Today we increasingly hear about being “woke”. In this Vincentian Mindwalk I will try to move beyond any narrow political meanings.
First some background
Pardon the pun, but some are just waking up to hearing about being “woke”. It originally highlighted the need for those with dark skin to have eyes open and be vigilant when traveling in white areas.
But, today, ”woke” means different things to those on the left and those on the right.
On the left, to be “woke” means to identify as a social justice advocate who’s attuned to contemporary social inequities. It’s a point of pride to be called “woke”.
On the right, “woke” — like its cousin “canceled” — bespeaks “political correctness” gone awry. It’s a term of great derision.
Here I would like to explore the words in terms of Jesus’ life and death.
Moving beyond being politically “woke”
We all know what “waking up” means”.
Sometimes an alarm clock to wakes us up. At other times something happens or just “clicks”. We see new meaning. We change our ways of thinking.
Jesus incarnates both.
His words wake us from unconsciousness about our original sin of radical self-centeredness.
His life spells out what that dream involves – radical love even to forgiving those who put him to death!
We forget God has first loved us into existence and continues to love us no matter what good or bad we do. “Can a mother forget her child?”
Unfortunately, many think we have to change God’s mind about loving us by getting everything right! We can’t force God to love us! God does and always will!
Rather, Jesus simply asks that we learn to love one another as God has loved us. Jesus loved everyone, shockingly, even those who put him to death. The “scandal of the cross!”
The challenge – “love your enemies” certainly calls for a change in our “eye for an eye” thinking … something truly radical for us.!
It is not something we wake up to once and for all. We will only be fully “woke” when we “pass over” into the eternity of God’s kingdom.
Until then we are caught up in the process of daily dying to the original sin of our self-centeredness and waking up to understanding what we say too glibly – OUR Father!
The word Jesus uses for his wake-up call is “repentance”. Its root meaning is “change your way of thinking”.
A follower of Jesus spends a lifetime waking up
Waking up does not happen once and for all with our Baptism. In our earliest hours and days, we thought we were the center of our universe. We spend the rest of our lives overcoming our self-centeredness. (Marriage and family is for most the school where we are first challenged to learn this.)
Over time we realize families come in different colors and dress differently than our “tribe” or closest family group.
Another awakening is that no one, not even ourselves, is perfect. Each one of us struggles and needs loving support.
Unfortunately, we still get caught up in thinking everyone must look like us, think like us, celebrate like us. We struggle to learn from and be enriched by our differences.
So, yes, Catholics should be “woke”… and waking! We will struggle until the day we die to wake up to the implications of being individually and collectively the Body of Christ.
Catholics as a profoundly “woke” people
- How “awake” are you about what it means to pray OUR Father?
- Are you waking up to the challenge of the “scandal of the cross”?
Click below for an early version of this Vincentian Mindwalk
I recall reading that the epithet “Christian” was initially intended as a derisive remark for those who professed following that “Christ” fellow who had to be put to death.
It’s regrettable that we use words as weapons. Some folks assert that language forms are what distinguish us “humans” from the rest of the animal kingdom. I can’t imagine the other “animals” developing their own version of “sarcasm” just to prove themselves above the rest.
Sometimes without thinking, I find myself treating someone differently who happens to be of a different gender, ethnicity or political persuasion. Using the current vernacular, I guess I feel more “woke” than they might be. Upon reflection, I am falling into that same trap of elevating myself above another as if that were my mission in life.
No matter how far we seem to progress, individually and collectively, it surprises me how easily we (especially myself) slip back into old prejudices or disproved generalizations. Reading and examining history helps, but what is needed is a deep-seated change of heart to dispel those ill-conceived notions about others (and about myself).
Therein lies the seeds for forgiveness and growth – acknowledging that the Father isn’t done with me yet and I need to cooperate with his Fatherly nudges to be more like He intended me to be.
Lord, have mercy.
Interesting stuff, John. These culture war things are killing civil discourse. Woke-ness is problematic, as are “influencers” in my view–where did they come from all of a sudden anyway? Same with the MeToo movement without nuance, i.e. all women should be listened too, their stories taken seriously, but with no nuance on culpability, no distinction btwn a one-time offender from many years ago in a totally different context, and a serial offender?? Same with the nonsensical “defund the police” instead of “train police differently” which does make sense (and is much needed).
A lot of this belongs in a new social category: “nonsense.” How are we to advance as a society when these labels deter nuanced, open and honest dialogue on today’s deeper issues???