Chapter 2: A History of Salvation

I feel like in this second chapter Romero’s words cut deeper, are yet more challenging. Or perhaps it is that as we grow accustomed to Romero’s voice, we can listen more deeply. Of the many I’ve starred and underlined, here are a few quotes which particularly stood out, and some reflections/questions on them:

“Faith consists in accepting God without asking him to account for things according to our standard. Faith consists in reacting before God as Mary did: I don’t understand it, Lord, but let it be done in me according to your word.” (p. 23)
How many of our faith questions are really asking God to account for things according to our standard? Is the kind of faith Romero describes an “easy way out?”—blind faith? Can we, as Mary, love God unconditionally?

“There is no dichotomy between man and God’s image. Whoever tortures a human being, whoever abuses a human being, whoever outrages a human being abuses God’s image, and the church takes as its own that cross, that martyrdom.” (p. 26)
For me this full, complete understanding of humanity as the image of God brings with it what we promise to uphold in our baptismal covenant: a deep respect for the dignity of every human being. In this way, the suffering of every person who suffers unjustly, whether Christian or not, becomes a martyrdom, because in them the image of God is desecrated. And as Romero points out in the quote from chapter 1 (p. 6) the one who brutalizes other also tramples the image of God in himself.

“…one cannot live a gospel that is too angelical, a gospel of compliance, a gospel that is not dynamic peace, a gospel that is not of demanding dimensions in regard to temporal matters also.” (p. 27)

“The World does not say: blessed are the poor. The world says: blessed are the rich. You are worth as much as you have. But Christ says: wrong. Blessed are the poor, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven, because they do not put their trust in what is so transitory.” (p. 33)
My experience in El Salvador has taught me the truth of Romero’s words: the blessedness of poverty lies in this: that the poor know their need of God.

“The degree to which you approach [the poor], and the love with which you approach them, or the scorn with which you approach them—that is how you approach your God. What you do to them, you do to God. The way you look at them is the way you look at God.” (p. 35) Romero takes Matthew 25—“What you have done to the least of my brothers and sisters you have done to me”—and really helps us understand what we mean. What is our habitual reaction to poor people? What is our reaction to Romero saying that that is how we react to God?