For S.
The most direct way I've found to get to God is in the face of the poor and those struggling to get out of trouble. To me it was precisely what led me to get involved in the St. Thomas projects to find shelter for the needy and then sentenced to death, and then the families of murder victims. was not until the 40 years that I realized the relationship between the Jesus who said 'I was in prison and you visited me, hungry and fed me, "among this and real life experience of being in circumstances in which I was confronted with people who truly had hunger that were in prison or suffering from racism that prevails in this society. I had the feeling of coming home. Finding God was like coming to my home, then you ask yourself: Where had you been your life?
I remember once I was in a shelter for the homeless: a soup kitchen. My job was to provide fresh water to the top of the line that people had to receive food. That was the first conscious act in which I had to get in touch with people in need. He approached a young man, a handsome boy, who looked like Mr. Joe College. He was handsome, blond, blue-eyed and trembling hand to extend the cup. He said in a whisper: 'You have to help. This is the first time I come here. " I was moved to tears and thought: my God, what does this young man here? That wakes you tremendous energy and gifts or have suspicions.
The image I have of finding God is that our boats are floating in the River. Often flood the engine. We waited and nothing moves. And everything seems to stay the same in our lives. But when we get into a situation like this (for me that meant getting involved with the poor) is as if our boat began to move following this trend. The wind begins to blow through our hair, and acquires energy and life. This is what led me straight to the execution chamber. As you see, was very quick to get involved with the transition from poor people in the St. Thomas housing project and write to a man condemned to death, to visit and be there with him until the final outcome, because there was no one else you accompany them. And that experience of being there with him is really hoping to see action against life itself: it is life or death. Compassion or revenge. All life is then distilled to its essence.
In that situation, I felt a tremendous force and presence of God, I felt that God was present in this man who wanted to repudiate society and kill. And I understood fully the words of Jesus that 'the last shall be first. " That is what these words mean: that God dwells in people from the community of the ones we want to undo. This is what builds the human family and the community of men. Thus making it possible to keep happening things like the death penalty, racism still persists in our society, the oppression of the poor is the lack of contact with people.
For me, finding God is finding the entire human family. Nobody can be disconnected from us. Which is another way of talking of the Mystical Body of Christ, which we all belong. And I feel
all need to be in contact with the poor. And that, said Jim Wallis, of Sojourners magazine , we must admit that one of the spiritual disciplines of Christianity (as well as Bible reading, prayer and the rest of the liturgy) is physical contact with the poor. Is an essential ingredient. If we are never in their presence, if you never eat with them, if we've ever heard their stories, if ever we've been apart from them, so I think we need something vital.
In fact, I think this is one of the biggest problems of our society. It is said that the most segregated day of the week is Sunday, because the churches are very active in segregation. Have incorporated this system operation and so people go to church with people similar to them.
The 'hand of God in us' is always the one to walk over them to walk on water and risk. Compels us to go places that are beyond what you want to go the 'part of ourselves' who prefers to be safe and secure, staying in the comfortable and known. Just take a look to all spiritual paths, including the trip across the desert to reach the Promised Land. Think of Jesus who says: 'I will precede in Galilee. " I think this particular journey into God moves us to make the journey to the hostel projects, poor neighborhoods, lost cities, places where people have AIDS, to death row inmates, to the wives beaten; all places where human suffering is present.
I would add something to this whole issue of how to find God and the journey wherever that leads us (in my case, I was poor and struggling with a problem) must be accompanied by a reflection and a placed in the most important thing, which is obtained in prayer and meditation . It is very important to assimilate what is happening in our lives. I realize that I can not function properly if I have this sense that I located in the center of myself, the soul of my soul so that I shall really from me. It is very important advance on the road itself, because we are easily trapped by the swirling of the other in the river of life, and this leads to a stimulus-response pattern. It's as feasible even realize that we are really being driven by the vision that others have of life, their way of understanding things, for its programs of life, we see dragged from one stream to another, as if we have our own rudder ship.
When you're faced with something as big as this, with something that you know beyond (such as working for justice in the world or try to relate the faith to go against powerful and entrenched systems) have the feeling that you're doing your part. But then you also need to be able to let things take their course, able to let God who governs the universe, so that you can also put to play the clarinet, you can stay with friends or cultivate your garden.
lead a life full is extremely important. I think part of being fully divine. I think not so much the cleanliness and order as close to God, what is the fullest! We must have a well integrated life, one must have a developed intellectual life, a life where you have opportunity to read, think and discuss issues. It should be an intense emotional life that allows people to provide privacy and also receive. We must cultivate friendships and cultivated a garden. Because there is no room for these 'lone rangers' seeking to save the world for themselves.
From: James Martin, SJ [ed.] How I can find God? , trans. Guillermo Cervantes Ramirez, SJ, Mexico, Good Press, 2000. pp. 15-18.
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