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Editorial
N. Perlas, 24 December 2004
Over two thousand years ago, Julius Caesar, ignoring the
directives of the Roman Senate, crossed the Rubicon, defeated his rivals, and
inaugurated one of the most powerful periods in Roman history.
A few decades after him, a baby was born in that part of the Roman Empire known
today as Israel. Born of relatively unknown parents, this baby could have been
just another of the thousands of babies born within the ambit of the Empire. But
the visit of three kings from the East, among others, indicated that this baby
boy was not an ordinary infant. And true enough, this baby, Jesus Christ, grew
up and was heralded as the long awaited Savior of the Jews.
However, certain segments of the Jews became increasingly disappointed with
Christ. Instead of behaving like the Messiah they had expected, Christ preached
Love as the supreme commandment, Love, not political power and dominance.
Instead of organizing against the Roman Empire, Christ was teaching the
importance of overcoming the past practice of a “tooth for a tooth” or “an eye
for an eye”. Exasperated, they finally convinced their Roman overlords to
torture and crucify Christ. In their eyes, Christ, among others, failed to
fulfill their hopes of a Jewish King that would remove them from the yoke of the
Roman Empire.
Under ordinary circumstances, that would have been the end of the story. But
this was not an ordinary human being. St. John the Evangelist characterizes
Christ as the Logos, as Divine, thru whom all things were created. The followers
of Christ eventually spread to many countries of the world. In the third century
AD, Christianity spiritually overpowered the Roman Empire and became the
official religion of Rome. Today, Christianity is the largest religion in the
world and the dominant force of Western civilization and its global satellite
nations.
In Christian cultures around the world, like most of the Philippines, this
season of Christmas, if not engulfed in commercialism, is the occasion to
reflect on the world historical meaning of the coming of the Christ to earth
existence. This reflection is urgent today especially in the context of our
current global situation which calls for a close examination of lessons that can
be gleaned from this historical struggle between Love and Empire.
On September 17, 2002 a modern-day Caesar crossed the modern-day equivalent of
the Rubicon. His name is George W. Bush. Using 9/11 as a pretext, he inaugurated
his doctrine of the United States of America as a global empire. In the process,
Bush formally inaugurated the most powerful empire that the world has even seen.
(See related essay on the US as a global empire.)
How should human beings who truly love their freedom and who seek to uphold
their highest aspirations respond to this challenge?
Christ, as a Divine Being, could have ushered in His heavenly forces to destroy
the Empire. This much He already hinted in his response to the questions of
Pontius Pilate. But He did not succumb to this temptation which He had already
overcome in his “40-day” sojourn in the desert. Even from the very beginning, He
chose to enter earth existence in very humble circumstances, away from the pomp,
power, and opulent wealth of Rome. Yet Christ unleashed a spiritual force that
eventually overcame and outlasted the Roman Empire.
There are a number of key principles and lessons that we can derive from this
classic example of how Love can overcome Empire. And it is certain that others
can point to more principles. And while it is important to point out that
Christ’s mission goes beyond just overcoming Empires, it is important to point
to three key lessons that stand out if we wish to deal with the global Empire
that has emerged in our time.
First, Christ chose the hearts and minds of the people as the arena of struggle,
not the military battlefield nor the labyrinths of the Roman political system.
He preached a gospel of spiritual, individual, and social transformation. He
launched a spiritual-cultural revolution because He knew that the heart of the
revolution was the revolution of the heart. He knew that, ultimately, all
Empires can only last when they are seen as legitimate and justified in the
minds and hearts of its subjects. So to win a spiritual battle inside was to
ultimately subvert the Empire.
Second, Christ knew that this spiritual battle will not be won instantaneously.
He knew that it will take time. He was very well aware that Jewish history was
littered with disasters caused by the backsliding of the Jewish people against
their own highest ideals. So He inaugurated a task without expecting immediate
spectacular results.
Third, Christ chose to focus His time and energy on a few key disciples who were
determined to spread His message of Love and Peace. Many may wish, deep in their
hearts, to be involved in the struggle against the Empire. But there are all
kinds of obstacles that come and hinder the translation of intention into
reality. Only a few will display that kind of commitment that can truly change
the world. The new world will be built upon these individuals who will truly go
out of their way and inconvenience themselves and their day-to-day life to
create a better world.
This is not to argue for elitism. This is simply to point the day-to-day
realities that social movements face, realities connected with fiery enthusiasm
that quickly fades away into inaction and a stream of excuses. Purveyors of
false hopes and enthusiasms can easily deplete the time and resources of those
who have stayed the course amidst all challenges.
Especially this time of Christmas, we can choose one of two alternatives. We can
choose to flow with what “normal” people do: lots of shopping, parties, endless
gossip, or, in short, irrelevance. Or we can choose to spend our time reflecting
on what we can learn from the life of Christ. It is within our power to choose
irrelevance or reflection.
For the sake of the world, hopefully more and more people choose a reflective
mood. Then we can all liberate that divine spark in us, a spark that can
overcome the temptations of Empire and help usher the era of a more sustainable
planet.
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