Listening to Father Gustavo Gutierrez

When I was in seminary more than 20 years ago, I traveled to Nicaragua, I read feminist theology and I learned about this wonderful new thing called LIBERATION THEOLOGY. Father Gustavo Gutierrez, from Peru, was credited as being one of the main forces behind the movement in South America. Last night, I had the privilege of going to Corpus Christi Church in my hometown of Toledo, OH, and hearing this living saint give a talk. I heard the man who coined the phrase "preferential option for the poor" talk about it. As he spoke I sat and imagined all the places he has been, and all the people he has conversed with in his life. I sat in awe. Father Gutierrez is small in stature, and held a cane as he stood before us to speak. I think he must be getting quite old. He spoke matter of factly about his work, as if he were a simple parish priest. And yet i felt like I was sitting in the presence of a rock star in the religious and political world.

Here are some nuggets that I took away from his talk.

1) " Samaritan" as in the "the Good Samaritan" from the well known Bible story, should be a model of what it means to be the church. In fact, it would be a great name for a church. A Samaritan Church shows a preferential option for the poor and GOES OUT to the poor. The person in that Bible story about whom we know THE LEAST is the wounded person on the side of the road. We know something about every other character in the story. A Samaritain Church is one that GOES OUT looking for the poor and wants to KNOW them. And once we go out, it's not enough just to CARE for the poor and help them, we need to ELIMINATE THE CAUSES of poverty. But first, we need to GO OUT, from our churches TO THE POOR. This is what it means to be a Samaritan Church.

2) Theology is a hermeneutic (a way of being in the world) of hope. Gutierrez said he is often asked if there is reason to hope today. His answer is this: "Are you creating reasons to hope?" Theology, or a life with God, is a gift. He said: " We accept the gift of hope if we are committed to create reasons for hope for other people." What I took from this was similar to the phrase that was going around a few years ago during the Presidential campaign: "Be the change." Gutierrez said that our theology is one of incarnation.God is living in us, so it's up to us to give hope to the world. God gives us hope and we give hope to the world. We have some responsibility to LIVE the HOPE.

3) Gutierrez pointed out that the stories of the multiplication appear seven times in the gospels. He closed his presentation with this point. We must be able to share from a very few things. He said he thinks Jesus came with the message: TO LEARN TO SHARE.

It was clear, at least to me, that Father Gutierrez was inviting us to consider this message of sharing for our own lives.

This amazing man has spent his life in conversation with the poor and with the powerful. He message is clear, Jesus showed a preferential option for the poor in his life and ministry. THE CHURCH, and any local church today, is called to do the same. To be an authentic church of Jesus Christ, we are called to GO TO OUT and BE WITH those who are poor. We are called to CREATE REASONS TO HOPE and to LEARN TO SHARE. I was blessed to hear this living saint. Now, as we take Father Gutierrez wisdom to heart, let's follow Jesus and change the world.