Three noble truths

Often, complex ideas cannot be conveyed through words, but must be learned through experience. At other times, simplifying ideas best conveys intended meaning, even when the words on the page do not do justice to the learning they represent. This editorial does the latter.

Truth number one: the Ministry of Being. Father Doyle of Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Camden, New Jersey, talks of the forgotten Ministry of Being. The goal is not to do as Jesus did or to feed and clothe the poor and prostituted. The goal is to be as Jesus was and live among the people he loved while on earth.

Out of this comes the reminder that living as a Christian is not a checklist of tasks. Instead, following Christ is about relationship at the most basic level.

Truth number two: Live the Questions. The idea flows out of a quote by the German poet Rainer Maria Rilke: "Be patient toward all that is unsolved in your heart and try to love the questions themselves. Do not now seek the answers, which cannot be given you because you would not be able to live them. And the point is to live everything. Live the questions."

The role of organized religion has historically been to develop theology. However, the dogmatic approach that often results is conducive neither to growth nor healthy dialogue. When Christians become entrenched in the answers to questions they miss the spirit in which Christ lived.

Truth number three: Be socially active and faith-centered. Building on the first two truths, we find that the incongruence of living as Jesus did and yet falling far short of his perfection do not need to hinder us.

Jesus definitely challenged the status quo of his day. Part of this came in the form of criticizing the Pharisees for thinking they could nail down the law with precise measurements and justify themselves accordingly. But more than this, Jesus identified and actively loved the outcasts in society.

Jesus was also very in-tune with God. He took time to nurture his individual relationship with God, whether in a garden or the wilderness. His purpose came completely from living out this faith.

At a Mennonite campus we sometimes dichotomize faith and social action. We have our mission agencies and we have our service agencies. Often we either pray for a situation or we go do something about it. If we go back to basics and look at Jesus' example, we find that the or should be an and.