cast down the mighty. lift up the lowly.

More than a decade ago I entered the seminary and then dropped out. 

I've forgotten most of the things I learned there but this one still stands out:

Theology is not only the study of the Bible and dogma ---rather it is the discipline whose goal is the formation of the self in order to live the whole of life consistent with the reality of God (or following the way of Jesus Christ)

A good sign of theological maturity is when one increases in their empathy when they begin to understand the key aspects of life especially in science, art and the work of social change, where human activity is most distinct.

At a time when doctrinal precision fails the litmus test of ethics. Discernment teaches us that we need not look far. The Nativity story vividly illustrates that the Divine allies itself with the desperate, dispossessed and the downtrodden.

A life that is consistent with the reality of the divine allies itself with the struggle of the oppressed, the marginalized and the vulnerable.

The words of Mary in the Magnificat is an invitation to rise up against the false order of the Empire, and a refusal to treat evil as an acceptable part of a larger harmonious vision.

Cast down the mighty. Lift up the lowly.   (Luke 1:52)