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Archbishop Oscar Romero served in El Salvador. He spoke out against injustice, poverty, assassinations, and torture. Ironically, this led to his assassination. He was shot on March 24, 1980 while celebrating mass at a small chapel in a hospital. Romero and many in the church in El Salvador suffered for their solidarity with the poor. They spoke out against economic injustice and violent repression.

One way that Romero expressed his commitment to the poor was by the way he spoke of those who were poor. The typical word used is los pobres, “the poor.” Instead of this term, Romero spoke of the poor using the reference los empobrecidos, “those made poor.” He felt that those who lived with almost nothing did so because they had no opportunity under the system of government and under the economic system to be anything but poor. So they were victims of outside systems over which they had no influence or control. They were not poor because they were lazy and unwilling to work. They were made poor; they did not choose to be poor. They were part of a society that designated their place and gave them no option. These are the very people, those made poor, that Jesus stood in solidarity with in his day. And he was killed for it, too.

Romero and Jesus were both fulfilling the commitment of God that is announced in Psalm 22: “The poor shall eat and be satisfied.” Throughout the Bible, we are shown God’s commitment to those who are made poor. We see God’s solidarity with those who are on the bottom of the pile, those without. Jesus and Romero were committed to living out of God’s intentions for those who are made poor. It is hard to imagine that something so seemingly charitable could lead to death. But to confront poverty honestly is to confront political systems, economic systems, power systems, and greed as well as to challenge racism, classism, sexism, and ageism to start. Poverty exists because some at the top of the economic ladder benefit from it. If there was no economic advantage to keeping people poor, there would be no poverty. But we must remember, there is a cost and not just to those who are made poor. There is a cost to society at large, to safety, and to our moral integrity. Really, there is a cost to the lives of all people. May God’s vision of food for the poor inspire us to stop making people poor.

Prayer
We know that life can be difficult and that many people in this country and in this world are made poor. We do not want to be part of the systems that create poverty. We do not want to be made poor. Help us to have the creativity and courage to confront this affront to the Divine intention for the human family. Help us to celebrate Earth’s abundance and to eliminate poverty from the face of this beautiful globe. Amen.

Michelangelo’s Pieta, ensconced in St. Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City, is one of the most well-known sculptures of human history. The figure of Mary with the crucified Jesus draped over her lap emerging from the white Carrara marble is iconic. The contours of Jesus’ body blend with the folds of Mary’s dress. We see the face of Mary as she may have looked after the birth of Jesus and the visitation by the shepherds when we are told that, “Mary treasured all these words and pondered them in her heart.” [Luke 2:19] While neither the face of Mary nor Jesus look distraught in the sculpture, the mass of marble exudes grief. It weeps.

In Psalm 22 we are told that God does not “despise or abhor the affliction of the afflicted.” God is undaunted by grief. God does not avoid suffering. God embraces us in our human pain and misery.

In a church in San Cristobal, Mexico, there is a compelling visual representation of the God depicted in the psalm, the very psalm that Jesus quotes from the cross. Just down the right transept of the church, nested in a niche, is a statue of wood, a pieta: a seated figure draped with the body of the crucified Jesus. The statue is painted wood, so we see evidence of Jesus’ wounds and blood. The seated figure is adorned in gold gilt with a halo of three flames. But the seated figure supporting the body of Jesus is not his mother. It is an old, weathered, bearded male figure. God. God holds the body of the dead crucified Jesus.

While in general I do not personally resonate to gender specific language or imagery for God, this sculpture is captivating. It is beautiful. It conveys the grief of God. It is a wonderful image of love between father and child. It is an image of extreme tenderness not usually associated with masculinity. It extends a role traditionally reserved for women to a male figure. It evokes our common human capacity for compassion. It also looks as if God is presenting this body to the viewer as evidence, as if to say, “Look what you have done.”

When I think of God not turning away from human agony, pain, and sin, that statue comes to mind for me. It shows the compassion and mercy of God. I only have one blurry picture of the statue, taken in the dark church while a service was in progress and I was trying to be discreet. The statue is well worth seeing. I encourage you to make the journey to San Cristobal to see it and the other amazing treasures of that southern Mexican city. You will not be disappointed!

Prayer
We pray that we may have the compassion, the empathy, and the mercy of God. May we forgive one another all the hurt, pain, misery, and affliction that we cause to each other and embrace our sisters and brothers with love and peace. May we treat each and every person as if he or she was Jesus. Amen.

Lions and tigers and bears! Oh my! Well, it’s almost that bad in Psalm 22. There are numerous references to animals in the psalm. There is mention of lions, bulls, dogs, oxen, and a worm. Quite a menagerie! Scholars tell us that animals were used as imagery for demonic forces in ancient near eastern writing. The animal references in the psalm are certainly all negative and threatening:

Strong bulls open wide their mouths at me like a ravening and roaring lion
Dogs are all around me
Deliver my life from the power of the dog
Save me from the mouth of the lion
From the horns of the wild oxen you have rescued me

All of these images suggest the threat of harm and attack. The animals show us the wild, uncontrollable, fearsome power of evil. They instill fear. There is nothing of the peaceable kingdom in this psalm.

And finally, there is mention of the lowly worm: “But I am a worm and not human; scorned by others, and despised by the people.” While this animal reference does not suggest fear, it is an image of degradation. It is certainly negative.

In some passages in the Bible, even in the psalms, animals are used to convey the nobility of creation and the incredible diversity of life. They show us how we are to praise God by being fully ourselves. But in Psalm 22, as well as in other biblical references, animals are used to express negative sentiments.

I am wondering about the connection between these negative images and the theology of creation. Do the negative animal images help to support a “man against nature” outlook? A fundamental antagonism between humanity and the natural world? There is a strong tradition within Christianity that supports seeing nature as something to be subdued, to be controlled, to be tamed. Nature is here to be used/used up by humanity to serve human ends.

There is also a tradition of creation care and environmental sensitivity that has been present throughout Christian history. This theology draws upon positive images of nature and the interdependent web of creation that is also referenced in the Bible. Church leaders, theologians, and teachers going back to the earliest streams of Christianity advocate for the care of creation, and for coming to know God through the natural world.

As for our view of ecology and care of the environment today, here again, we exert our freedom to choose. We have two diverging paths within our tradition, both based on the Bible. It is up to us which we will embrace. Personally, I cannot integrate the abuse of creation into my personal Christian belief system and into my faith. I associate the abuse and sullying of the environment with selfishness, immediate gratification, greed, arrogance, over consumption, lack of self discipline, disrespectful behavior, laziness, individualism, and apathy. These are all character traits that I consider negative and at odds with the way of Jesus that is the heart of the Christian life. I associate caring for the earth with self discipline, service, concern for others, respect, generosity, self control, making the extra effort, valuing the well being of the whole, compassion, justice, and respect. These are traits that I feel are consistent with the life and teachings of Jesus. So, for me, I try to exercise the freedom of my faith by caring for the earth and making choices that protect and nurture the earth as the tangible self-disclosure of God.

Prayer
May we cherish the earth and its beauty. May we disentangle ourselves from the sin of anthropocentrism and appreciate the interconnectedness of earth, creation, and all life. As we seek our proper place in the vast web that sustains us, may we find our wholeness and healing. Amen.

Note: As I was writing this, the neighbor’s new puppy came outside to romp in the yard. Talk about disarming any fear you may have of animals (or of evil for that matter)!