Now a word about Gandhi's approach to evil.
Gandhi took upon himself the evil of India, not in a spirit of masochism or with the spiritual frivolity of self-punishment that believes itself to have a magic efficacy over sin. Nothing is more deeply serious than the Gandhian fast unto death for the recognition of the Harijan (outcastes, untouchables) and for their admission to the temple, in a word their integration into the sacred public life of the Indian people.
There is no way that one avoids the pain and the power of death like a fast unto death. One of the powerful images of the fast is that he was going to go all the way to death in order to resist the life that kept the system of untouchables in place. He would not cooperate with it in any way...even if it meant he would not eat and that would only lead to his death. That is amazing. What is most powerful here is that he does this when he has attained a position of great influence and power in his life. He could have stopped and simply let himself go along with the accomplishments that had taken place. But no...he was not going to let the evil of the system find an ally in him. Resistance, because of a love of life that is so deep that it can be sacrificed for others, is a power that turns people's heads...for it is so alien. This is the power of the Good News...when was the last time you saw that power...alive and resisting the powers of the world.
Connection: Sometimes, power is not what it seems. Sometimes, it comes wrapped in the boldness of acts of simplicity.
Your creative power, O God, takes hold of nothing at all and begins to whip up a world of new life and beauty and justice and hopefulness. We pray that this power of life will continue to whip up this life in us even now...and forever. Amen.
No comments:
Post a Comment