Choose Life not death

As we reflect over the last week we have witnessed scenes of life and death played out on our television screens. In reflecting on the tragedy that has occurred in Turkey and Syria one image that stays with me is the father holding the hand of his daughter who died under the rubble. This is a poignant scene of both deep grief and powerlessness. It probably captures our own imagination where we are both intimately present to the suffering of another but also holding it at a distance. It is where we can observe what is happening but question what impact this will have in our own life. It is so easy to notice especially when we approach anniversaries of past tragedies how easy it is to isolate ourselves from the concerns of others. To concentrate on our own backyard and our very real problems

I believe that these concerns can be played out in our spiritual life where we are called to choose life, not death. Ultimately it calls us to reflect on how we can be present to others in our daily life. We can at times seek to contain or direct the Holy Spirit within structures. I believe there is a natural instinct in which we try to box God’s voice into small bite-size pieces rather than provide a trellis in which that life can grow. Thus, any structure is not an end in itself but a support in which the life of God can grow. Without this support, it becomes a wild weed or thick undergrowth which trips people up rather than orientating them toward God. At times of difficulty, we need to be people who are able to rebuild the trellis on which a person’s life can be rebuilt.

In a similar way, we can seek to exert power and control over people rather than exercise authority for the good of others. This is important when we seek to contain our own uncertainties, fear, loneliness, regret, and despair when faced with situations that appear beyond our control. When we seek to be the guiding light we develop theories that become an echo chamber for our own opinion rather than a way of being present to a contemplative silence that embodies us for the good of others. When we seek to assert ourselves, we struggle to listen and be heard. Often what is called for is our ability to be people who walk alongside others as they seek to discover a deeper meaning for their lives.

Lastly, we can tend to mute the conversations into cliché of what others are saying. This is especially true when we seek to blame another for our own circumstances, or we seek to possess what belongs rightfully to another.  When we hear them speak, we switch off our hearts by parodying their voice by mimicking them with our own contempt. This is a place where we know that it does not befriend others or befriend ourselves. It seeks to alienate and isolate all that is fully human. Having lived through the tragedy of human conflict and the ways in which we can become trapped by a lifestyle that makes God into our own image and likeness. The call of our age is to listen once again to the voice of God which seeks us out so that we may become fully human and fully alive. To live Good News which witnesses to the life of God that is birthed within us.