The word “bulwark” is
uncommon for most of us, but in various
ways the Lord has shown us that this
concept of being a “bulwark” is part of
his call to the whole Sword of the Spirit.
The idea of the medieval castle or the
fort with a surrounding village in the
early European settlement of North America
might help us better understand what a
bulwark is. We tend to consider castles
and forts as defensive, and they do have
to be solid and unassailable to protect
their inhabitants and the many others who
rely on them. But they were essentially
advanced positions to help establish a new
culture in the territory they were placed
in.
The Medieval
walled community of
Carcassone, France, was a
center of trade and
Christian renewal for the
surrounding region. It was
originally built in the 5th
century A.D.
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We as a community consider ourselves to be
something like a fort [not a physical
structure but a community living a
distinctive way of life], planted in a
territory that is not yet the Lord’s, and
we have discovered that the mission in
foreign territory requires that we live a
radical life in Christ. As Jesus pointed
out in the Gospels, to be a disciple, to
be effective in the mission he calls us
to, we need to give our whole life
– even to death
– to accomplish it. The
Lord hasn’t invited us to a quiet stroll
in the countryside. Rather, he has asked
us to build and maintain a “fort” for him,
influencing the people around us on the
Lord’s behalf, sometimes providing help in
their need, winning some to the Lord by
our words and actions and by our very
presence. To build a Christian community
as part of the bulwark which he is
establishing is a work of great magnitude
and
– according to what he
has shown us
– one
that has eternal consequences for many
others as well. Therefore we need to
be serious disciples of the Lord to carry
it out.
I was deeply encouraged in reading the
documents of the 1979 Latin American
Catholic bishops, when they gathered with
Paul John Paul II in Puebla, Mexico, to
discuss evangelism in our region. I want
to quote two short sections from the
document:
“The Church evangelizes in the
first place through the global testimony
of its life. (By its manner, and not
only by what it does). Thus in its
faithfulness as sacrament, it tries to
become a sign or living model of the
communion of love in Christ which it
announces and tries to bring about.
“The pedagogy of the Incarnation teaches
us that people need clear models to
guide them. It was said that the
greatest political relevance in the
Middle Ages was the foundations of the
Benedictine monks, because their form of
community life became the great model
for the social organization of fledgling
Europe; Latin America also needs such
models” (Puebla, ch. 171).
A society with
Gospel values
This is not an easy way to live, and in
our community we are far from perfect at
it, but we can already see signs of God’s
kingdom breaking forth in it. For example,
we aim to exercise authority as a service,
not as an excuse to lord it over others.
In the area of possessions, the level of
sharing in the community is much more
ambitious than in any communist society.
We don’t do this by negating the right to
private property, nor by imposing some
law, but simply through the generous
sharing of goods and resources, inspired
by the Holy Spirit working within each of
our members. Our community life is founded
on genuine love, expressed in a total
commitment involving every area of our
lives and possessions.
Learning to live as members of this new
society is not an easy business. It is a
high calling and entails a very deep level
of commitment, both to God and to our
brothers and sisters. It entails a death
to self and a renunciation of the values
of our current secular society.
- In a secular society which values
absolute personal freedom as an
inalienable right, our way of life
calls us to move from independence to
interdependence and on to brotherhood
and sisterhood.
- In a secular society centered on
competition as the key to personal
success, our way of life proclaims
collaboration, mutual help and service
for the growth and well being of all.
- In a society that applauds rebels,
whatever their cause, our way of life
insists on relationships of authority
and subordination that do not diminish
the dignity of the person.
- In a society that has stopped
believing in the sanctity and
importance of marriage, our way of
life fosters an ever-increasing
affection, kindness and commitment
between husband and wife.
- In a society in which emotions are
the absolute criterion for action, our
way of life builds its relationships
on people’s given word and solemn
commitment.
- In a secular society that no longer
proclaims freedom of worship or
religion but freedom from any religion
or worship, our community way of life
presents a people who value their
relationship with God above all other
values.
- In a society that disregards all
morality or introduces a supposedly
human morality, we insist on obeying
the law of God with all its
implications.
- In a society in which people pride
themselves on doing whatever they
want, our way of life proclaims that
doing the will of God is the absolute
criterion for action.
- In a society that demands justice,
we proclaim mercy.
- In a society full of violence, our
life upholds the wisdom of
self-sacrificing love.
- In a society full of anxiety, where
mental disorders and depression are
quite common, the new society in
Christ testifies that people can live
today in harmony, joy and peace.
Our community, a small “fort”, is distinct
from the society in which we live
– distinct in its
economics, laws and manner of governing,
in its lifestyle and values. Despite the
barrage from the media offering an often
twisted and superficial philosophy about
how to live, we are doing what we can as a
people to establish the Lord’s kingdom on
earth.
A distinctive
people
The strategy of being a distinct people
who influence the people around them is
really God’s own strategy. In the New
Testament the Apostle Peter in his first
letter gives one of the earliest
definitions of the church, and in so doing
echoes the Lord’s call to the people of
Israel in Old Testament times. To the
Christians, Peter writes, “You are a
chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy
nation, a people belonging to God, that
you may declare the praises of him who
called you out of darkness into his
wonderful light. Once you were not a
people, but now you are the people of God”
(1 Peter 2:9). God’s plan was and
still is to establish his church, this
people set apart for him, as a city on a
mountain top, a sign planted in the midst
of the nations, light and salt of the
earth, leaven in the dough
– an instrument for the
extension of the kingdom of God. But
disgracefully, many Christians today have
lost their sense of being a nation.
The example of Israel could help us
understand our call to community, our call
to become a holy people. Speaking through
Moses, God told his people Israel that
they should have nothing whatever to do
with the wicked ways of the nations around
them, for, he said, “You are a people holy
to the Lord your God. The Lord your God
has chosen you out of all the peoples on
the face of the earth to be his people,
his treasured possession” (Deuteronomy
7:6).
His people were supposed to be different
from the other nations. In addition to the
Ten Commandments, the Lord gave them many
other regulations for their daily life, as
detailed in the book of Leviticus and
elsewhere. For example, they were to
consecrate their first-born sons to God
and circumcise all their sons. They were
to avoid eating the meat of certain
animals and were to offer to him the first
fruits of their crops, the first-born of
their animals, and a tithe of their
earnings. These concrete norms constituted
a whole way of living, a distinct culture.
The importance of these for the survival
of a people was made particularly clear
when the people of Israel were exiled from
their land, sometimes for long periods of
time and in various countries. By virtue
of their common and distinctive way of
life, they have continued even to this day
to be one people, one nation, set apart by
their culture.
I believe the Lord has also called us as
the Sword of the Spirit, this community of
communities, to be his people, a
distinctive grouping within the whole
Christian people
– not
better, but distinctive
– to whom he has given
a particular mission. From the very
beginning he has addressed the City of God
and many other communities as “my people”
and continues to speak to the whole Sword
of the Spirit in this way. Like the
People of Israel, we find ourselves
dispersed all over the world, made up of
people of different races and languages.
What gives us an identity in such a
diversity is our culture. We are supposed
to be a distinct environment, a distinct
people with its own culture, even though
formed from people of diverse races,
languages and cultures around the world.
We are on the way to being brothers and
sisters in a very deep way, as we more and
more share a common way of life. Our
unity, although still imperfect, is
already a reality, a kind of utopia before
our eyes. The Lord has chosen us and is in
the process of forming us into one people.
We have the same God, have all been called
to follow the Lord and have accepted Jesus
as our Lord and Savior. He has made a
covenant with us and joined us all into
one people, and we in turn have made a
covenant with one another, even with those
we might never see. He chose us and gave
us a new name and a new identity. And
among us there is a real confidence that
what we are involved in is something that
was his initiative and not merely
human.
A distinctive way
of life
As a community of communities we have our
own way of praising and worshiping the
Lord. Our music
– strong
and at times martial
– is
fitting for a people who are in a
spiritual battle, a people at war, and
differs noticeably from the sweet, almost
lyrical music of other groups. Our common
form of praying reflects the vision we
have of the Lord
– the
Lord of heaven and earth
– and focuses on giving
him the glory and praise that is his due,
rather than primarily on asking for his
help, although we do depend on him for
even the smallest things and are open to
seeing him work wonders, large and small,
on our behalf. We have our
distinctive way of honoring him by
celebrating the Lord’s Day and relaxing
together.
We have a distinctive way of exercising
authority, with subordinates being
encouraged to take initiative and bear
responsibility. We have a distinctive way
of relating to secular authority. A way to
share our material goods and money. A
distinct way of relating as husband and
wife, with the husband serving as the head
of his wife, and she the suitable helper
and necessary complement for him. A
distinct way of speaking, in which the
words “brother” or “sister” flow naturally
and in which we work to eradicate from our
speech all negative humor, name-calling,
sarcasm, slander, vulgarity and rudeness.
And we try to live our lives in the light,
not in secretiveness or darkness.
Brotherly correction is given and received
in humility; exhortation and counsel are
received gracefully. If there is an
argument or a difficulty in a
relationship, we know how to heal it,
asking and giving forgiveness and owning
up to our faults. And we don’t
harbor anger or bitterness in our
hearts.
We have an approach to sexuality that is
different from the world’s but at the same
time joyful and full of thanksgiving.
There is a clarity about our identity
– the men dressing and
acting as men, and the women dressing as
women. We have a distinct process of
dating and courtship among the young
people, with the young men showing signs
of respect to young women.
We have forms of giving and receiving
respect between children and adults, men
and women, and between members of the
community and their leaders. When we have
guests, the children give their seats to
the older brothers and sisters, whom they
treat with respect, calling them “uncle”
or “aunt”. But the children are also taken
into account and treated with
respect: they are not only our
children or our nieces and nephews, they
are also our young brothers and sisters in
the Lord. Among themselves the children
treat one another with affection, as
brothers and sisters or cousins. We also
have a distinct way to form our children
so they will grow up as confident people,
loving God and loving those around
them.
We have a distinct way of viewing the
world around us and what is happening in
it. A distinct attitude toward life and
death. Toward sickness and suffering and
trial. Toward success, riches,
friendship and happiness. In our
homes we live a life that is quite similar
from one family to the next, and distinct
from the world’s way. Each of us takes
time for personal prayer and we all read
the scriptures. We offer prayers of
thanksgiving before meals and have times
of family prayer. We have family nights
and celebrate the Lord’s Day. We
pray over one another very naturally for
various needs. The use of TV is
limited. Hospitality is very much a part
of our daily lives, and in many cases,
single brothers and sisters make their
home with families, sharing a common life.
We know how to value and administer our
time and we try to schedule it wisely so
that we can be faithful to commitments and
punctual at meetings.
These are all elements of a culture that
we consciously try to live out. We should
feel proud to be part of this people and
proud of our way of life.
We feel that the Lord has called us to
live a way of life that is radically
distinct from the world around us and
opposed to many of its ideals, values and
customs, and this is not an easy task. The
world may not applaud us for it. In
fact, the Lord warns us in scripture that
if people persecuted him, they would also
persecute us, his disciples.
The Lord has always asked his disciples to
love one another as he loved them. Today
he is raising up disciples in communities,
called in a special way to radically live
out that love as brothers and sisters in
Christ, committed to one another in a way
that touches every area of life, and every
moment of every day. Christians have
always been called to be in the world
without being of it, to be salt and
light. In this particular moment in
history, in which the values of the world
threaten large segments of the church, the
Lord is calling some Christians to form
communities, “forts”, that are joined
together as a bulwark to strengthen and
protect his church and foster the spread
of his good news
– to be
a people set apart for him, living
according to his ways.
