Jim Wallis on the Magnificat

[arisbe]

"My first thought on hearing the breaking news was that Mary had predicted the downfall of the brutal and tyrannical Saddam, just as the hearers of this gospel in her time would have understood it to mean the collapse of their oppressive Roman rulers. Rulers everywhere have reason to be concerned about the new kingdom brought about by the birth of Christ: The more unjust their rule, the more they ought to worry. This new king, says Mary, will turn the world upside down.

"Mary's stunning announcement about the high and mighty being brought low and the lowly exalted is at the heart of the Christmas story - this is how the scriptures portray the social meaning of the Son of God born in an animal stall. Mary is herself a poor young woman, part of an oppressed race, and living in an occupied country. Her prayer is the hope of the downtrodden everywhere, a prophecy that those who rule by wealth and domination, rather than by serving the common good, will be overturned because of what has just happened in the little town of Bethlehem. Mary's proclamation can be appropriately applied to any rulers or regimes that prevail through sheer power, instead of by doing justice.

"But the leaders of the world's last remaining superpower, who now claim credit for Saddam's downfall, will likely miss the point of Mary's song, and certainly show no understanding of how her words might also apply to them. It is theologically accurate to say (and was proven historically true) that Mary was prophesying the end of "Pax Romana" (the "peace" of Roman rule) in her great Magnificat - but not only of Rome. If those who would enforce a new "Pax Americana" (a term that they themselves now like to use) continue their vision of success through unilateral dominance, they too could suffer the same fate as Rome, or even Saddam. That is part of the meaning of Christmas that you won't be hearing this year in the media's messages of good cheer."

Click above to read the complete essay, and some others worth your attention as well.

Comments

[joffridus.livejournal.com]

Excellent meditation. When I taught foundations of ministry at the Unification Seminary, this was one of the texts I used to talk about Christian ministry being "subversive" (cf. the chapter on "the Subversive Pastor" in Eugene Peterson's The Contemplative Pastor). It was completely lost on the class.

[scottopic.livejournal.com]

Thanks for continuing to provide interesting reading.

Probably obvious, but are you familiar with The Door magazine?

[kali-ma.livejournal.com]

That is really powerful and beautiful.

Many evangelistic types spend a whole lot of energy trying to bring me back into the church. While I have no problem with Jesus, I have no interest in joining the church, since I think the modern Christian church has virtually nothing to do with what Jesus taught, practiced and died for - caring for those who are in prison, who are hungry, who are sick, giving up your personal posessions in order to help those in need. Jesus fought the religious and political leaders who oppressed the poor and gave hope to those who felt hopeless.
Modern Christianity seems to be about trying not to break any rules, fighting over what those rules are, trying to make laws to enforce those rules, having distaste for those who are in prison becasue they broke those rules, having distaste for the poor and homeless because they feel they wouldn't have gotten to such a low point if they hadn't broken the rules, gossiping about people who don't dress up nicely when they go to church, and generally being as bourgious (sp - sorry) as possible.