For years now, Canadians (and perhaps a few other cultures) have stressed the importance of political correctness in the behaviours and norms we model for our children. The proverbial bar for adherence to this principle seems to have been on the rise until present day, but every now and then, there appears a moment or example where this principle is taken too far.
In today's gospel passage (Lk 6:36-38), Jesus encourages his disciples to practice mercy. Mercy is the gift of the Lenten period. During this liturgical season, we are invited to recognize the gift of God's merciful love for each of us (a gift that is personally offered to each of us) and in the light of this mercy, to allow God to mould us and to teach us to practice love and mercy with others. This is one of the hallmarks of the disciples of modern day (as it was also true of the disciples of biblical times).
Pracicing mercy does not however mean that we are obliged to leave room for political correctness in the way we respond to life's little challenges. As difficult as it may be at times, we are more effective disciples when we challenge the injustices in our society instead of resigning ourselves to the belief that we are powerless to make a difference.
Being an effective disciple does mean that we should refrain from judging people (only God can judge us) but this kind of judgement is meant to pertain to the question of whether or not we are worthy of heaven, not whether or not we are doing what is right or wrong. In fact, judgement of that which is right or wrong, if left unchecked, can result in relativism and this is very difficult indeed because taken to its extreme, there are less and less objectivity in our decisions.
There's a place and time for everything. A place for political correctness, a time to observe it and a time to recognize the need for daring to be (ehem) just a bit different. Daring to not conform isn't always easy, but it is precisely the thing that makes us attractive to others, when they wonder about just what it is that makes us tick. Keep them guessing.
1 comment:
Part of my morning routine is to run, shower and meditate (in that order most of the time!). I was travelling yesterday with a co-worker and I was willing to let him know that I needed some time before we left the hotel to meditate. It was nice to not feel judged for this activity and we chatted a bit about it later in the car.
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