|
EDGES MAGAZINE Issue 17 |
April/May 1999 |
| BEGGARS CAN'T BE CHOOSERS - | |
| WHY NOT? | |
Since the beginning of time, freedom of choice has been God's great gift to people. Freedom of spirit is what makes us enjoy our individuality and gives us the dignity of who we are. Autonomy over our own actions was the freedom given to Adam and Eve. It was always God's intention that human beings be free to value their uniqueness. Adam and Eve's freedom to eat or not eat the apple was not based on any form of criteria such as class, material possessions, success - but just this: a gift from God to each and every human being ever created.
We have become so materialistic, so set in modes of class, financial success, educational success etc; that rules, man made rules, have cropped up in many areas. Who makes these rules? Who draws the lines?
How often, because of my line of work with homeless people, I see the dignity of the human person being decimated by those who consider that a mortgage, two cars, (a horse box maybe) demand a degree of gratitude.
"Imagine that! He refused my sandwiches because he doesn't like ham! You'd think he'd be grateful" - "She didn't like the colour of the sweater I gave her - it's outrageous! She should be grateful."
Beggars can't be choosers; not because they shouldn't be, but can't because wealthier people strip them of their basic God-given right to the dignity of freedom of choice.
Scales
of values are based on such superficial concepts. Really, they are based
on fear. Fear motivates most of our behaviour. All of us are vulnerable.
No one comes into the world with a guarantee of immunity against
disasters, whether of our own making or not. When we look into the face
of a beggar, we should see our own vulnerability, but when we are so
afraid to admit that one day we could be sitting on the pavement and
they could be the one walking past, rattling false values in their
pockets. "There by the grace of God..." but the beggar is here
by the grace of God too! His life, his beating heart, his unique spirit
come from the universal, classless God who is in all our brokenness, and
never trapped in middle-class values. We all need to become choosers and choose for humanity, human rights, human dignity. The beggar has nothing, he asks for our mercy - he reveals our fragility and frightens us. We retaliate by walking by; by making all sorts of excuses for refusing him. We are very good at deluding ourselves that our consciences are clear - what we should see; and don't want to see, is our Lord in all his broken desolation on the cross. Had we been there, would we have chosen vinegar on a sponge for him? He was begging for a drink. He pulled a face at the vinegar - would we have said "isn't he ungrateful!" Then gone home to uncork a refreshing Chardonnay?
In the garden of Gethsemane, Christ begged. The frightened man in him begged his Father to cancel the oncoming ordeal. He was stripped of everything but human terror. But he didn't say "why should I? these people could have helped themselves. They got themselves in the mess they are in - it's their fault they ate the apple, take drugs; get into debt; why should I?" No. He gave himself totally, unconditionally, and ended up being forced to have a foul drink.
Each time we give unconditionally and freely as we are called to do; we are re-affirming our freedom to choose. We are nurturing our uniqueness and our equality, and acknowledging our own fragility - if we decide to impose our own rules, we are dipping the sponge into the vinegar - we can all choose to do that .... But .... Who should be begging then?
Elaine Kennedy.
