Julia, Jesus, & Justice

Today, April 12, 2022, mi abuelita turns 88. Her first name is Julia, but she goes by her middle name, Margarita!

She's been diagnosed with alzheimer's and, at this stage, has lost the majority of her memories from her adult life. It's sad, especially when I realize she doesn't quite know who I am or remember the memories we shared together, but that's okay. The fact that she needs us has opened up some doors for some of us in the family to get closer to her as she's quite a proud and independent woman. She's also not exactly the most spiritual person, but being raised Catholic, she definitely has an affinity for Jesús, her beloved, Señor de los Milagros.

I'm a big fan of Jesús too!! I just don't move around in this world showing off how much I believe in his message by touting his name. Now, while I believe he did exist, I'm clear that the proof may not be there for everyone. Frankly, I don't need proof the way scientists might, although I love learning about efforts that have been made to investigate the historical accounts and scientific explanations that help us better understand who this Jesus being was/is. I am, however, certain of the fact that the images of the white Jesus most folx learn about is inaccurate and that much of his messaging is both ignored and misunderstood by current day Christians just as it was way back when he roamed the earth as the self-proclaimed son of God.

I have all kinds of ideas about who Jesus, the person, may have been, but what offers me hope and soothes my aching heart is Jesus, the messenger and teacher, who lives on inside of us. For me, his simple message of LOVE, is everything! It is all I need and the one thing that came out of Christianity that doesn't drive me mad. All the other stuff that human beings assign to him or project onto him matters not. I don't say things like "Jesus is my Lord and Savior" because much of the familiar religious language we often hear is tainted for me because to this day, it's used against me and others.

Easter is coming up soon, so, Jesus is definitely on my mind. He is, by far, the best of the best the Bible has to offer and his stories were my favorite as a kid. As an adult, it's his messaging that sticks with me and that guides me, not my devotion to his supposed church or any effigy used to evangelize and propagandize a religion that has historically repressed, oppressed, condemned, and persecuted many.

I pray we, "Christians", learn to embrace the Son of God's words wholeheartedly rather than misrepresent them and falsely assign them to our moral stances in judgement of those most vulnerable, of those that Jesus stood for and stands with - the poor, the ill, the neglected, the imprisoned, etc. He did not stand with the rich and powerful, but those who preach the 'Prosperity Bible' most fervently like to forget about Jesus' message of caring for those most in need; instead they use his name to proclaim themselves the most worthy of God's goodwill.

They hold on to that and ignore the damage they cause with their greed and self-importance. They forget that their neglect or outright abuse of the 'little guy' is a major no-no; that's a sin against Jesus and God! Just take a look at Matthew 25:36-40, Jesus says, "I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me. Then the righteous will answer him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’ And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers,[a] you did it to me.’

Jesus was the biggest pacifist, Socialist, social justice warrior ever and today, his idolaters use his name to advance their bigoted causes. Its' infuriating and makes me soooo angry sometimes because these are the same folx that sit on their thrones full of self-righteousness pretending to have God on their side whilst condemning God's children for being who they are. People like to castigate others in the name of justice, in the name of law and order, but that's not the justice Jesus was referring to when he preached. His was a restorative justice centering understanding, repentance, mercy, and forgiveness.

We equate justice with punishment. We are punitive in our approach to dealing with human behavior we, the people, believe is wrong or dangerous. We call in the old testament or whatever scripture we use to proclaim that the only way to balance out the scales between 'good and evil,' is with retribution. I get it; I, too, feel this way when I apply my limited moral lens to any equation. But I recognize that my vindictive sentiments are NOT coming from my divine self; they are part of what I've learned in my lifetime - the less evolved human parts of me most disconnected from my divinity.

My family, like many families, and my country, like most countries, are being challenged by our ideas of fairness and our changing concepts of right vs. wrong. It's obvious we feel lost and confused; we are dysfunctional in many ways. But, I suppose it's part of what we, human beings, are constantly going through. Again and again, we're confronted with our communication failures, our lack of understanding, and our own hypocrisy. I try to remember that all of it is a reflection of our humanity and these growing pangs we're experiencing are part of our evolution as a species.

Still, I think there is a growing Christ-like energy on this earth that has nothing to do with religion and everything to do with us taking responsibility for ourselves and each other. It has to do with our individual and collective healing. It's more about our growing awareness of how our personal power is both a reflection and projection of the creator. It's about us recognizing that we, too, are creators and that our personal relationship with the creator (not the bearded white man up in the sky version) binds us together with everything else on this planet. Our consciousness is evolving.

So, although my abuelita can't remember that it's her birthday and Jesus' name is used to divide us rather than unite us and injustice is everywhere we look, I'm grateful that I get to be here in this time/space reality. As much as it all hurts my heart, the challenges help me grow and make me more intentional about where I focus my attention. Plus, if Jesus could endure the passion of the cross, I can endure bearing witness to our human dereliction and rejoice in the bonds of siblinghood I see and try to embody daily.