{"id":4749,"date":"2014-12-19T11:45:38","date_gmt":"2014-12-19T17:45:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/customwordpresssites.com\/mjb\/?p=4749"},"modified":"2026-02-26T13:49:09","modified_gmt":"2026-02-26T19:49:09","slug":"paradox-solidarity-and-these-advent-days","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/customwordpresssites.com\/mjb\/2014\/12\/19\/paradox-solidarity-and-these-advent-days\/","title":{"rendered":"Paradox, solidarity and these Advent days"},"content":{"rendered":"

For us Christians, our life is a life full of paradoxes. Heaven is now\u00a0and\u00a0<\/em>not yet. Jesus is with us always\u00a0and is\u00a0<\/em>coming again.<\/p>\n

During\u00a0Advent, we celebrate paradoxes while remembering that we are people of\u00a0light and<\/em> darkness. Suffering and joy are\u00a0both<\/em> part of the fullness of the human experience.<\/p>\n

The Nativity story also speaks of thick darkness and<\/em>\u00a0joyful\u00a0anticipation. Quietly, Mary and Joseph move toward Bethlehem. Very pregnant and traveling\u00a0through an occupied and violent land, the journey is risky and uncomfortable. Even so, they believe in the goodness soon to come through the birth of their son Jesus. Peace surrounds as well as<\/em> an inescapable awareness about the darkness of oppression.<\/p>\n

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Nativity scene in Greccio, Italy by Julia Walsh, FSPA<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Together, Mary and Joseph have chosen to trust in God’s mysterious plan. Going about things according to God’s way doesn’t mean that all hardship comes to an end. Quite the contrary. As the Gospels testify, discipleship usually\u00a0leads one right into trouble, darkness and persecution.<\/p>\n

It is the same with us: as disciples who chose to trust in God’s ways over our own. We journey with those who struggle and\u00a0seem powerless. We don’t avoid suffering, we head right into it. We know that the power of God’s light, peace and joy can strengthen us no matter how heavy and hard the darkness of the human experience may be. We move to the ugly, polluted margins\u00a0of society because we believe that is where we will encounter God.<\/p>\n

This means we must be people of solidarity who are responding to the signs of the times. We do all we can to confront racial injustice<\/a> and vigil for discrimination and violence to end. We bemoan the sin of torture <\/a>and advocate for the closing of illegal prisons like\u00a0Guantanamo<\/a>. We are not naive about the pains of this planet and join millions in demanding\u00a0more radical environmental actions<\/a> to free us from the dangers of climate change.<\/p>\n

Yes: during these Advent days we are called to be\u00a0vibrant lights of hope in a dark and troubled world. Through our acts of solidarity, we embrace\u00a0the darkness so to shine brightly and gleam out hope, joy and celebration.<\/p>\n

As Shane Claiborne writes, “Celebration is at the very core of our kingdom, and hopefully that celebration will make its way into the darkest corners of our world– the ghettos and refugee camps, and the palaces and prisons. May the whispers of hope reach the ears of hope–hungry people in the shadows of our world.”<\/p>\n

Amen!<\/p>\n