Years ago, a brother Dominican claimed Aristotle was
supposed to have said, “Laughter is the mind’s ascent to truth.” I take his
word for it, because I’ve never been able to find proof. But it accords with my
experience. When a laugh reverberates through me without warning, something has
rung the bell of truth.
This is what happens at our house every fourth Tuesday when
a single sentence from the Letter of James is offered in the cycle of texts we
pray at evening praise: “Be doers of the word, not merely hearers who deceive
themselves.”
We always chuckle at this. Always. For one thing, it takes
the prize as the shortest of all liturgical texts. But we laugh for another
reason, too: It strikes that chord of truth.
It is not necessary to recite a litany about the ways human
beings are duplicitous, hypocritical or inconsistent in the ways we live and
the way we say we want to live. That is old news. At one time or another, we
all fall into that trap. None of us is perfect, or able to live up to our own
highest ideals all the time. Let’s cut ourselves some slack.
But are we trending in the right direction, at least? Are we
only experts at self-deception, or are human beings becoming more, well, human?
How would we even know? Well, according to James, the metric
is simple: being “doers of the word.”
The Czech theologian Tomas Halik, in his latest writing
about a transformation happening in Christianity, says: “How one fulfills the
task of being human speaks volumes about the kind of person one is and the kind
of faith that inspires and informs one’s life.” He goes on to say that the
relationship between humankind and God – however we understand what saying
“God” means – is a never-ending story, always unfolding, always becoming more.
If he is correct, then we ought to be able to point to the evidence.
And so, when I look again at that text from the Letter of
James, it seems that what it means to be a “doer” of the God’s word is to be
always on the growing edge, always seeking what is most true, most creative,
most life-giving, most evolutionary in the human spirit.
It seems to be less about where we worship; if we do; or
whether we can spout doctrine or quote holy texts than it is about whether we
contribute to the forward evolution of humanity.
And while it may be true that gazillionaires who leave their
fortunes to charity and Nobel scientists who make lifesaving discoveries do
much to contribute to evolutionary human growth, I’m not convinced these are
the most important things.
There are lots of places to look for evidence of human
evolutionary growth, right in our own community. Just recently I witnessed an
interaction between a medical student who volunteers in the community garden
and the child who beamed under her attention. That’s a tiny sample,
insignificant in the grand scheme, but so important to that little girl.
Selflessness is, to my mind, always evidence of the best kind of human
progress.
We have plenty of courageous, selfless doers in Springfield.
You only need to look around.
Just in the last few weeks, I’ve been aware of the
dedication of Chris Richmond and the Moving Pillsbury Forward team. I’m on the
mailing list, and even though I can’t do much more than cheer them on, I’m
always encouraged by the progress they are making toward cleaning up the
brownfield at the old flour mill and rebuilding the neighborhood in the
process. They are proof that being human can sometimes mean organizing and
mobilizing people, governmental agencies, and business to make progress for the
good of all.
Then there is the “Adams Family” – a fun moniker for the
folks who run businesses on Adams Street – and all who are supporting them as
they deal with the aftermath of a fire that took out a building and forced
several other businesses to close. They show me that being human requires
compassion, cooperation, creativity and a willingness to share your gifts and
resources with others.
And hats off to Black Lives Matter Springfield under the
leadership of Sunshine Clemmons and Khoran Readus. If you were present at the
listening session at Union Baptist Church after Sonya Massey’s murder, then you
witnessed the power of Sunshine’s leadership. She is proof that the most human
humans are vulnerable, honest, trusting – proof that we can be our best selves,
even in moments of overwhelming pain.
This is what it means to be human beings – doers of the word
– not perfect, but committed to the community in which we live, committed to
healing, and improving, and supporting what makes us all more human. Truth?
Sister Beth Murphy, OP, is the communication director for
the Dominican Sisters of Springfield.
This article appears in “A message of freedom and joy”.
