LIVING IN THE LIGHT
Spirituality for the Lay Person
Identity Remodeled:
The Ultimate Social Justice
Michael King
I
began the day anticipating the work I was about to
do. I chose what to wear and then trusted my GPS
to find my group, which took me to the wrong location.
This being my first time, I had no idea
what to expect as I stepped onto Central
High School’s campus for the Life Remod-
eled project. Life Remodeled is about
transforming people and the city. My
small part included cleaning up several
abandoned lots.
I’m aware of Detroit’s history, the blight,
the brokenness, and the fears. What I was
not prepared to experience was the deep
cry for identity.
Once the work began, what caught my
attention immediately was the local shouts
of “thank you” and “we are so glad you are
here.” With our group leader and our tools,
our small band of workers traveled from
house to house working and meeting peo-
ple. We talked with residents and laughed.
Once we were offered cookies! One long-
time resident shared a sad story of how her
block lost its identity over the years, and
that it was nice that we were there to help.
And then it struck me—we weren’t there
just to reclaim overgrown yards but to re-
claim identities. At the core of the work
was the identity of the people. To redis-
cover one’s identity is a deep desire of the
heart. Perhaps the brokenness we could
see in the abandoned homes was tied to
the longing of the hearts of the people for
true identity.
Identity and redemption are intimately
himself has placed these desires in the
related. For example, Jesus asks all of us,
human heart, and they can ultimately
“Who do you say am I” (Mt 16:13), while
be fulfilled in Christ alone; anything
the Father clearly states the truth, “This is
less will fail to satisfy. That is why we
my beloved Son” (Mt 17:5). Loss of our
who belong to Christ can never cease
identity was center stage at the Fall. At that
to propose him to those who do not yet
moment, we traded our true identity, that
know him. Jesus Christ is the desire of
we are sons and daughters of the Father
the nations, and his Gospel is the an-
who loves us completely, for a lie, a false
swer to the deepest aspirations of the
narrative about the Father and our relation-
human heart.” (3.3)
ship to him. Without
our identity in the Fa-
I thought I was just
ther, our souls are like
“What I was hearing
going to help clean up
abandoned houses, ha-
in the cheers of
yards and participate in
vens for crime, warfare,
‘thank you’ was
social justice outreach.
and death.
a deeper tie to a
However, the real work
What I was hearing
shared dignity.”
was taking place in the
in the cheers of “thank
heart, mine and theirs.
you” as we worked was
I learned that propos-
a deeper tie to a shared
dignity and a desire for restoration that be- ing Christ, which leads to the discovery
of one’s true identity, is the ultimate social
longs to Christ alone.
In his pastoral letter Unleash the Gos- justice.
I began that day at Life Remodeled
pel, Archbishop Allen Vigneron references
identity eleven times. Relative to the desire choosing what to put on and where to go. It
became clear that what I should always put
of all hearts, the archbishop writes:
Every human being, even if they are on is Christ, my identity, and that the Lord
not aware of it, longs to be known and is in charge of our meeting place and the
to be loved unconditionally. Everyone work is always to “unleash the Gospel.”
yearns for authentic happiness. Every-
one wants to be secure in their identity, Guest columnist Michael King (Class of 2010) is
to be fulfilled as a human being, and the Northeast Regional Coordinator of Evangeli-
to matter to others in some way. God
zation for the Archdiocese of Detroit.
shms.edu
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