I read the recent words of Benedictine sister, Joan Chittister, and knew I should share her insights with us. Sister Joan has been at the forefront of Catholic social justice issues for decades now. I have spent some time at the Benedictine monastery in Erie where Sister Joan has lived for a pretty long time. The whole group of women in that community are an inspiration to anyone who wants to live a life of meaning and give back to God and the larger community. Sister Joan has been a leader among leaders.
In her recent article she was reflecting on freedom. Her title enticed me: “Land of the free, home of the self-centered.” I smiled when I read that because I knew her ornery prophetic spirit was on the loose again; I just didn’t know what she was going to address. Her first words mentioned the pandemic, so the context was clear. She was addressing the bane of our existence right now. Her commentary was “The world has gone into lockdown, been felled..”
“Except, not exactly” were her next words. She offers what I call a teaser statement. She quips, “In fact, another image may explain the real scope of this disaster with even greater specificity. In fact, it might even be in us that the real danger lies and not in the virus at all.” Is she really suggesting the real problem is not the virus, but something else? Indeed, this is where she is going. Follow along.
Chittister then launches into a description and praise of Rosie the Riveter, WW II icon of the woman who went to work to help defeat the Nazi nemesis. Chittister wanted us to have that image in our mind, as she deftly shifts to another image she wants to share with her. Sister Joan now offers this new image. “The woman on my television screen, now, though, was somewhere between 30-40 years old. She was fired up, too, and very sure of herself. Nobody was going to tell her to do anything she didn't want to do.”
At first, I was not sure what Chittister was talking about, but then I realized she was referring to something she had seen on television. She is contrasting this tv image with the famous poster of Rosie. Sister Joan was setting us up with that last sentence: nobody was going to tell this younger woman what to do. Now I knew Chittister had shifted to our contemporary pandemic scene. Sister Joan shares the interchange of the woman and a reporter.
“I see you’re not wearing a mask,” the reporter called to her. “Is that on purpose?” You best it is!” Two Americans, two women, two different images are the theme. The tv woman is ready to talk about freedom. “Nobody can make me wear a mask; we have rights! This is a free country. They just want to control us. But we're free! We have rights and we're not giving them up.” The woman is taking a stand on her rights---her freedom as an American. And the mask symbolizes it. Nobody is going to make her wear the thing. Going naked is her right!
Chittister is now ready for her prophetic voice to come out. And she does it with the normal bit of humor I have come to associate with her. “The irony was not lost on me: Rosie the Riveter gave up her freedom to free the rest of the world.” And now here it comes. “Ms. TV Personality of 2020 — nicely dressed, full of self-confidence — claimed the freedom that Rosie won for all of us for herself, for her own satisfaction, whatever might happen to the rest of the country.” It is obvious I agree with Sister Joan.
The contrast is clear. Rosie the Riveter sacrifices for the freedom of all others. Ms. TV personality, as Chittister sarcastically calls her, claims freedom for herself---becomes self-centered. I don’t like to wear masks, as I am sure most people don’t. I always associated masks with surgeons and bandits. And now I am wearing one, but am neither surgeon nor bandit. I am doing to protect myself. But I also am doing it out of respect and care for all others. It does not seem like a high price to pay. I think decent humans beings agree to do it. And I am even more sure Jesus would want us to think of others and do the most loving thing.
I like Chittister’s take on this. She wants to argue for the common good. That is what Rosie was serving---a bigger issue than herself. The common good should trump what Sister Joan calls “toxic individualism.” We all agree that we have rights. Chittister spends a fair amount of time detailing the constitutional rights afforded Americans. But we also have responsibilities. For me as a person of the Spirit, responsibility is normally more important than my individual right.
Discipleship, as I understand it, is a response to a call from the Spirit. We respond. And our lives are lived in response to the ongoing presence of that Spirit. To be responsive is to be responsible. Wearing a mask seems like a small thing to do. And it is an image of my responsibility. Having all of us make it is more important than my individual freedom to do whatever I want.
I am glad to be free…and responsible.
Those of us who have read theology or, perhaps, those who are people of faith and are old enough might well recognize this title as a reminder of the late Jewish philosopher and theologian, Martin Buber. I remember reading Buber’s book, I and Thou , when I was in college in the 1960s. It was already a famous book by then. I am not sure I fully understood it, but that would not be the last time I read it. It has been a while since I looked at the book. Buber came up in a conversation with a friend who asked if I had seen the recent article by David Brooks? I had not seen it, but when I was told about it, I knew I would quickly locate and read that piece. I very much like what Brooks decides to write about and what he contributes to societal conversation. I wish more people read him and took him seriously. Brooks’ article focused on the 2016 contentious election. He provocatively suggests, “Read Buber, Not the Polls!” I think Brooks puts
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