Social, economic, cultural and political factors influence how we live, process, choose, discern and how we live our faith.
My wealth is reflected in my choices, what to eat, wear.... which blankets on my bed tonight. When I have choice, I have wealth.
Richard Rohr reflects, "Much of what Jesus taught seems to have been followed closely during the first several hundred years after his death and resurrection. As long as Jesus' followers were on the bottom and the edge of empire, as long as they shared the rejected and betrayed status of Jesus, they could grasp his teaching more readily.
Values like nonparticipation in war, simple living, inclusivity, and love of enemies could be more easily understood when Christians were gathering secretly in the catacombs, when their faith was untouched by empire, rationalization, and compromise. .....
"The Shepherd of Hermas, written around AD 120, gives the image of the church as a tower to be built of white round stones. Many of the stones are not suitable for use in construction; those stones are not rejected, but they are put away to one side. These stones represent believers who are still relying upon their wealth and success and, therefore, cannot build this new community. They cannot be used until they have been reshaped by the Gospel, and their reliance upon money and success has been taken from them." ...
"I am not making a political-economic judgment here, but illustrating how Christianity has indeed changed with the times; there are both good and bad aspects to these changes. Let's try to hear the important truth that is presented, and read such statements from the early Christians with wisdom, prayer, and a non-dualistic mind. They can only make us wiser and more discerning."
Fr. Richard Rohr ~ https://cac.org/ -
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