For many people, these words that you are now reading are merely squiggles on a page. The reason for the squiggles can be many and varied. Some of those reasons include the fact that a person does not understand the English language at all, or it could be because of some learning barriers, or maybe they can’t even see the words.
Perhaps the words are in a colour that doesn’t come within their range of seeing. Some people with Alzheimer can recognise words until their mind moves to another word and the first word escapes.
For thousands of Australians, this is a reality. Have we as a Church even begun to think about this or are we stuck in a mould of words, words and more words. And the more complex the better.
Think about the last time you went to Mass. How easy was it for All the people to hear, understand, or see God’s loving act? What emphasis was there on words? How were the needs for people who do not read or understand words met? We perhaps are so used to doing things in a certain way that we do not question what we think is “normal”.
As I reflect on my life, there was a period in which the learning of the meaning of words was very important to me. I made it a habit to learn a new word every day. The more letters or syllables in the word, the better. I now know that I did it to impress people with my knowledge of lots of words (wide vocabulary) and to feel superior to others. It gave me a sense of power and control and I was definitely arrogant.
My involvement with people who use Auslan was/is a conversion point. In the Auslan dictionary, there about 4,100 words.
Auslan is not a written language. Compare this with 500,000 words in the Oxford Dictionary. Do words make us better Christians? Better members of the Catholic Church?
When I reflect on how Jesus used language I see that Jesus used everyday words that His listeners would easily understand.
Jesus did not set out to impress or to make a concept more unintelligible but rather to make ideas easily understood.
Jesus’ words were used to inform and challenge people with truth.
Jesus’ stories were shared by one person telling another. Jesus took a mustard seed in his fingers and showed just how small it was and everyone knew that it could grow into a very large bush like a tree.
The story helps us to know that we are small like a mustard seed.
Many writers tell me that this story is a “theological narrative.” One writer wrote “Narrative possesses a unique status as a genre particularly suited for expressing Christian faith.”
Why do we need to confuse Jesus’s simple stories? Does using complex language help us to get closer to Jesus?
Keeping Jesus in mind in our everyday talk can be a first step to inclusion. Why do I have to ‘facilitate’ something? Why can’t I just ‘help?’ Why do I need to say, ‘A majority of’ when it is ‘most’? Why do I need to say ‘an adequate number of’ when it is ‘enough’? Why do I need to say ‘At the present time’ when it is ‘now’? Why don’t we write in ‘Plain English’? Plain English is not baby talk. Plain English makes sense. In plain English, sentences are shorter. Clearer. In plain English, I become less important, my knowledge becomes less important and the person I am sharing with is more important. Plain English is only one of the steps I can take to include.
It is a known fact that in order for people to change their attitudes, there must be some sort of an experience. As we come closer to Holy Week and Easter, you might like to experience the following exercises.
1) Turn the sound off the TV while you watch your favourite show and do this for two consecutive episodes. How much did you miss?
2) Turn the picture off the TV while you listen to your favourite show and do this for two consecutive episodes. How did this affect your understanding?
3) View an internet website in a foreign language and attempt to understand its contents.
4) Share some exciting news or experience with someone without using words.
5) Imagine you have a problem with words for whatever reason –and look at the Holy Week Services in your parish. How meaningful are they? Is there a place for drama, graphics or concrete examples?
These exercises can help us learn something new.
As you go about your day filled with words, perhaps you can help others by speaking plainly, clearly, simply.
May our lives all be changed for the better because our love for one another is practical.