Jesus made his life a concrete parable about how to live in this world. He demanded that his followers be living witnesses to a simple life on the edge of the dominant culture.
Once we are at the center of any group, we have too much to prove and too much to protect, and growth or real change is unlikely. We will be a defender of the status quo where we are comfortable. Every great spiritual teacher has warned against this complacency.
The only free positions in this world are at the bottom and at the edges of things. Everywhere else, there is too much to maintain—an image to promote and a fear of losing it all—which ends up controlling our whole life.
Jesus did not direct us to the poor and to the suffering only to be helpful; he called us to be in solidarity with the real and for our own transformation. We could call this “reverse mission.” The ones we think we are “saving” end up saving us, and in the process, redefine the very meaning of salvation!
Only in solidarity with suffering, can we understand ourselves, love one another well, imitate Jesus, and live his full Gospel. The view from the top of anything is distorted by misperception and illusions. As Thomas Merton said, “People may spend their whole lives climbing the ladder of success only to find, once they reach the top, that the ladder is leaning against the wrong wall.”
In the end, there are really only two “crucibles of transformation”: great love and great suffering. Love and suffering are indeed the ordinary paths of transformation, and contemplative prayer is the best way to sustain the fruits of great love and great suffering over the long haul and into deep time.
Galatians 6:2 “Share each other’s burdens, and in this way obey the law of Christ.”
2 Corinthians 1:4 “He comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort others. When they are troubled, we will be able to give them the same comfort God has given us.”
