Why not? Jesus was radical.
After all, He espoused an alternative social order - one in which all men and women were equal and free. He deliberately ate dinner with the tax collector and prostitutes. He sought out those who were outcasts. He constantly challenged those who were rich and comfortable about their ideas and way of life.
A ministry for the disabled has to be a bit radical in order to be effective. This is because those with disabilities have gone for so long without having a voice. We have a long way to go before we are treated as equal and free.
What we really need is a society where all of us with disabilities have the right to be seen and participate, just like everyone else.
This would, of course, necessarily mean that those without disabilties do not exclude us or otherwise treat us with disrespect.
Spreading this radical message is an exciting, but sometimes discouraging, ministry. It can lead to misunderstandings and even being told that we don't understand how hard it is for able bodied people to be around us!
This is, of course, exactly my point. What Jesus was showing us through His example is that it is not about whether it is "hard" to be around those who are different. He was teaching us that, as Christians, this is how we should act . He was telling us not to be deceived by the social structure that the world gives us - whether it be a caste system, discrimination against others or intolerant, ingrained behaviors.
The radical message of Our Lord is this: we all have more in common than not as brothers and sisters in Christ.
1 comment:
I agree. Problem often is that people don't give each other a chance and bother to get to know each other on a one to one basis because of appearances. Some of it is fear and some of it is just because of what they've been taught. We have to relearn things when we mature as Christians so we can practice our faith.
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