live against the current

Matthew 25:31-46

A few years ago, invited by the Barcelona GBU, I participated in a video forum about a film that marked an entire era: “The Matrix”. His argument poses a future in which almost all human beings have been enslaved by Artificial Intelligence and Robotic Technology that have achieved a life of their own. The few who have not fallen into their traps live in the city of Zion. Everything in the film has biblical resonances.

One of the characters in “The Matrix” is Morpheus. In Greek mythology, he is the God of sleep. Here, instead, he is the one who makes people wake up. In this context, being asleep means living, moving and being in a world of fiction, false, blind to reality. Being awake, however, implies learning to live against the current. The protagonist, whose name is “Neo”, is offered the possibility to choose the world in which he wants to live by choosing the “red pill” or “blue pill”. Both are symbols that represent the choice between embracing the truth of reality, that is, the authentic world or, on the contrary, continuing in the world of ignorance and illusion, where everything is apparent, false and nothing is what it seems. . In fact, This fictional proposal offered by “The Matrix” describes in the form of a parable the life that each one has to choose, because it places us before a turning point that invites us to decide.

If you choose to take the “blue pill” you will close your eyes to reality; you will let your life peacefully follow the current of this world without putting up any resistance; you will believe the sacrosanct truths that are published from the pulpits of this world about how to find meaning in life, through the consumption of ephemeral things that will leave you dissatisfied, because they can never offer what they promise; you will understand the church as that “Great Theater” (S. Kierkegaard) to which one attends to passively contemplate the Sunday show. If there is some illusion and enthusiasm in your heart, it will only be knowing that your team has won the Champions League. The “blue pill” is great, right? It serves to live in “The worlds of Yupi”, always ignorant of what really matters and without ever committing yourself to the things that are really worth it.

If you choose the “red pill” you will open your eyes to reality because you will be clear that you need to “unplug” from the current of this world; you will seriously face the question: What does God expect of you; you will become aware of how this world wants to program you to make you a sterile and fruitless Christian; You will see everyone around you, whoever they are, not as objects to be used for your benefit, but as people who need to be welcomed, understood, served and loved.. If you choose to live in reality, in short, you will be part of those who want to live against the current in this world to practice an open-eyed spirituality.

“Entire continents burning…Deep inside us, if we accept that all lives are equal, we should do something concrete to extinguish this fire…Future generations will know if we responded…History will be our judge…It is up to us ”. (“Bono”, singer of “U2”).

This world is an immense Matthew 25. The key word in the argument of this text is: “TO SEE” When did we see you hungry, or thirsty, or naked, or sick…? Do we open our eyes to reality, or do we close them? Reality wants to speak, but you have to let it speak, and once it has spoken it is necessary to respect its word.

Some when they look at the sea they only see luxury cruise ships. Others, however, looking at the same place, see boats with immigrants in need of help because they are fleeing from hunger, war and death. Some, when they see the homeless on the streets, only see them as dangerous bums and criminals. Others, on the other hand, see them as people in need of help, support and shelter. Some, when they attend church, they only see Sunday smiles. Others, when they are in the same place, can see beyond what the eyes can see and discover and alleviate the suffering and human dramas that hide behind appearances.

In summary, some when looking around only see what they want to see, that which coincides with their own interest, comfort and self-assertion because they are blind to everything else. Others, on the contrary, have discovered that living in reality means working in favor of others from below, from up close and from within. and, when they do, they do not remember their deeds and ask: “When did we see you hungry, or thirsty, or naked, or sick? Why do they do it? Because they do not polish the result of their voluntary and selfless dedication, nor do they pretend that their prestige is listed on the rise before God, nor do they write it down on a list of accumulated merits. simply, they forget their works for the Lord because they live against the current offering glory to those who deserve it. Soli Deo Gloria.

live against the current