12 July 2006

Joseph Sittler writing about theology makes it sound inviting and real.

By theology I mean a reflection over and over and over again on the elemental events of the Christian community: the entire history of Israel that stands back of the events informing the new Israel. Those events, as they have been recalled and celebrated repeatedly throughout history, are like a certain amount of money put in a savings account. They accumulate an increment through the centuries... The accumulation of theological terms, ideas, images happens because the remembered events are always encountering new situations in the human family, in the social world through history. They are not only pushed toward ever greater richness; they are drawn by events into ever fresh reflection.

The must be that dialogical activity that takes place between the present and all that is going on today and the many stories that we carry with us in the memory of the community of faith we find in Scripture. There is so much power to the stories of old that they bring into the present a character that engages us in conversation. In that conversation we find new ways to hear those old stories and we are given insights into whatever we are encountering today. In some ways, the living word really is living...and must be a living word! When we lose the ability or the willingness to move about and entertain images of old with images of today, could it be that we do so at a great loss to the community of faith. For example, the Scriptures may not have a word to say about contraception (I was in a big discussion about this today) but it is a vitally important issue when we consider the welfare of our world today. And yet, if we do not walk into this pressing issue and bring along the many stories within our biblical tradition and engage in a creative dialogue with our present situation, we may be led around in our thinking by arguments that have no business speaking to the world of today. We need that fresh reflection to help us make sense of old notions and old stories that may now be able to speak to us in ways we may have never been able to hear previously.

Connection: The past is always a gift to us and the present gives us a way to package the gift so that it will be received in awe and thanksgiving. This is an essential dialogue that needs both sides.

Speak to us, O God, as you have always spoken. Use the words of our mouths and the reflections on your gracious history to bring into perspective ways to encounter this day with an openness that will continue to cause the unfolding of your Reign each day. Amen.