveness not slander, a rock, a mortar, a bullet, or worse. America was solely founded in the hope and trust that our forefathers seeded in community. Community can only come about when we love G-d through our neighbor.

I’m a reminded of the words of Dorothy Day:
We love G-d as much as we love those we love least.

Maybe… that’s how we should redefine tolerance.
Just maybe….that’s how would should also hate evil.

Become new.
Become change.
Become love.

Peace,
Chris