The gift of understanding may be linked to the idea of loving one's enemies. By differentiating what they do from what they are, one may begin to honor the Dignity of the Human Person. This is difficult. One does not honor another simply by giving in to them or agreeing with them to keep the peace. One honors them by acknowledging them and their humanity. If that cannot be done, then it is probably best to walk away from them until it can be done.
So the question: if our model is Jesus Christ, who allowed Himself to be bullied, beaten, tortured and murdered by His very creatures in order to open the gate of heave for us, and our models are the martyrs and saints who did the same over the centuries (and do so today), should we be willing to stand with them, try to be like them, 'equate' ourselves with them?
Perhaps the answer is yes.....but man, is it difficult to do. People think stating a position is easy. It is not. I make a common mistake - I forget that many people read stuff online and then take that stuff personally. I was once just as guilty (especially at the beginning of my use of social media) and I can be guilty of that today. I've gotten a little better but it is still something I can do.
In today's world, there are now disclaimers on news articles (this may trigger people who have experienced (fill in the blank) so be careful when you read it). I think it may be time for me to put disclaimers on all my posts - even the funny ones - so that the people who read them are warned ahead of time that it is not a subtweet, it is not aimed at them, it may contain language that triggers them.
It is best to stop assuming that the talks and exchanges made in certain groups I belong to on social media can be duplicated, so to speak, outside those groups. That is MY error, not anyone else's and if I cannot see the error of my assumption then that is my sin.
The people in those discussion groups challenge me to reason ideas out, to look stuff up, to read, to stretch my mind and I am going to tell you that sometimes being so challenged by people (many of whom are much younger than me) has hurt my feelings. What keeps me coming back is I want to learn. I try really hard nowadays to not read a tone into their posts. That is HUGE for me. If my feelings get hurt because they mention a philosopher or a Church teaching I am not familiar with, I swallow my pride and go read what they want me to read. Oftentimes I realize, "hey! I knew that! I just forgot!". Other times? Holy Mackerel, I learned something new and now I am grateful.
Despite this willingness (hard fought it may be) to learn, I cannot assume that of everyone on social media. This assumption is one of the main reason I keep hurting people's feelings and I am so sorry. It is not my intention, but it happens, and it happens because I think people want to be challenged. That is wrong. Few do. It does not mean they are bad or dumb or less than. It just is what it is...and I better get my head out of my butt and remember that every time I write or comment. As an example: I support and belong to a political party that I know for a fact has a platform based on Catholic Social Teachings (real ones, not the Father Martin ones). I know it because I read it and compared it to what we as Catholics are bound to do when we proclaim we ARE Catholic.
I am a vocal supporter of the American Solidarity Party and I absolutely believe that if every Catholic in this country were to vote as a Catholic we would change this country over night. The problem is, I think, Americans have bought into the idea of a 2-party system. There can ONLY be Republicans and Democrats. If you leave one it must mean you have joined the other. Here is the rub - both sides have something in common. They (the Catholics) in those parties will defend to the DEATH their choice for being in those parties. They will tell others that we are not real Catholics because we are not Republicans or Democrats and if someone like me challenges them they will be outraged.
Now this does not apply to all of them but my experience is that at the very least they will get their feelings hurt and get mad at me and then unfriend me on social media. I believe, and I mean this, that choosing the lesser of two evils is still choosing evil. I know too many good men and women who tell me flat out that they hold their nose and vote Republican or Democrat because they do not believe they have a choice. When I tell them they do have a choice - The American Solidarity Party is a choice - their reasons for not joining are this:
1. they are not in power
2. they cannot win the election
Now, let's think this through: In the early Church Catholics did not give an inch to the government. They were beaten, raped, murdered and driven underground but by golly they did not give an inch. We so love those early Catholics that we recite their names in our liturgy today. My patron saint is one of those people.
Recently, I was accused of equating myself with those people as though doing so is wrong. Are you kidding? Of course I try and stand with them, to be like them and to emulate them. Why wouldn't I? What is the point of choosing a Confirmation Saint if one is not going to try and imitate that saint? And why would I NOT do that in my everyday life? That means in the grocery store, driving on the street, paying my bills and, yes, voting. These people upon whose shoulders I try to balance my life, did not take the easy way out. Why should I?
The American Solidarity Party has a platform that any thinking Catholic can support. You can find it: https://solidarity-party.org/about-us/platform/ It is not going to be popular among the left or the right. Catholics are not supposed to be popular on the left or the right. That is what makes us counter cultural. That is why we are different. If my presentation of my Political Party's platform offends you because you think I am claiming to be holier or better let me apologize. That is NOT my intention. Unlike many others I do not think you are a bad Catholic if you choose to support one of the 2 main political parties.
My point is this: if your REASON for doing so is that you feel you have no choice, that there is not party that represents Catholic values in the world and you are trying to be pragmatic, think it through. Why? Because I believe that we can change the world...but it would mean a full on change in our strategy.
It would take the courage of a Felicity or a Perpetua or a Cecilia.
We can do it.
