Nestor O. Miguez

Yesterday, I went to a lecture by Nestor Miguez called, Doing Theology in a non revolutionary situation. Miguez from what I gleaned from Dr. Couture's introduction is the son of theologian, José Míguez Bonino, who wrote a book called Doing Theology in a Revolutionary Situation. To be honest, I had never heard of that book before, nor had I heard of either theologian. I went to the lecture because I didn't want to miss out on seeing someone who is a great thinker; and this lecture did not disappoint.

Dr. Miguez helped me to rethink things in our culture and reclaim some things that I used to think about quite a lot. Being a Liberation Theologian from Argentina, he spoke a lot about the struggles and the injustices that are going on in the world. Most of these struggles have less to do with government, although that can still be a problem, but more to do with the Market.

I realize that the market is kind of an easy target these days, and that everyone is struggling because of the market situation. Most of what is going on I don't really understand. I don't know economics that well, but I do realize that our entire economy is based on faith. Therefore, we must trust the dollar's worth and then it will be worth something. There is very little product to back our economy. I guess with this in mind it is little wonder that our economy is struggling right now.

Part of what Dr. Miguez did was to try to rethink our corrupt human nature that has turned greed into a virtue. Our system does not have grace in it at all. What would it look like if we took the call to be united with Christ seriously? Would we try to build a new economic system that doesn't have the corruption of greed? How could we be grace-filled in today's world, and how can we truly live out our call to the least and lost?

Our economic system has caused us to think about relationships in terms of usefulness. We are only friends with someone if we can get something out of it. I do realize that this is vastly overstated and that not everyone does this, but what does friendship mean in Christian terms? Relationality has to be rethought according to aspects of grace and I think the Trinity could help in this as well. God is fully God in the mystery of the Holy Trinity. God is three and one in a cosmic union of distinct persons. The relationship makes God "one in diversity" (Karkkainen, An Introduction to Ecclesiology). Humanity being made in the image of God then must reflect that community. Thus, humans are only fully human or are made whole by and through true communion. We must carry others within us, realizing the ontological link between us, and making meaning only in relation to the other. We must carry the diversity of peoples in our hearts while at the same time becoming one with others through communion. It is through the Eucharistic life that we can become truly one with God and one with each other. A way to help you live a Eucharist life comes from Philippians 2:3-4:

Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.

Live in humility, holding other's needs in your heart, and becoming one the other in Christ, through the Holy Spirit.