Caring must be accurate.  In this I failed.  Thanks to conscientious commentators who pointed out blind spots in my reasoning of two weeks ago (“Unnecessarily Dangerous”), I need to correct my thoughts to you…so that there is accuracy with caring.

The topic of “Dangerous” dealt with assault: there has been an increase in assault cases on the IU campus.  While my heart desires to assure that no one will be hurt in this way—which regrettably cannot be vanquished in this world—and whereas I might have been accurate about asking men to do soul searching about motives and motivations, I erred badly with “advice” to women.  I fell into society’s
all-too-oft-repeated ‘blame game’: “it’s your fault.”  Totally wrong!  There never is a justification for assault under any condition.  No victim ever “causes” assault.  It’s not a matter of apparel or timing or location that an assault takes place.  In a better world, there would be no danger of assault, but that is not this world.  Sadly, women have endured sexual assaults throughout human history.  Most often an assailant (a man) presumes that a woman has lesser strength than him—whether or not that is true?  Assault has no honor.

So, let the record show that that commentary of two weeks ago limped of repeating shaming words on the very ones who are most wounded by this offense.  Mea culpa.  

I guess a question haunts me: How do we, as Christians, abide in a very wounded world?  The ethic of Jesus puts his followers in contrast with the ‘ways of the world,’ that is, for those who truly are his disciples.  But how often do I see persons of another religious tradition living out the ethic of Jesus better than me?!  How many Catholics are assailants or thieves or abusive husbands?  Hence, Christianity as a total group has not convinced the world of the way of the Lord because we are not the best witnesses of his path.

Advent bids us to investigate our attitudes and habits (so does Lent).  In what way is the character of a godly person reflected in me/in us?  That character embodies wisdom and understanding, prudence and strength, knowledge and piety, and fear (proper reverence) of the Lord (from Isaiah 11).  A person, growing in these spiritual qualities, can face life’s situations with a strength that exceeds/endures physical might and shameful violence.  This spiritual person can grasp the deeper reality of what is happening here, even when evil seems so pervasive: that evil is ultimately self-limiting!  I want to resemble such a person.  

Well, these are the traits that are available in our spiritual anointing from the Lord (Confirmation).  The early Church embraced a zeal to reflect Jesus to their world.  Many endured martyrdom for this.

In our time, martyrdom—“witnessing”—is still in style, even though it may not require our physical lives.  But being a witness will demand something of us, something that distinguishes us “in his name.”  What is that distinctive quality in you/me?  How must we act?  How does this community manifest the heart of Christ?  How do we not manifest this heart?

O, come Thou Wisdom from on High, to us the path of knowledge show, and teach us in her ways to go.  Rejoice!  Rejoice!  O Israel shall come to thee Emmanuel.