World Forum on Theology and Liberation

“Spirituality for Another Possible World”

2007 January 19 | Nairobi, Kenya

Spirituality and Respect for Diversity

By REV. EUNICE SANTANA

It is an honor for me to be participating in this World Theological Forum on Spirituality for Another Possible World, and an honor to have this opportunity to share some thoughts with you as a member of this panel.

I stand before you filled with joy, but also with “fear and trembling”, as a Puerto Rican woman of mixed racial heritage whose blood races and whose heart beats in a different way whenever I am in Africa due to the energy of some of my ancestors and of the Divine Spirit that is very much present in this continent and which reach out to me. I stand before you as a woman engaged in the struggle for the freedom of my people from colonialism—since 1898 Puerto Rico has been a colony of the United States of America, following more than 400 years under the Spanish Empire—and involved in other forms of struggle: for peace, dignity, social justice and against the prevailing order. I stand before you as a relatively poor woman from humble origins, as a Christian, a feminist and an ordained minister dedicated to ecumenical work through formation and action.

Yesterday, Sergio Torres reminded us that the methodology of Liberation Theology is praxis followed by reflection and moving back to praxis. Following that practice, I will speak from the experience of a successful struggle that my people waged against the most powerful military force of the world, the U.S. Navy, which is assisted by all sorts of intelligence resources and repressive apparatus. This occurred against all odds at a moment when war seems to be the highest item on the agenda of the powerful to get rid of “the overflow”, the dispensable human beings in an effort to enrich themselves and continue accumulating wealth, appropriating for themselves—stealing—resources, as they try to control and dominate everything and everyone. Through a non-violent struggle of decades, persevering, being creative and inclusive, for the first time in our history, we were able to unite all sectors of Puerto Rican society to stand up and say in one voice: “This is enough”. Together, with the full participation of the religious hierarchy, people of faith—believers in God and non-believers—Catholics and Protestants, youth, fishing folk, professionals, people from all walks of life and specially women, who played a significant role in providing, among other things, security, hospitality and humor, we were able occupy the land that had been used as a firing range since World War II and to liberate the militarized land.

The young and the not so young struggled side by side. The not so young shared dreams of what could be, based on their past experiences and knowledge, while the youth shared their visions of what ought to be, fulfilling the promise of the prophet…There was room for everyone. Everyone had something to offer and each offering was well received. So we walked together, acting together, engaging in civil disobedience, being detained together, serving jail sentences together. During the process many were repressed and treated unjustly, some were even tortured. The young grew wiser and experienced with the shared wisdom of the not so young; the not so young became stronger with the energy and fearlessness of the youth. The women became more assertive and the men more humble, more like true partners, less macho like, more tender. The times for meditation and worship were deeply ecumenical as was the chapel built by the people in the occupied area.

I also come from the relatively new venture of the international movement Peace For Life in which we share a commitment for Life, justice and peace, which requires us to walk together in the midst of diversity. We are men and women of different religions, cultures, traditions, continents, experiences, sexual orientations…opening ourselves to the Spirit and working for a different world, bu apparently weak accomplish through their creativity, courage, love and faith and builds upon those mighty acts. From the perspective of faith, there we can experience the presence of the Divine and, from a Christian understanding, confess that God continues to walk in the midst of the people assisting them in their struggle. It is not afraid to be inspired, illuminated and nourished by the experiences and readings from other faiths and traditions. At the same time, it does not hesitate to seek nourishment and replenish its hope through biblical reading and study, finding there examples of various forms of resistance to the powerful, affirmations and defense of life itself, the collective life of the people, as individuals become active participants in God’s plan of liberation. Among these we find courageous women such as: the midwives who refused to obey the order, given by the pharaoh, to kill the male children at the time of their birth; the mother and sister of Moses who saved his life and the pharaoh’s daughter who adopted him; Mary, the mother of Jesus, who became an active accomplice and raised the child with a sense of responsibility and consciousness that he was part of a much larger community, and; the woman from the region of Phoenicia in Syria who challenged Jesus’ self understanding and pushed him beyond the established cultural prejudices and boundaries.

A spirituality for transforming the world recognizes that the issues are complex, the dominating model—its consequences and ramifications and expressions—has multiple roots and causes, and must, therefore be well understood in order for us to tackle them successfully. With humility we need to look for answers in the larger community, moving away from the traditional view that there is only one way and that we have the truth, the full picture and the only possible response. This spirituality respects the inputs, visions and perspectives of others, seeks them out purposefully and engages with them in the search for solutions, affirming the value and dignity of other people. It is neither self-centered nor narcissist. It enables the gifts and contributions of others to emerge and be well received, strengthening the cause and making transformation possible.

It knows that everything is related to everything else; the fabric of life is one and pulling one thread carelessly can produce a hole making other stitches to become loose, thereby destroying the fabric. Integration of information, knowledge, experiences, actions and people are necessary. It appreciates history, for the past illuminates the future. It sees history not as a lineal process but as a spiral and, from the perspective of Christian faith, believes that that the promises of the past shall be fulfilled in the future.

It is keenly aware that we are members of one body. This applies not just to the members of one church, nationality, religion or tradition, but to all of humanity. We form one body, therefore, when one part of the body suffers the entire body suffers, and when one part receives special attention in justice and rejoices, the entire body rejoices, feeling good. (2nd. Corinthians 12)

It assumes risks in relationships as we engage in dialogue and actions. It is open to receive and get to know the stranger, putting aside preconceived judgments, trusting, listening, working side by side as equals, respecting, building coalitions/alliances, breaking down walls of separation. In this we are often surprised and reminded of the experience of the disciples on the way to Emmaus and in a similar manner exclaim: “Didn’t our hearts burn as he spoke to us?”

This spirituality demands us to engage in action with others to bring about structural change for the sake of those who are less fortunate, searching for their well-being and happiness. It is never for self-aggrandizement or motivated by selfishness. Therefore, it requires that we see and treat people as subjects, not as objects of our actions nor as abstractions, but real persons in concrete situations. They are not just “the poor” they have faces and names, families and communities, hopes and aspirations, pain and gifts, wisdom and needs… They are José, Cristina, Frank, Abdullah… and in each one resides the Holy Spirit. They are persons who lack adequate housing, health services, education, sanitary conditions, clean water, recognition of over-arching and basic human rights: people who are trampled upon, robbed of their collective and personal resources, humiliated, unemployed, forced to exist with hunger or dying of hunger. They are our sisters and brothers. They are the women—María, Adela, Grace, Monique—who suffer discrimination from birth automatically by virtue of being women, by the sexual division of labor or because they belong to a specific race, social or ethnic group. They are people with different talents, gifts and virtues that may be, for example, sick with HIV/AIDS. They are active subjects that in many cases just by not dying, by not giving up and being alive, are resisting.

This spirituality creates community, breaks down isolation, practices hospitality and solidarity. Psalm 23 speaks of the Lord preparing “a banquet for me in the presence of my enemies”. Our spirituality calls us to prepare a table in front of their enemies, for those persons who are disadvantaged, exploited and oppressed and to fill their cup to the brim until their “cup runneth over”, spills due to the abundance of its content. It calls us to prepare safe places where the children, the women and other people who suffer abuse may come to tell their stories, receive solidarity and accompaniment for action and change.

Our spirituality for transformation to make possible a world in which justice, respect for all of Creation and the active promotion of peace are practiced, demands perseverance. It doesn’t set dead lines for God. It makes us set timetables for ourselves and requires that we discern the signs of the time and face the present historical moment in which we find ourselves with humility, thanksgiving and joy. Like Esther, in the biblical story, we need to consider that perhaps we have been called precisely for a time such as this.

To the young people who ask earlier where is God, from the perspective of faith we dare to respond, God is still in the midst of the struggles of the people, accompanying us, making small miracles to happen—like our triumph over the military in Vieques where on May 1st, 2003 the US Navy had to close down the area used for target practice and leave the island. God is active at work, illuminating the road, filling us with hope and vision, suffering with those who suffer, crying out with anger and indignation and calling all of us to engage in action to change the world.

If we truly believe that a different order, a new world is possible, let us embark on the task of creating it, assuming our quest and practice of unity in the midst of diversity, of a spirituality of transformation for another world that we know is possible.