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Lent Let yourself fall in love with God, and anything could
happen
By DIRK DUNFEE
Many people spread their cloaks on the road, and others
spread leafy branches that they had cut in the fields. Then those who went
ahead and those who followed were shouting, Hosanna! Blessed is the one
who comes in the name of the Lord!
-- Mark 11:1-10
Maranatha! Come, Lord Jesus!
Twenty or so years ago, in the days of the Jesus Movement,
youd see this phrase everywhere: on bumper stickers, in store windows,
even on doormats. Everyone, it seemed, was ready to welcome Jesus. Remember
Jesus freaks? They just couldnt wait for Jesus to get here.
Im sure some of the people crying Hosanna by the side of the
road as Jesus entered Jerusalem felt the same way. Others, I imagine, were
there out of curiosity and not much else; perhaps others considered his
appearance to be a bad omen.
Most of us, I suppose, are pretty sure that wed welcome
Jesus if he showed up at the front door. After all, were pretty sure that
we know him, and were even reasonably confident that a meeting with Jesus
would hold few surprises. But what if I were mistaken? What if getting tangled
up with God had implications that Id not considered? Up to now Ive
been content to make a number of comparatively minor changes in my life -- an
adjustment here, an adjustment there -- and call myself a Christian. Its
easy to talk about living the Christian life when the Christian life
doesnt demand big changes in the way that we live.
The author Annie Dillard says that if we Christians really
understood the power we routinely invoke during Sunday worship wed all be
wearing crash helmets in church. What if those of us who wish to be known as
Christians were called to make huge and systemic changes in society? Were
taught to give freely and generously to the poor, and many of us do. What if
welcoming Christ into our lives meant putting an end to poverty altogether?
What if being Christian meant developing an economic system that did not favor
the wealthy and punish the poor? According to Acts, the early Christians shared
everything in common. Sounds like socialism -- any takers? What if Christians
were called to give up their houses in the suburbs and move back into our
stricken cities? Thats right: Abandon the house, ditch the SUV, pack up
whatever you can and head downtown. What if white American Christians were
called to relinquish, once and for all, the privileges that come with their
skins: the freedom from abuse, harassment, name-calling, raised eyebrows and
sideways glances; the ability to live where you want to without someone burning
a cross in front of your house; the ability to go into a restaurant and be
served; the ability to hire a cab; never having to wonder when your children
will have the n-word used against them; the expectation that the system will
work for you and not against you? What if all those in positions of authority
-- big or little -- in the Catholic church were called to turn in their union
cards, go sit in the pews and let somebody else have a go at running
things?
I can be a Christian if being a Christian is easy: if it means not
rocking the boat or maybe rocking it just a little; if it means not taking
unpopular positions; if it means not ever risking friendships; or if it means
not changing the way I look at the world. I can be a Christian if it means
letting God into my life just a little bit.
Heres a thought: What if the enemies of Christ grasped the
implications of Christs entry into Jerusalem in a way that those who were
calling Hosanna did not? What if those who were not in the mood to
welcome Jesus into their lives knew what would happen to them if they did?
After all, falling in love with a human being is bad enough, disruptive enough.
Let yourself be overwhelmed by the love of God, and anything can happen.
Im happy to allow Christianity to be less than I bargained
for. How ready am I to allow it to be more than I bargained for? Good question,
and one that bears thinking about. While Im pondering, I think Ill
go put on my crash helmet.
Jesuit Fr. Dirk Dunfee is minister to the Jesuit community at
Rockhurst University in Kansas City, Mo.
National Catholic Reporter, April 14,
2000
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