“Preach the Gospel…and when necessary – use words.” Some of you may have heard this quote before. I believe it’s not only an idea, but a lifestyle.
Liberation theology is as Fr. Gustavo Gutierrez states, “to do theology.” This man was recently awarded the Niebuhr Medal at Elmhurst College for his expansive work with the most impoverished. He is said to be the “first and foremost advocate of liberation theology,” which is “a social and intellectual moment that calls Christians to stand against the social injustice of material poverty,” according to the Elmhurst College publication honoring him.
We often remember that Jesus was “a nice guy” and try to emulate that attitude in life to be considered a Christian who follows the gospel. I like to think I’m one of those “nice people.” Yet, taking it a step further and doing as Jesus did in using our lives to help others, is on another level, a great thing.
In today’s world, there are not poor people just because there is not enough resources to go around, or because certain people are sick or disabled. Rather, most of the world is living in poverty; yet we have the resources to do something about it, however, many of us, including myself, look the other way.
We do not preach the gospel, using words or actions. We become engrossed in our lives of material things, such as the clothes we wear, the cell phone we have and the car we drive.
Gutierrez, a short Peruvian man, with so much passion about theology, was a reminder to me, that theology, and I believe your faith and religion, is meant to be done.
This does not mean that everyone has to be a missionary or a clergy member. If that were true then there would be no one left to offer missions to. We need to consider the gifts God has given us and look at how we can use them to “do” the gospel and extensionally help others that really need it. When we graduate, we can take a job at a non-profit. Since the job market’s rough, we could volunteer for a year. We could simply just be a good neighbor and befriend the wonderful people that keep our office clean.
Living the gospel means keeping morals and ethics in the workplace, the dorm room and the world. I challenge you, and myself, to be more than a good person, and use your gifts to reach out to others and do your religion, whatever it may be.
The Lewis Flyer
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