The Independent News Source
Twitter - Facebook - Email Alerts - RSS
Independence or interdependence?
by Richard McBrien on Jun. 29, 2009
Printer-friendly version
Send to friend
PDF version
Printer-friendly versionSend to friendPDF versionThis Saturday, July 4th, is Independence Day in the United States. It is a day for celebration, to be sure, but all too rarely do those Americans who observe the holiday reflect on its original inspiration. The same, of course, holds true for Memorial Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving, and even Christmas.
Many countries have their own distinctive celebrations to mark the anniversary of their liberation from foreign rule or autocratic government. There is nothing unique about what occurs in the United States on the Fourth of July. Canada Day, celebrated on July 1, offers a close, but not exact, parallel.
It is an occasion not only to reflect on the courage and sacrifices of those who made the original "declaration of independence," often at serious risk to their own lives, but also to acknowledge that we can take their inspired idea of independence to extremes.
The spirit of independence can degenerate into what was once commonly referred to as "social Darwinism," which applies the Darwinian principle of the survival of the fittest to groupings within society itself. Social Darwinism is partially captured in the saying, "I'm up, pull up the ladder."
There is still a mentality abroad that identifies the well-being of one's own group with the well-being of the whole. If some groups fall by the wayside, so be it.
According to social Darwinism, the poor are poor because they are lazy. People of color and other minorities falsely claim discrimination when their lot is really attributable to their own failings.
What Independence Day should inspire, in whatever country it is observed, are some deeper reflections on the most effective antidote to social Darwinism, namely, the spirit of interdependence, which is an essentially Christian idea (even if not exclusively Christian).
Jesus left us two great commandments: love of God and love of neighbor. The "disciple whom Jesus loved" (John 20:2), John the Apostle and Evangelist, elaborated upon Jesus' teaching in his First Letter, or Epistle.
"Whoever says he [or she] is in the light, yet hates his brother [or sister], is still in the darkness" (1 John 2:9).
"For this is the message you have heard from the beginning: we should love one another. ..." (3:11).
"If someone who has worldly means sees a brother [or sister] in need and refuses him [or her] compassion, how can the love of God remain in [that person]? Children, let us love not in word or speech but in deed and truth" (vv. 17-18).
"Beloved, let us love one another, because love is of God. ... Whoever is without love does not know God, for God is love. ... No one has ever seen God. Yet if we love one another, God remains in us and [God's] love is brought to perfection in us" (4:7,8,12).
And then we come to the classic text, which is rightly quoted so frequently, and which clearly defines what may otherwise seem a complicated theological principle, namely, the principle of sacramentality: "If anyone says, 'I love God,' but hates his brother [or sister], he [or she] is a liar; for whoever does not love a brother [or sister] whom he [or she] has seen cannot love God whom he [or she] has not seen. This is the commandment we have from [Jesus]: whoever loves God must also love his brother [or sister]" (4:20-21).
The principle of sacramentality applies much more broadly than to the grace-bearing rituals commonly known as the seven sacraments. The Church itself is a sacrament, and so is Jesus Christ. They are sacraments insofar as God is present and redemptively at work in them.
The principle is at the heart of Christian faith and practice. Christianity is not only a matter of belief, but also, and more fundamentally, of action. In fact, beliefs that do not issue in action are empty. As St. John put it in his First Letter, it is not a matter of loving "in word or speech but in deed and truth."
Over the past five centuries Catholics have traditionally countered the Reformers's sola fides ("faith alone") with an appeal to the Letter of James, with its own classic expression: "Be doers of the word and not hearers only ..." (1:22), and its equally classic: "So also faith of itself, if it does not have works, is dead" (2:17), and "a person is justified by works and not by faith alone" (v. 24). Again, "faith without works is dead" (v. 26).
Every Independence Day, therefore, must also be a celebration of the spirit and demands of interdependence. It is what Christian discipleship is all about.
© 2009 Richard P. McBrien. All rights reserved. Fr. McBrien is the Crowley-O'Brien Professor of Theology at the University of Notre Dame.
Fr. McBrien nails it again.
Fr. McBrien nails it again. If we are unable to understand that we cannot hate, dislike, and still claim to love Jesus, then we are in a near hopeless situation.
It is a rare occasion when I
It is a rare occasion when I agree with Fr. McBrien, but today I do. What Fr. McBrien has written is one of the most brilliant defenses of the concept of subsidiarity that I have read. Fr. McBrien clearly makes the case for less government involvement in the lives of its citizens and more personal involvement in acts of charity and compassion. What Fr. McBrien seems to understand is that when government taxes its citizens in a confiscatory manner and then takes that money and passes it out to those who are less fortunate, that same government denies its citizens the opportunity to, by acts of charity and compassion, reach out to those who are suffering and demonstrate that love of neighbor, love of brother and sister, commanded by the Master.
Rather than empowering charitable giving and acts of love and kindness by individuals, often who know personally folks who are in need and who also know exactly what kind of help those folks require, the government treats everyone as if all of their problems and difficulties, pain and suffering, are the same. The government dehumanizes the poor by giving them a number and shoving money their way. The government never bothers to get to know the people it "helps", and it also denies us, everyday citizens, the opportunity to do so.
The biggest threat to, and worst enemy of, genuine love of neighbor and compassion and charity for those in need, is the government. I applaud Fr. McBrien for reminding us of our obligations to the least of our brothers and sisters. With luck, the government will not tax regular individuals to such a degree that we will not be able to continue to serve the least among us.
like you clint, i also found
like you clint, i also found myself in shock at agreeing with fr. mcbrien, in the pages of the ncr no less!
this reminded me of someone i went to college with and what he said about people who advocate using government, through the means of taxation, as the primary vehicle to assist the poor: they are basically saying that they are all in favor of helping the less fortunate as long as the irs has a gun to their head forcing them to do so.
and I applaud, brother Clint,
and I applaud, brother Clint, your public declaration here that you will now feed the hungry, clothe the naked, serve water to the thirsty, shelter the homeless and give sanctuary to the alien in our midst, as Jesus throughout the Gospels and the Church so clearly mandates.
supportingly, I remain, your little
frère charles du désert OSB OBLAT (Congrégation de Subiaco)
Clint Green - The poor are
Clint Green - The poor are increasing in great numbers all across this nation and some are living in tent cities, forced there by prolonged unemployment as a result of policies of greed. The government does not deny you the compassion to go there and help these people. The government does not shove money their way either or they would not be there in the first place.
You are free to help these people if you desire to help them. I seriously doubt that if you were homeless you would feel dehumanized if the government sent you a check so you could get an apartment to live in with a bathroom and hot water to take a shower and a roof over your head and a kitchen to prepare some food, and job training with the hope of a job on the horizon. From what you have said it appears you would be against taxes bailing out the homeless and creating new jobs. We should care about the poor and show compassion in what way then? Are we a nation that cares for the poor? Are you against your taxes going in any way toward improving the lives of the less fortunate?
In the case of the poor, more government involvement in their lives in the form of looking out for their interest and creating jobs and opportunities for them and a decrease in taxes would be a good thing. Much better to be a number than to be totally ignored and living in a garbage heap, in my opinion. I'd much rather my taxes went to help those in need that for my taxes to go to instruments of war and to bail out large corporations and give tax breaks to the wealthiest and corporations who have shown no regard for the people of this country.
The government of the USA is supposed to be By the People, For the People. In the last election the majority of people made a choice to get rid of a government which favored deregulated corporations, banks, insurance companies, war, - to a government that favors and takes into account the people who make up this country. We the People decided we want jobs here, we don't want war, we want to create a world which does not depend on foreign oil, we want to make this a safe place for our children and grandchildren and we want a health care system that does not bankrupt us. We want to create jobs here so we can live here and see our children live in peace and harmony using their God given talents.
There is much work to be done to get rid of policies such as giving tax breaks to the wealthiest which the Republicans wanted to make permanent. Giving more tax breaks to people who really need every dime to keep a roof over their head, feed their children and educate them is what the majority of voters voted for in the last election.
There are many reasons for the economic downturn in this country and it has to do with policies such as NAFTA, outsourcing of jobs to countries whose wages are slave wages, increased military spending, a healthcare system for profit and enormous amounts of greed within corporations whose CEO's made tons of money compared to those at the bottom under their employment. Many US corporations have resorted to offshore addresses in order to not pay any taxes and this has led to increased debt that turn into taxes on the middle class who can no longer foot the bill for these untaxed corporations.
As a consequence of these problems created by policies that favor the wealthy and corporations the country has gone increasingly into debt and borrowed money from countries such as China & Saudi Arabia to keep things going. That creates inflation. That is just a recipe for disaster that had to come to an end. We are in transition from that form of government.
Now great numbers of people are being laid off as a consequence and direct result of the old government's greedy management by those corporations who have received more and more tax breaks than anyone else and the CEO's and upper management are living like Kings.
The old world of tax and spend by the Republicans and Democrats is coming to an end because it simply does not work. It has failed. We must move forward now and create an economy that is For the People and By the People. There has to be regulation of the banking industry. There has to be changes in the health care system that is for profit and not for care of human beings who are dehumanized and bankrupted by such a system. The SEC needs new leadership as it failed in it job and allowed a Ponzi scheme from Madoff to occur. This will take a change of heart in individuals who see the larger picture and then we will have changes that will improve everyone's lives for the better.
"The biggest threat to, and worst enemy of, genuine love of neighbor and compassion and charity for those in need, is the government." The biggest threat is greed and ignorance. The government is only going to be as good and smart as the people and the policies. Essentially, in order to have a good and smart world, we all need to become good and smart and allow policies that are for the good of the people. That means doing away with greed and ignorance on a personal level and corporate level. It also means developing and having patience and fortitude. It means having charity within one's own heart.
I agree with some of what you
I agree with some of what you have said. For example, I agree that the era of tax and spend is over. We need to stop taxing and stop spending. The free market, a truly open market freed from government intervention and regulation, as well as confiscatory taxation, is a market of the people, by the people and for the people. I also agree with your last statement, we need leaders, like Plato suggested, who are not the best speakers or the most handsome, nor the wealthiest or the most able, but leaders who are, first and foremost, good men and women, people of integrity and intelligence.
But, I must disagree with some other statements. The wealthiest 25% of Americans pay more than 80% of the taxes, according to the IRS. While the bottom 50% pay just 4% of the taxes. That is the very definition of unfair taxation. Further, the wealthiest Americans, those making over $200,000 per year, are the entrepreneurs, the people who create and run businesses that employ everyone else. If the government continues to tax them, to punish them for their success, how will they be able to employ others? Moreover, what incentive would there be for them to do so?
Businesses resort to off-shore addresses to avoid paying punitive taxes. They resort to outsourcing to avoid the problems that GM and Chrysler have suffered, namely bankruptcy (or near-bankruptcy) as a result of union contracts that literally break the company. Unions are the very definition of greedy Americans.
President Bush, whom I supported fully in 2000 and a even more fully in 2004, did allow spending to increase far too much. As a result of his "compassionate conservatism", and the Clinton recession he inherited, the nation has spent itself into deficits. The answer is simple. Stop spending. But President Obama clearly does not believe that. He has presented a budget that is the largest in American history. HIS deficits will increase the debt more than all of his predecessors combined. And, he still wants more. It is frightening.
I am against taxation for any reason other than domestic and international defense, basic government needs (roads, bridges, etc.), and basic protections (such as the SEC, FDIC, CDC and FDA among a very few others). I am for an extremely limited government that does only what the Constitution, as written, permits and not one single thing more. I am for an end to all income and payroll taxes. I am for an end to the "nanny state" where the government believes it must save us all from ourselves. I am for people taking responsibility for themselves and their neighbors, and not foisting that responsibility on to the government. I believe that the government is always the problem and never the solution.
I agree with the late President Ronald Reagan that the nine most frightening words in the English language are "I'm from the government and I'm here to help".
The nine most frightening
The nine most frightening words in the English language are
"I was Hungry; you gave me nothing to eat."
- Jesus Christ
Timely, keen, and above all,
Timely, keen, and above all, true observation. Just as it is true that each of us, from the moment of being brought into existence, live and develop interdependently, so it is also true for any form of society we can possibly think of whether cities, nations, and now, that we've gone global,the whole world. The choices are only two: either we unlearn a mindless national individualism in favor of active solidarity with all nations, especially the poor ones, or we perish by our own miopia. And if Christian praxis or theoretical understanding is not within everyone's grasp, the present economic crisis surely speaks loud and clear for all. Great article!
Thr worst thing with these
Thr worst thing with these celebrations is that the patriotic festivities pass to be comercial tips and consecuently overshadow any religious sentiment with monetary greedness.
"Interdependence"--nice!
"Interdependence"--nice! Something new and refreshing for the 4th of July, 2009.
The reason my 4th of July this year will be the best ever, is that I think I can understand this interdependence thing in a balanced way. And with a great feeling of freedom. A sort of dark night of the soul, purified type freedom; but hey, I feel peace!
I'm finally learning how to interconnect and intermix more than ever. But I am also able to do a lot of quiet time/meditation time/God connect time.
It's taken years of attempts to finally feel a good balance; and of course gray hair, and some new wrinkles, are part of the package deal.
Yeah, I think I can say that I FEEL interdependence. Right now, I've been able to participate in a Catholic kids' summer camp. I can feel some of the freedom of the kids--soaking in summer, both sweaty hot; and nice, breezy cool. Yet enjoy ordinary, simple interactions with adult leaders from last year, like: "Could you please do just another Go-for run?" "[But of course.]"
My latest spiritual quest is (not positive on the spelling): Meditating on the Wu Wei of things. (That's supposed to be the spiritual principle behind the spiritual principle of Feung Shui.) So I think Wu Wei is, for example, the purity of a little bird's flight as it deftly flies out of a tree down to the nice green, summery grass.
So I think Wu Wei might be like the interdependence balance. For example, I prayed yesterday about having no land on which to have a compost pile (for my modest community-garden plots), and today a nonCatholic ecumenical friend, after a nonCatholic ecumenical meeting; told me to just bring my kitchen scraps on over to her compost pile near her lovely, verdant garden (before the fruit flies in my kitchen go on to the 100th generation).
Dear FR. McBrien, Solid words
Dear FR. McBrien, Solid words for the Celebration of the Fourth! JESUS commanded all of us to "Love one another" and your reminder should be the Keystone to all Americans to pull together for the good of all! Thank you for your inspiration!!
" (That's supposed to be the
" (That's supposed to be the spiritual principle behind the spiritual principle of Feung Shui.) "
you mean there's a spiritual dimension behind paying someone hundreds of dollars to move your sofa to an akward place in your living room on the idea that it will cause you to have good luck? really? are you serious?
I wish we could just skip
I wish we could just skip paying taxes all together and feed the poor ourselves! I would feel a whole lot better about it...
But on a serious note, it is ironic that everytime we have a crisis in the country (hurricanes, to 911) the outpouring of generosity is immense! People are still compassionate to their brother in times of need. To bad our gov't has done such a good job of convincing us otherwise... they sure want us to believe we need them to redistrbute our wealth!
Kind of reminds me of the biblical story of the people begging Samuel for a king... even today we look for that enslavement! will we ever learn???
Then again, it is quite
Then again, it is quite possible that had government heeded the warnings about the levees, there might not have been such a great need for the private outpouring of charity.
As always, an excellent
As always, an excellent article by Fr. McBrien I have some disagreement with those who view our government as interfering with our doing works of charity - mercy. In fact, I support the fact that some of my taxes go to good works our government does for other countries during crisis as well as for people and areas here in the US. There is nothing stopping me from donating or giving my services. I guess it is a difference in political philosophy.
Independance day - that's
Independance day - that's when the United Kingdom managed to rid itself of those damn colonials! There is a saying in England (not that I subscribe to it of course) that goes something like this: There are two good things about the USA. One of them is that the language is English and the other is that there is a lot of water between here (England) and the USA...
Thank God English is NOT the
Thank God English is NOT the official langauge of the United States of America, nor the first.
sour shoes fomc statement g
sour shoes
fomc statement
g reilly
alcides escobar
why do men have nipples
camille paglia
kelly clarkson photo scandal
twilight barbie
house bill 3200
youkilis fight video
get paid to drive advertising
azteca stadium
what channel is the us mexico soccer game on
crater of diamonds state park
hillary clinton outburst
classical ideals
ashley greene dirty photos
joanne minardi
hebra
debbie kruck
what channel is the us mexico soccer game on
mun2
jj hardy
french new moon trailer
lilly pulitzer
drivenmedia online
telemundo deportes
lawrence phillips
virtual frog dissection free
fed announcement
federal reserve
us vs mexico world cup qualifier
health care reform bill text
usa mexico soccer tv schedule
jack kemp
mun2
meteor shower august 12th
virtual dissection
rick pitino affair
azteca stadium
burquini
Post new comment