Volume 25, Number 1    April 2003

 

Rodriguez: CTA in solidarity with Mayan peoples of Chiapas

CTA board member Jeanette Rodriguez, a Latina liberation theologian at Seattle University, frequently visits the indigenous church communities of Latin America. Last October she spent several weeks in Chiapas, Mexico, whose retired bishop, Samuel Ruiz, keynoted the 1999 CTA Conference. She visited Chiapas again in February, and plans are underway to bring lay leaders from Chiapas to address CTA this November. Rodriguez reflected on our Chiapas connection in her homily at the conference Eucharist last November. Here is a major excerpt:

 

In times of disaster in our lives, our gracious God has sent people to remind us, as Isaiah did to his people in Babylon (which is modern Iraq!), that we "shall build up the ancient ruins, build from the former devastation, repair the ruined cities." And in the process, let us not forget to comfort our people.

I recently returned from accompanying the Tseltal (Mayan) communities in Chiapas. The religious leaders there are called "animadores del corazón." They animate the heart. They enlarge it, give it hope and strength. This is the role of the deacons in Chiapas. If you spend even a short time with one of their Tseltal communities, you realize how important the heart is. One doesn't ask, "How are you?" They say, "What does your heart tell me? How is your heart? Come in, sit down, and rest your heart."

The heart is the vessel for the soul and the spirit. The Tseltals believe that the heart speaks directly to God, that they must be silent so that the heart can speak. If one does not listen to the Word of God, one's heart grows as hard as a stone. Listening to the Word of God softens the heart - to speak to God and to hear God's voice.

I was present for an interregional meeting of the indigenous peoples in Chiapas last month. There are about 550 Mayan communities. As they listened to God's voice during those weeks, an interesting dynamic happened. The Jesuits posed a question to the Tseltal elders. "What would happen if we Jesuits were all killed in a plane crash?"

One of the elders, Domingo, stood up and said, "If all the Jesuits died in a plane crash, I would say that you have not done your work very well. Jesus' ministry lasted only three years, but when he died, he left us with the Holy Spirit. Give us the Spirit in ordination so that we may care for our communities. Open the Church to our full participation!"

After 500 years this Christian world with all its diverse communities is again challenged by the reawakening desire of all marginalized people to regain their sense of identity and destiny. For years now the married indigenous deacons of this region have asked Rome for permission to have some of them ordained as priests. Bishop Samuel Ruiz has supported this request. But Rome is not prepared at this time to grant it. In spite of this, the Jesuits and the indigenous people have decided that the work of building an indigenous church will continue. Thus there emerges a new model of church and new ministries.

Take, for example, the ministry of the reconcilers. These are Tseltal judges trained to resolve problems in the community according to Tseltal culture, which is one of restorative justice. This system of justice isn't meant to assign blame or to punish one individual. It examines the offenses and their effe

The Tseltal people work against great odds - both the resistance of the institutional Church and the political situation of being constantly threatened by the paramilitaries. Yet they have taught me this message:
Foundationally, our belief is in a gracious God who assures us that in times of tragedy and struggle, we are afflicted, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; struck down but not destroyed.

The vision is articulated in today's reading from Isaiah:
No longer shall violence be heard in the land. No longer shall the sound of weeping be heard, Or the crying of an infant, or an old one who has not reached the fullness of life. They shall live in the houses they build, and eat the fruit of the vineyards, and none shall hurt or destroy.

This community of communities - Call To Action - has committed itself to this vision. And last month in Chiapas I told the Tseltal people about Call To Action. And to animate your hearts, they decided to send you this message:

To the Call To Action community:

It gives me great pleasure to know that we are twins. Our ideals and objectives are the same. We are one Church, based in the reality of the world in which we live today, a reflection of Jesus who came to bring the Good News. A Church truly Catholic, that enlightens everyone without discrimination or limitations. A Church that by its word and example preaches the Gospel in such a way that it can be inculturated in every one of the different cosmo-visions on all the continents of the world.

May our Good Father and Mother enlarge your heart and fill you with God's grace. In communion and solidarity,

Your brother, Eugenio Maurer, SJ, for the people of the church of Chiapas, Mexico.