The Catholic Personality of the 21st Century
by 
Ronda Chervin

Spring semester of 2014 at Holy Apostles College and Seminary saw the debut of Toward a 21st Century Catholic World-View. Fr. Dominic Anaeto was my co-professor and a small group of students read the chapters, wrote answers to the questions for reflection and then engaged in class discussion. Writers of chapters who teach at Holy Apostles campus and some others who live nearby came to discuss their chapters with us. 
In this process it became clear that besides polarities concerning controversial issues, there is also the question of personality. Does shouting ones convictions about Catholic truth, as I, Dr. Ronda often do, lead to changing the mind of someone who disagrees?  Does tolerating all religious ideas of others lead to growth? As Pope Francis so often asks and proves by his own way of approaching others, will we be able to reach out to those hungering for Catholic truth and life, unless we, ourselves manifest joy and love?
With this in mind, I would like to just throw out some of my thoughts about the Catholic personality of the 21st century. 

How Jesus and His Church Manifest a World-View that Overcomes Polarities

Jesus!  The very person of Jesus manifests the overcoming of polarity. First of all, the polarity between God and man! And, He did not see any opposition between being Lord and being friend? Or, Jesus didn’t present worship as only soaring above the earth to the Father without, at the same time, teaching us to see Him in our needy neighbor. 

The Catechism of the Catholic Church and other documents are full of truths that over-arch our divisions.  As Fr. Dominic put it, the Vatican is a brake on false oppositions. For example, The documents of Vatican II present us with the beauty and importance of devotion to Mary. They do not divide Catholics into Fatima Catholics and Medjugorje Catholics!  I would say that old and new are mingled in such matters as re-asserting the eminence of the vows of religious life yet insisting on the universal call to holiness. 

In addition, Fr. Dominic often times stressed that thinking of the Church in terms of polarities can, itself, become a problem. Polarities are also within us. If we become healed of our personal polarities we can better see how to help with polarities outside ourselves!  Fr. Dominic is working on a book of his own on healing and plans to include healing of polarities!

Personality and Dialogue

Over and over again as we discussed the themes in the chapters of Toward a 21st Century World-View, it became clear how important it is to listen to the ideas of others before leaping into refutation mode. So polarized is the Church at present that one word out of the mouth of someone can trigger rejection.  For instance, sometimes if a person even  mentions the word yoga it is assumed that he or she is a New Age nut. 

 “Speak the truth with love” we are urged by St. Paul (Ephesians 4:15). Surely ridiculing the views of other Catholics cannot be a loving approach!  And how about caricaturing those who disagree with us in conversation and/or in practice? What about harsh judgments?

To make sure this point about what I don’t hope for in the Catholic personality of the future, let me give some more concrete examples:

Ridicule: “Those Tridentine Latin Mass (now called the ExtraordinaryForm of the Mass)  priests in their old-fashioned vestments look like robots.”  Or, “Check out Fr. Mike, he looks as if he just got out of bed with his messy hair, and scuffed sneakers.”  

Caricature: “Those social justice priests just use the Mass to recruit for their activist causes.” Or, “Lay people who still believe in transubstantiation and insist that the Catholic Church is the one, true Church, instead of seeing that all religions have symbols and equal value; those bigots never get down in the dirt to help the poor.”

Harsh Judgment: “What with all the scandals in the Church, no wonder no one trusts Catholic priests anymore.” Or, “Those parents who send their children to public schools are just waiting for sin to overtake them.” 

Bear in mind, often such statements are not made in the presence of those we disagree with. However, they perpetuate stereo-typing, and impede any future dialogue as we chuckle and raise our eyebrows over the “wrong” views of others.  

So, what would be the opposite of ridicule, caricature, and harsh judgments?  Dr. Geraghty, our metaphysician, suggested that whenever someone in the Church says something we disagree with, we need to start, in the mode of Thomas Aquinas, by first stating all the reasons why that position could seem right. And, only then, explain why we think something different. 

To refer to the topics I mentioned above, one could begin a dialogue, speaking the truth with love in these ways:

“Oh, you are into yoga.  Many find such exercises helpful for physical health and also for getting peaceful to pray…what is your experience?”  (Then listen!)  “You know I read in this document from the Vatican that we have to be wary of things like yoga because very often they include subtle or not so subtle worship of bad spirits…” (Give examples.)  You might check out the exercise routine we have available in our parish that is just as relaxing and starts with Christian prayer.” 

“You don’t seem to like the Extraordinary Form of the Mass. What bothers you about it?” (Then listen!) “You know I used to feel the same way…(describe what you felt).  But I have these friends who love it.  Did you know that young people who had left the Church sometimes find their way back in because of the sacredness and solemnity of that old Mass?  Maybe you’d like to come with me to this parish where the priest explains what is going on at the Extraordinary Form. He’s not one of those who think the English Mass isn’t valid, or anything like that. He celebrates both Masses.”

“You think Fr. Mike is a slob?  What upsets you about his looks?  (Listen) “I used to think that, too, but then I found out that he has a great pain in his feet and he can only wear loose sneakers...You think this encourages teens to come to Mass in their grundgies?  Well, I agree that it would be better if they dressed more formally, but I’m so glad they are with us at all, that I don’t insist.”

“On the way into coffee and donuts I happened to hear you say that you think social justice priests don’t really believe in the Eucharist, that they’re just recruiting activists for their causes.  Tell me about it? (Listen!)  “I see what you mean. But I’ve known (read about) priests who are into social justice big time who also love the Mass.  One of those gave a sermon quoting John Paul II on how all priests need to celebrate Mass daily if they are to be truly united to Christ.” 

(During a discussion in RCIA) A former non-Catholic Christian is asking about whether the Catholic Church thinks there is no salvation outside of the Catholic church. “Where did you hear that?” (Listen) “I used to think that the phrase no salvation outside the Church meant we thought all Protestants went to hell. Then I read the sections in the catechism about this. It means that all graces flow through the Church and that we believe the Eucharist is truly the Body and Blood of Christ which He shed for our sins.  But we also believe that those who follow the light that they see, even if they never become Catholics, can also be saved through Christ’s love.”

“You’ve left the Church because of the priest scandals. Tell me about how this impacted you, your family, or others you know? (Listen) “It’s a terrible thing.  Here is how it impacted me…  But, you know, we condemn racism for stereotyping an entire race by the bad traits of some of its members. And you wouldn’t want to leave the United States  because of the evils of slavery in our past history so, why would you leave the Church and all it can give you, because some priests sinned?  I don’t see people stopping watching football because some coaches mess up.”

“You think no Catholic should send their children to a public school. Tell me what aspects of public schools seem to you to be dangerous. (Listen) “I agree with you for the most part because of these and those experiences or facts…However, in some areas of this country the public schools have mostly Christian teachers who get around not teaching religion in creative ways. I knew a man who included in his history courses the reasons for all the religious holidays.  And some parents, where there are no good Catholic schools in their area, form groups to refute whatever is false in the textbooks of their public school children.” 

We all know that there are areas of disagreement that may never yield to dialogue in particular cases.  A former Catholic who is now a confirmed atheist would not be interested in the approaches I just described. Though, of course, with grace all things are possible. Many, many, Catholics who leave the Church and then revert (come back) point to something someone said, which they dismissed at the time, but the Holy Spirit used to haunt them into questioning their rejection of the teachings of the Church. 

A factor that underlies ridicule, caricature, and harsh judgment is described in some forms of anger-management with the term “symbolic victory.” (See Recovery, International, a movement founded by Abraham Low to overcome the wrong kind of anger, and help with fear and depression.) When in conflicts we feel unable to win others to the right side, as we see it, we feel frustrated, weak, and angry.  But when we ridicule, caricature, and judge harshly, we feel strong and superior. We don’t actually win any victories!  We don’t convince the wrong-headed person of our truths. They may even dig their defenses deeper after talking to us. But we get a “symbolic” victory in the sense that, with those who are on our side, we feel witty, brilliant; united against the enemy.  

At the time of Jesus on earth, the zealots and some Pharisees must have been great at ridicule, caricature, and harsh judgment. They certainly used those weapons to try to defeat Jesus.  What were His “weapons”? Prayer, parables, miracles, redemptive suffering for the forgiveness of all, including those enemies.  

Better vs. Good Doesn’t Equal Right vs. Wrong

During our class in the discussion we began to notice that one cause of polarities is thinking that any preference for some practice in the Church meant that those who had a different but good other practice were simply wrong. For example, if I think it is better to go to Sunday Mass rather than Saturday evening Mass, I can think that it is not only better but also wrong for some to go to Saturday evening Mass.  I can give many reasons why I think it is better to go to Sunday Mass such as, the Saturday evening Mass is shorter, sometimes without music, so it is a cop-out to choose that Mass. But it is not the teaching of the Church that going to Saturday evening Mass is wrong. And, some people may have good reasons to prefer it such as having trouble sleeping and needing to sleep in after a hard night on Sunday mornings without any pressure. 

Of course, there are cases where some people in the Church are clearly right and others wrong such as opposition to the killing of an innocent child through abortion vs. calling oneself a Pro-Choice Catholic.  But even where we are in the right, we must not think that in every conversation we can angrily shove the truth down the throat of those who oppose us or that we must have the last word. 

Going to Charismatic prayer groups can be better for some Catholics than going to a rosary prayer group. But going to any prayer group is usually good unless the group diverges from Catholic teaching or leads people astray in other ways. So, when inviting others to join my favorite group, it is not good to slide into trying to persuade others that going to their group is wrong.

It is wonderful to have a large family. Better, in itself. But for families that have serious reasons to limit the number of their children, it is not wrong to use natural family planning to space them, for example if the mother has chronic ailments which make taking care of many children extremely difficult.  Members of large families should not present the goodness of their choice in such a way as to make smaller families feel that they are inferior and wrong even when they have serious reasons to limit their children and use the morally acceptable method of natural family planning. 

Virtues in the Personalities of 21st Century Catholics

What I am selecting here as virtues I would like to see, certainly does not pretend to cover the entire span of possible good traits.  It is more of a “starter document” to get you, the reader, interesting in thinking about other virtues you would like to see and, of course, thinking about cherishing those virtues for yourself.  By the grace of God may we all have more and more of them, not only to be better evangelists but simply to victimize less people by our negative traits!

I would love to see Catholics of the 21st century exhibiting a combination of warmth toward others with respect of others. Sometimes, instead, we see friendly Catholics who also are pushy, and domineering, for example in trying to recruit all parishioners into our favorite missions. 

Fr. Dominic Anaeto mentioned how we need to be accepting vs. merely tolerating others, especially those we disagree with.  When we merely tolerate others we basically don’t want to be with them.  Those we accept we can be around in a peaceful way, even if we hope they will come to see the truths we stand for.  David Tate, one of our seminarian students in the class, said that this requires going out of our comfort zones.

Our Pope Francis wants us to be joyful and enthusiastic vs. judgmental and pessimistic. This does not mean pretending that evil is not real, but having faith that the last word is not discouragement but hope in our Savior.

We need to be indefatigable in teaching the truth, insists Kathleen Brouillette, our student and also Director of Religious Education in a parish.  But teaching needs to be complemented by a deep prayer life, so that we don’t get burned out by activism, as emphasized in his papers and oral communications by Tommie Kim.  

Healing of Memories from the Wounds of Polarity

When conducting the class on Toward a 21st Century Catholic World-View, it became apparent to me that the polarities were not just ideological but also reflective of how wounded we have become by the effects of  opposing ideas.  

This has led me to attempt to write a prayer for healing of memories related to such wounds. 

Jesus, that all may be one was Your ardent wish for Your Church.  Much as we are united in loving You, or we would not call ourselves Christian, yet we are torn apart by division. 

On one side of Your Church we have those suffering from: 

• Dissent among Church leaders weakening our families, parishes, and country, as when priests fail to teach on the necessity of Sunday Mass so that our teens think it is not important.  

• The effects on our children and friends of false moral teachings, as when Catholic ministers and lay people relegate sex outside of marriage, contraception or even abortion to matters of subjective conscience.  

Give us grace to forgive those who have handed on false teachings out of confusion or one-sided perspectives. 

On another side of Your Church we have those suffering from:

• Feeling rejected by other Catholics or by our pastors in our participation in social justice issues involving peace or poverty.  

• Feeling marginalized in the Church because of race, ethnicity, or sex.

• The sense of having been blocked rather than appreciated for creative initiatives.

Give us the grace to forgive those who have failed to support movements of reform out of confusion or one-sided perspectives. 

All of us have suffered from the faults, vices, and negligence not only of our leaders but also those negative traits of others in our families and friends and those at the work-place. 

Give us the grace to forgive each other, in the light of Your mercy, Lord. 

Finally, all of us in the Church are suffering from not having the strength that would come from common belief, practice and, yes, holiness. If we were more united we could better reach out to all those who have such need of You and Your home for us on earth and in heaven. May all who have contributed to Toward a 21st Century Catholic and all who read this book be blessed by the Holy Spirit to “speak the truth with love.”  

 




Questions for Personal Reflection and Group Sharing:

• What are ways you think the person of Christ and the teachings of the Church overarch polarities?

• Can you give examples of ridicule, caricature, and harsh judgment you have found in Catholic conversation? 

• Can you give examples of good dialogues you have had or seen others engage in that offered hope of overcoming polarities? 

• How have you seen “better,” seeming to make “good” into “wrong”?

• What virtues would you like to see in Catholics of the future?

• Would you add anything to the Healing of Memories at the end of this chapter? Or would you want to compose your own closing prayer for Toward a 21st Century World-View?  

CLOSING: 

INSIGHTS FROM THE FINAL SYNTHESIS PAPERS OF STUDENTS IN THE CLASS




Tommie Kim

Holy Apostles College & Seminary































Thomas Kim:  

My Toward a 21st Century Catholic Synthesis

Student Class discussions on the topic “Towards a 21 Century Catholic Synthesis” were a very special learning experience for me. Simply put, a Catholic synthesis ought to be part of the common identity of all Catholics.

The approach of the book provided quite a  diverse perspective. I realized the  in depth analysis of the professors and graduate students of specific topics extended into the wider mission of propagating the gospel.  Since we all long for light as the darkness deepens, it becomes clear that we need  to overcome polarity within our faith if we are arrive at greater  unity. .  “With me in them and you in me, may they be so perfected in unity that the world will recognize that it was you who sent me and that you have loved them as you have loved me.” (Jn 17:23).

“The light shone in the darkness and darkness could not overpower it.”(Jn 1:5)  Light and darkness exist in this world.   We all begin with the common goal of evangelization to bring light to the world.  However, we have a tendency to perceive difference and conflict as polarization. If our perceptions lead us to demand an end to all differences, I, personally, would consider such a goal to come from the wrong kind of idealism. We, as humans, all go through a process toward maturity. In the Church the conflicts and tension that exist in our church most often rise from the immaturity of our faith. We cannot define these problems with the word “polarity”.  There is  room for every person’s faith to grow towards maturity through time and experience. What is more important than conflict is the love and the care of the community in order to achieve our common destiny.  In fact, it is not  polarity that matters but rather the lack of teaching of catechism and Catholic faith. 

What I see as even more serious problem is the relative silence of the church in the face of unethical practice such abortion and contraception.  Another problem is an erroneous approach where some activists think religious pluralism within the church even when it comes to doctrine will lead to unification. This is a definite error and the church need to stand behind the Catholic faith.  

On the other hand, there is  polarity within the church.  Each side has its chosen evidence to prove it is right in conflicts with one another.  As mentioned by Dr. Ronda, we do face difficulty finding a common ground between the individual preferences in participating in different groups for prayer, fellowship and mission. The prayer life of each Catholic will vary in ways that no one should claim that one way is right and another wrong. I think that we need to embrace these differences with open minds and with integrity and continue to seek what is common rather than different.   

Victor Frankl in his book about logotherapy approaches human nature through dimensional anthropology.  It is the nature of human beings to perceive objects differently depending on each one’s own life experience.  As in the famous analogy, two blind men who have never seen an elephant before, will have different opinions according to where each man is touching the elephant. One  man will say that elephant has hard skin if the area that he first touches is the foot of an elephant. But the other will say that elephant has soft skin if  the only area that he ever touched was elephant’s nose.  Anyone who has the eyes to see the elephant knows that elephant is a gigantic animal, which the blind men cannot see, and has both soft skin and hard skin. One who is able to see the elephant can lead the blind men, saying to them that none of them is wrong. He can tell the blind men that it is just only one part of a gigantic animal that each has touched and that there is another aspect of an elephant than what each was able to experience.  Separation and division come from an inability to embrace the positions of others. 

St. Paul once was an ardent Pharisee who persecuted Catholic believers, but he converted to Catholic faith. After his conversion, St. Paul in that sense understood different perspectives of faith from both sides. With his real life experience on both sides, he had an incredible persuasive power in proclaiming the Gospel and maintaining his firm belief.  He was even willing to sacrifice his life if only he could lead his people to salvation. Catholic synthesis must be based on love for God, and love for others.  Bryan Mercier, through his reflection on prayer, and Sean who converted from atheist to Catholic also provided good examples of the true face of Catholic synthesis.

Then comes the question: how can we overcome the differences among people who have no such experience of both sides?  The answer is in the Gospel.  Catholic faith should not be perceived or judged through our own human standards.  If we all look towards God and His almighty will, then there is no room for division.  

We must also realize not only unity but also diversity in various missions in the church. The mission of a priest is ontologically unique in its mission. However, depending on which country we are talking about, the role and identity of the priest may vary.  We are aware that there is cultic model and servant leader model role that the Vatican Council tried to unite. Especially in liturgy after the 2nd Vatican Council, there have been conflicts among believers about what is perceived as correct liturgy.  However, if we all have a correct  understanding about church liturgy, these differences can easily be embraced.  As long as the core spirit and understanding of the liturgy is not lost, we should be able to consider the differences in liturgical rite as part of diversity, and not polarity.

In the case of the Korean church, believers used to kneel and received the host in the mouth. Today, the ritual changed so believers generally receive the host with two hands. But no priest should deny the Eucharist to anyone who wishes to kneel or receive in the mouth, now should other believers should show repugnance to anyone who receives differently. Some liturgical rites had to accommodate to the reality of a lack of priests giving sacraments. So both the priest and the believers should respect those who wish to keep the old tradition.  Liturgy can change over time with the need of the present time and it should be considered as part of an accepted innovative effort of the church.

We all need to face these issues with open minds.  We need to identify the root cause of the polarization, be able to build right understanding of Catholic catechism and continue our effort towards Catholic synthesis.  People who reach a higher hill on the mountain can see farther.  People who start to climb the mountain only can perceive part of the view from a lower angle.  People who experienced and built deeper faith with wider perception on the events and view should be able to lead the people following underneath the hill.  It requires love, patience and tolerance. We must be able to learn from others’ experience and not insist on our own standard.  Only when we are able to accept these differences with humble attitude and love for others, we can overcome the differences without conflicts and divisions. The main obstacle to Catholic synthesis is that many believers have a strong tendency to insist on their own perspective and experience.  The cause of polarity in the church narrows down to lack of love and respect for others.  

I still recall the excitement and tremulousness I felt  taking my first step into a new life in the US.  The US is the country that saved South Korea from communist invasion.  The US was the country that deployed their people to save our country from being vanquished in war.  Even after the war, the US saved the lives of many of our people with food and supplies when our land was devastated. The US has always been a dream country for many Koreans, and so it has been for me.  However, the reality that awaited me was very different. The US today is suffering from a multiple of divisions everywhere throughoutthe society from politics to the economy. A country that was built on faith seems to be losing its light, and a country that once was the most powerful country in the globe seems to be weakening.  What is most striking for me is that the main cause of the problem is because of intense polarization in the society.   

Although it is true everywhere on earth, we all now agree that the church is very much affected by wealth and comfort coming through advanced technology.  Individualism, relativism and selfishness have invaded the mentality and life styles of many. However, when it comes to church, I had always thought that the Korean church was suffering more than the church in the US from serious divisions.  As I am going into my 2nd year of living in the US, I am able to learn and see beyond the appearance of the church in the US.  In a certain sense, it seems like the church in the US is suffering from even more divisions within the church, often coming from different racial and cultural background, an income gap that has widened over the years, and differences between generations.  Polarization seems to have grown with the 21 century and issues seems to have become more intense today.  Therefore, it is indeed time that we put effort into working towards a Catholic synthesis.

Kathleen Brouillette – Catholic Synthesis 




But how can they call on him in whom they have not believed?  

And how can they believe in him of whom they have not heard?

And how can they hear without someone to preach? And how

can people preach unless they are sent?  NAB Rm 10:14-15




The Sacraments of Baptism and Confirmation send all of us out.  Some of us will preach by the way we live in the world as laity.  Others of us will do it by the added grace of the Sacrament of Holy Orders.  But all of us in the Body of Christ are sent.  Sadly, not all of us who share in the royal priesthood of Christ, from the top of the magisterium to the least of His brothers, even begin to fulfill our mission.  The polarities in our Church today are the visible results of the failure to teach, and to explain why the Church teaches what she does.

Although we often preach by example, we more often associate preaching with words.  As we see in Dr. Toolin’s chapter on ecumenical dialogue, it is critical that the words we use mean the same thing to all of us.  It would be quite difficult to reach any kind of understanding, if what is being said and what is being heard are two different things.  We must make our meaning clear and never assume that everyone is on the same page.  One of the ways I do this with my students is to have them explain to me what we’ve just said or read.  We cannot assume that giving information is the same as teaching the truth.

Good parents teach children how to make their way in the world, avoiding the pitfalls and dangers, while taking advantage of aids to success.  Holy Mother Church must teach her children, especially in this day and age, the objective truth of the existence of God, His authority, His design, His love, and His will that we be with Him forever in heaven.  She must teach us how to avoid sin and cultivate virtue, not only pointing out the pitfalls of life in this world, but also why they can be slippery slopes potentially leading to destruction and hell.  It is in this area, in particular, we can see what happens when Catholic schools fail to require courses in basic truth such as we find in Catholic metaphysics.  It is only in the light of understanding the foundational metaphysical truths that we can open ourselves joyfully and gratefully to receive and be formed in the Divine Life of God that is offered to us in the grace of the sacraments of the Church.  

Although I have learned much from my students over the years, one of the sad things they have made abundantly clear is that too many people don’t know Jesus is God.  There must be polarity in the Church when not all Her people realize Jesus is God.  According to a 2010 Pew Forum study quoted by Georgetown University, fully half of our people also don’t know that the Church teaches Jesus is really present in the Blessed Sacrament!  This statistic begs the question, who is teaching and what are they teaching???  Apart from our belief in three Persons in one God, what is more crucial to Catholic faith than the real presence of Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament?  

The Catechism tells us the Eucharist is “the source and summit of our faith.”  Unless those baptized into the mystical Body of Christ understand what the Eucharist means, they will continue to absent themselves from it.  One cannot treasure something which one sees as having only some kind of vague value or worth.  Herein, I believe, lies the problem.  

That the Roman Catholic Church is a treasure can sometimes be her own best-kept secret.  Rather than proclaim the truth more boldly, we sometimes water it down and preach it less, in an attempt to keep from offending anyone.  Perhaps we would do well to be more concerned about offending God.  We have lost our sense of sin.  Not recognizing our need of redemption, or that it was God Himself who suffered and died for our sins, we cannot appreciate the most beautiful gift by which our salvation was wrought, or the need for the holy Mass. 

One case in point is an article by Rod Dreher in Time Magazine September 29, 2013, titled I’m Still Not Going Back to the Catholic Church.  In it, he decries the Church’s preaching of “Christ without the Cross,” and notes

…one Ash Wednesday, I attended a Mass at my comfortable suburban

parish and heard the priest deliver a sermon describing Lent as a time 

when we should all come to love ourselves more.  If I had to pinpoint 

a single moment at which I ceased to be Roman Catholic, it would have 

been that one…Losing my Catholic faith was the most painful thing that

ever happened to me. 




Dreher was seeking redemption from his sins and a challenge to reform.  He needed to be called to change, but was only taught that God is love.  Now a member of the Russian Orthodox Church, he appreciates that the balanced teaching of his pastor includes “love, joy, repentance, and forgiveness – in all its dimensions.”   He takes to heart his pastor’s message that, “…we must love our children enough to teach them the hard lessons and compel them toward the good.”  Dreher expresses a concern that Pope Francis’ 

merciful words will be received not as love but license. The ‘spirit of 

Pope Francis’ will replace the ‘spirit of Vatican II’ as the rationalization 

people will use to ignore the difficult teachings of the faith. 




Here, at Holy Apostles, I have learned so much by reading the Catechism of the Catholic Church and the Documents of Vatican II.  The “spirit of Vatican II” has little to do with the actual documents and teachings of the Council.  Popes through the ages, and definitely of the past century, have written wonderful teachings in refutation of the errors of society.  Why is it that these often don’t seem to get beyond Rome to the people in the pews?  In our first class, Fr. Dominic said there is more commonality than division among the bishops.  For me, one of the sad commonalities among some bishops is their failure to see to the proper education of their people and formation of their priests.  Fr. Dominic pointed out that people leave the Church because of the attitude of priests, homilies, and the attitude of parish secretaries. Why, then, are the chief shepherds of the flock not doing a better job of carefully overseeing the formation of their priests and, through them, their people?

I have known any number of priests who subscribe to homily services and use printed, prepared homilies every Sunday and at daily Mass.  So few of them have received the kind of training in homiletics required here at Holy Apostles!  The responsibility for this, in my opinion, rests squarely on the shoulders of the bishops.  All bishops must require their priests to know the Catechism, be well-trained in the Scriptures, and familiar with the documents of the Second Vatican Council.  Priests need the tools to be effective conveyors of truth and teachers of God’s Word.

Dr. Toolin made a critical observation in her chapter on dialogue, “There is no love in dialogue when we know this information, but withhold it from others who desperately need it.”  I find this particularly true in our own Church.  It has been said that charity begins at home.  Our Holy Mother Church must lovingly impart to her children all the treasures of the Church, her wisdom, each and every way in which she is leading the effort to combine faith and science, how she defends the dignity and rights of workers, how she stands against exploitation in the pursuit of profit, why marriage is the foundation of society and must be defended, and so much more.  These things must be addressed from the pulpit.  There is such a wealth of example within our own Church, yet homilies quote Gandhi, Henry Ford, and other non-Catholics.  Why do our so many of our deacons and priests look to the secular for quotes and examples for their homilies?

By using the early Church Fathers and saints as examples, we can teach the history of our faith and learn to know how we came to be who we are today.  We can see how the early Church celebrated the Mysteries, thereby appreciating what needs to be retained in our liturgy, and where authentic growth needs to include the “legitimate diversity” in our faith mentioned by Dr. Toolin.  

Television shows in recent years have revealed or caused a tendency for people to talk over each other’s words.  If we are polite, we await our turn to talk.  Seldom, however, are we listening to one another.  Listening seems to be a lost art.  It is also symbolic of lost humility.  We are part of a “me” centered culture.  The focus is on what I need, what I want to say, what I believe, what I get out of it.  We have lost not only the sense of sin and humility previously mentioned, but also a sense of obedience, respect for authority, and reverence for God and one another.

Such reverence can only grow from a true understanding of who God is, and who I am in relation to Him.  St. Bonaventure is reported to have described humility as knowing our place under God, and taking it. It is only when we do this that we can treasure the great gift of being a member of the Mystical Body of Christ, love one another as fellow members of that Body, embrace our variety, recognize that our Church truly offers a way of spirituality to nourish every member, enter deeply into prayer with the Head of our Body, reverence the priest who bridges the gap between heaven and hell as he acts in persona Christi, and truly live our lives as a liturgy of sacrifice for God.

But how can they call on him in whom they have not believed?  

And how can they believe in him of whom they have not heard?

And how can they hear without someone to preach? And how

can people preach unless they are sent?  NAB Rm 10:14-15



 The Synthesis of the Synthesis by David Tate:

… Over the weeks of the course, there were twelve different authors that were read, offering up their educated views on almost everything from charismatic prayer to the state of scientific advancements and bioethics.  During each session, the class tried to place where on the doctrinal map each topic sat, and to examine more closely the reasoning behind why it was considered to a be polarity.

To get an idea of the power of a polarity, imagine a long iron bar that was magnetized so that it was then an ordinary magnet. That bar is easily cut into two pieces. This is the concern behind the existence of polarities. The communion of the Church is endangered by polarities. There are three things that can be done to reduce the danger of being cut into two. The second thing that can be done is to see if time with dissipate the newness and exoticness of the polarity to shrink to a more passive state. The two things that can be done, if the polarity seems to be permanent, is to bend the two poles around into a U-shaped magnet. This allows a permanent change to be accepted, but the danger of breakage in the middle is vastly reduced. In so doing, the people in the middle understand the need for the polarity. This organic change strengthens the middle.

Looking over the articles that were read, it looks like they could be grouped into three categories. Before examining these categories by merit, let us see what they were individually. In total, there were thirteen different topics discussed. There were: Priesthood, Liturgy, Love & JPII, Spirituality and JPII, Christian Anthropology, Ecumenism, Counseling, Prayer, Metaphysics, Ethics, Peace, and Work. When one looks more closely at these, we find that we can group them into three different categories: the Church. the spiritual person, and the human person. Making a little chart, we see this:




 The Church                The Spiritual Person                           The Human Person

The Christian Shalom Revolution:
The Communal Vocation and Practice of Peacemaking
by
Marc Tumeinski

Marc Tumeinski is a PhD candidate at the Maryvale Institute (Birmingham, UK), writing a dissertation on an ecumenical understanding of the practice of communal peacemaking, based on a dialogical reading of the writings of Mennonite theologian John Howard Yoder and of Joseph Ratzinger/Benedict XVI. He received an MA in dogmatic theology (summa cum laude) in 2007 from Holy Apostles College and Seminary. His master’s thesis was entitled “The Theology of Peacemaking in the Teaching of Reverend Emmanuel Charles McCarthy.” Marc and his wife Jo live in Worcester, MA, and are members of the Cathedral parish of St. Paul. Inspired by the example of the Catholic Worker movement, started by Dorothy Day and Peter Maurin, they occasionally provide hospitality in their home to those who are poor or homeless.

Dr. Chervin’s Introduction:  

As the author of this chapter points out, even the subject of peace causes conflict for some Catholics. Marc Tumeinski’s chapter in Toward a 21st Century Catholic World-View is not primarily about war and peace. He seeks a wider framework and in more concerned with the spirit of peace-making than about deciding what attitude Catholics should take to past wars or future wars. That said, as the editor of this book, I want to clear the air  by pointing out that  Catholic teaching does not condemn self-defense in personal situations, nor does it teach that no Christian is ever right in defending his or her country. (See the Catholic Catechism: 2302-2317) Just the same, a Catholic, without condemning those who choose self-defense or believe that a war is just, as well as the rules of combat within such a war, may choose personally to witness to peace through refusing to kill other humans under any circumstances.)  Whatever his or her stance about the above options, the concepts advanced in this chapter will cause anyone who is reasonably open to take thought about how to become a witness for peace in many situations or to reevaluate long-standing cynicism. Personally, the reading of this chapter and Marc Tumeinski’s dialogue in the course on Reflecting Together: Toward a 21st Century World-View, inspired me to confront chronic anger in my own life and to long to be more of a peace-maker. Examples of Christian peace-makers that come to my mind are: Martin Luther King’s non-violent resistance to violations of civil rights; Abby Johnson who quit her abortion clinic administration because of the warmth shown her by pro-life activists right outside her establishment; Immaculée  Ilibagiza who, when she met for the first time the man from her own village who massacred most of her family, told him that all she had left to give him was forgiveness. 

As a matter of fact, I realized reading this chapter that the vision of Toward a 21st Century Catholic World-View, is itself an effort at peace-making in our polarized Church. 

Introduction

“As long as I have breath within me I shall cry out: ‘Peace, in the name of God!’” These words of John Paul II capture the spirit of so many Christian peacemakers in the twentieth century: Dorothy Day, the Catholic Worker, Blessed Franz Jägerstätter, Archbishop Oscar Romero, Northern Ireland Peace People, Blessed Teresa of Calcutta, Archbishop Denis Hurley, Christian Peacemaker Teams, the Community of Sant’Egidio, Martin Luther King, Jr. These people and communities, and so many others, shine as lights of Christian peacemaking, both communally and individually. In their own times and places, they responded to the gospel call to be Christ-like peacemakers: “Blessed are the peacemakers; they shall be called sons of God” (Mt 5:9).

Sadly, the very beauty and preciousness of the divine gift of shalom reminds us of the strife, chaos, and disorder that beset our fallen world. Even more tragic, perhaps, is the potential misunderstanding and discord which even trying to proclaim, let alone live out, the gospel of peace can cause, sadly even among fellow Christians. Apathy and even friction can, for example, arise among Christians who reject abortion but are silent about war, or who advocate against war but do not speak out against abortion.

Of course, an ongoing dialogue about anything vital, such as peace, will always raise tensions. As fallen creatures, even when we share the same goal, we may differ on how we move toward that goal. Furthermore, many Christians have different understandings of the nature of peace and peacemaking. We cannot ignore these tensions. Instead, the question remains: how might we see, acknowledge, and continue to be faithful to the Risen Lamb in the midst of such dialogue and tensions? The purpose of this paper is to explore the vocation of peacemaking, particularly in light of Catholic thought in the twentieth century and with an eye ahead to the twenty-first century, against the backdrop of these questions and tensions.

A Note about Format
Throughout this paper, you will occasionally come across the notations listed below. These are intended to encourage you to further study this topic in more depth.

Links: citations to relevant passages from Scripture, the Catechism of the Catholic Church, the Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church, or the Summa Theologiae of Thomas Aquinas

Spotlight: a key thinker and writer for our topic

Reflection question: at chapter’s end, questions for your thoughtful consideration during or after the course, individually as well as together with others

Contemporary Lessons of Christian peacemaking

The richness of the theology and practice of Christian peacemaking in the twentieth century should certainly humble us, make us ever more grateful for God’s grace, and inspire us to deeper understanding and further action. For example, the wealth of twentieth-century magisterial documents on peace powerfully revealed the depth of the Church’s concern for peacemaking. 

Spotlights: 

• Benedict XV: 1914-1922 (Ad Beatissimi Apostolorum; Quod Iam Diu; Pacem, Dei Munus Pulcherrimum; Sacra Propedium)

• Pius XI: 1922-1939 (Ubi Arcano Dei Consilio)

• Pius XII: 1939-1958 (Communium Interpretes Dolorum; Optatissima Pax; In Multiplicibus Curis; Auspicia Quaedam; Mirabile Illus; Summi Maeroris; Datis Nuperrime)

• John XXIII: 1958-1963 (Pacem in Terris)

• (Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the Modern World) Gaudium et Spes (1965)

In 1968, the popes began proclaiming annual World Day for Peace messages, calling on Christians as well as men and women of good will to work together for peace. Various Christian denominations produced major teaching documents on peacemaking, such as “In Defense of Creation: The Nuclear Crisis and a Just Peace” from the United Methodist Council of Bishops (1986), or “The Challenge of Peace” from the U.S. Catholic Bishops (1983). These and other documents bring to our attention the truth that, for disciples of Christ, peacemaking is to be an explicitly Christian act of faith. To be peacemakers is to respond to God’s call to be his sons and daughters (Mt 5:9). Peacemaking is thus a call and a blessing, a vocation and a beatitude. Its source and direction come from the living God.

Link: Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church, #s 73-75

The Christian call to peacemaking is a perennially important lesson, but especially during a time when many would denounce religion as a cause of violence. Part of this lesson of peacemaking that is explicitly Christian was illustrated by an increasing awareness in the twentieth century that the vocation of peacemaking is a gift from God, and thus fundamentally stems from obedient faith, not primarily from human accomplishments or attempts to predict or control human outcomes. This is a hard lesson, especially in today’s world which so emphasizes (immediate) results and outcomes.

John Paul II said, “The Church … has always taught and continues today to teach a very simple axiom: peace is possible.” It is possible because peace is a gift to be accepted, not something that we can create. Christian peacemaking is not ultimately shaped by (intended) results. The results are in God’s hands. This understanding is not meant to undermine the importance of effort—we are called as Christians to act for peace—but rather is meant as a reminder that the ecclesia and disciple are called first and primarily to faithful discernment and obedience. Apparent success in and of itself does not make an act of peacemaking to be Christian; the Gospel is our standard for what is Christian.

As disciples, we are able not only to affirm that peace is possible; we can see and show that peace is possible. As those striving for Christian holiness are the best ‘explanation’ and testimony of discipleship, so those striving for shalom are the best witnesses of Christian peacemaking. Who then are some examples of Christian peacemaking individuals and communities in the 20th century? Note that any set of examples is bound to be limited, and therefore to leave out good examples. This is particularly true in that there are countless Christian peacemakers we will never know about in this world, yet who struggled to live out the Gospel of peace in their daily lives. As well, any set of examples is bound to include ones that some readers will disagree with. I pray that my readers will contemplate the following select examples in the spirit of peace in which I offer them.7As disciples, we are able not only to affirm that peace is possible; we can see and show that peace is possible. As those striving for Christian holiness are the best ‘explanation’ and testimony of discipleship, so those striving for shalom are the best witnesses of Christian peacemaking. Who then are some examples of Christian peacemaking individuals and communities in the 20th century? Note that any set of examples is bound to be limited, and therefore to leave out good examples. This is particularly true in that there are countless Christian peacemakers we will never know about in this world, yet who struggled to live out the Gospel of peace in their daily lives. As well, any set of examples is bound to include ones that some readers will disagree with. I pray that my readers will contemplate the following select examples in the spirit of peace in which I offer them. (note 7)  They come from a variety of Christian denominations as well as from various time periods in the 20th century.

Ben Salmon was a Catholic conscientious objector to World War I, who suffered mightily for his witness. Dorothy Day, who with Peter Maurin started the Catholic Worker movement, was a tireless voice for peace: in her hospitality to the poor, writings, presence in Rome in 1965 during the Second Vatican Council, prayer vigils and acts of civil disobedience. Her work for peace was rooted in the dogma of the Mystical Body of Christ and in her rich prayer life as a daily communicant. Blessed Franz Jägerstätter was martyred for refusing to fight in the German army, even in the face of so many who tried to persuade him otherwise, including family, priests and bishops. Fr. Max Josef Metzger was executed by the Nazis for writing a peace plan. Oskar Schindler acted in his own place and time to save Jews from death. The young martyrs of the White Rose spoke out courageously against the Nazi propaganda and killings. The villagers, and their pastor Andre Trocme, of le Chambon in France risked their lives to save many Jewish children and adults. Ernest Gordon, a prisoner of war in a Japanese camp, came, through his faith in Christ and the example of other Christians, to be able to love his enemies (the Japanese guards), and even to minister to them in their need at the end of the war.

Given the high levels of violence in El Salvador, it is a true grace that we have seen such beautiful witnesses for peace in that country, such as by Archbishop Oscar Romero, the four women martyrs on 4 December 1980, and the Jesuit martyrs of 16 November 1989. The Northern Ireland Peace People have been working for nonviolence for over thirty years. Jean Vanier, founder of l’Arche, writes and teaches on living the peaceable vision of Jesus in a violent, wounded world. Sister Patricia McCarthy, CND, writes, teaches and leads retreats on the theology and spirituality of Christian nonviolence. Other voices for peace include Richard McSorley, SJ and the Catholic Peace Fellowship.  The testament of Fr. Christian de Cherge, murdered in Algeria along with his fellow Trappists, is a profound contemplation on Christian peace and forgiveness. The forgiveness offered by the Amish community of Nickel Mines in response to the school shooting in which several Amish children were killed, speaks to a deep, communal commitment to Christian peace and forgiveness, lived and practiced day in and day out.

In line with many personalist teachings of the twentieth century, we can also point to a greater emphasis on an understanding of Christian peacemaking as both communal and personal: the vocation of individual disciples, as well as of disciples in communion. The last century saw not only many powerful Christian voices calling for peace, but the rise of Christian communities, large and small, going to places of war and violence to strive to be the salt of the earth (Mt 5:13), which in part means to be a witness and agent of peace (Mk 9:50). Thankfully, this emphasis continues to be true across many Christian denominations. Such acts have also contributed at least indirectly to efforts at ecumenical dialogue: brothers and sisters in Christ from different denominations working together for the Prince of Peace has opened doors to ecumenical conversations. Consider, for example, the contemporary dialogues between Catholics and Mennonites, one of the historic  “peace churches.”

Link: 

“Called Together to be Peacemakers: Report of the International Dialogue between the Catholic Church and Mennonite World Conference 1998-2003”

Spotlight: 

• Personalist philosophers and writers—such as Karol Wojtyla, Dietrich von Hildebrand, Jacques Maritain, Peter Maurin

• Hans Urs von Balthasar, Joseph Ratzinger, Henri de Lubac, Jean Danielou, e.g., in the journal Communio

Practicing the Pillars of Peace

In light of the above lessons, we understand that peacemaking is an act of obedient discipleship, carried out both communally (by Christians in communion) and individually (by the disciple). As taught by John XXIII, and reinforced by John Paul II, Christian peacemaking builds on the pillars of freedom, truth, justice, and love. 

The Church, on the other hand, has always taught and continues today to teach a very simple axiom: peace is possible. Indeed, the Church does not tire of repeating that peace is a duty. It must be built on the four pillars indicated by Blessed John XXIII in his Encyclical Pacem in Terris: truth, justice, freedom, and love. A duty is thus imposed upon all those who love peace: that of teaching these ideals to new generations, in order to prepare a better future for all mankind.

One way to explore these interrelated concepts of truth, justice, freedom, and love—together pointing to peace—is through the lens of shared practice, which we will turn to next.

Practice and Tradition: Background Considerations

In the book Inventing Catholic Tradition, Terrence Tilley describes the concept of shared practice in this way: 

(O)ne learns how to engage in a practice; only then can one know what the practice is and what participation in the practice produces. … Practices are complex patterns of actions. … Novices typically learn how to engage in the practice from skilled participants in a community of practitioners.

Tilley’s description brings out several key elements. Engaging in a practice will help to shape practitioners, particularly when they are joined together within a community. Shared practice forms our intellect, will, and body. Participating in shared practices can also though help to shape community. Common action helps to bond a community of Christian families and persons more closely together. In this sense, we might consider disciples as practitioners or as “agents of practice” in the ways that they strive together to follow and to imitate Jesus. Practices can range from quite simple to the most complex, such as learning to drive a car all the way to learning to do brain surgery. Examples of explicit Christian practices might include: the proclamation and interpretation of Scripture; forgiveness; liturgical practices; catechesis and formation; works of mercy, etc.  Practices are not isolated, of course, but exist within a network of practices and traditions. 

Based in part on the work of Alasdair MacIntyre, Tilley describes a practice as incorporating the following elements: 

• vision

• disposition

• action

• grammar

• memory

• authority

• imagination

Vision

Vision refers to shared beliefs and convictions about, for example, what the goal of a practice is and the best means to achieve that goal. Convictions are foundational beliefs that communicate, and shape, the nature of a community of practice. Such convictions lie at the heart of a practice. For example, when a person adopts a particular vision, this puts a certain expectation on that person to then act on that belief. If such convictions were changed, the practice itself would be changed. To give an example, if we look at the practice of western law, then one of the beliefs underlying this practice is presumption of innocence unless proven guilty. Change this belief and our whole system of law would change.

Link: Summa Theologiae of Thomas Aquinas, II-II, Qs 1-16 (on the topic of faith)

The nature of peace. In light of this understanding, it is essential to reflect on what sacred Scripture reveals about a shared Judeo-Christian vision of peace. In the Old Testament, for example, the word peace (shalom and its linguistic variants) is used over 230 times.

Spotlight:

• So many of the writings of Joseph Ratzinger/Benedict XVI provide an excellent example of the deep and wide developments in Scripture study that occurred during the twentieth century (e.g., the three volumes on Jesus of Nazareth, or his text “God’s Word”).

Peace is used to describe: concord between peoples (1 Kgs 5:18); seeking the good of a country or city (Ps 122:6); praying for the welfare of other people (Ex 4:18); physical safety (Ps 4:9); a good death (Gn 15:15); material prosperity (Lv 26:3-6); health (Ps 38:4); friendship (Jer 20:10) and spiritual well-being (Ps 4:9). Peace is associated with love, justice, and truth (Ps 85:11). Man broke shalom by his disobedience of God; yet the Messianic hope of Israel was of a future age of peace (Ps 72:7) that would be universal and everlasting (Is 2:2-4), and of the advent of the Prince of Peace (Is 9:5) through whom God would restore all Creation to wholeness and rightness (Zec 8:12).

Peace is not merely the absence of conflict, violence and war, but is positively characterized in Scripture by the presence of such things as charity, justice, truth, good relations between neighbors and between enemies, freedom of worship, abundance, prosperity and security among all the peoples.For the Christian, the New Testament completes and perfects this understanding of peace. Forms of the noun peace are used over 90 times in the New Testament. We are taught, for example, that in Christ peace has come (Lk 1:79), that Christ bestows peace (Mk 5:34), that Christ died for peace between men (Eph 2:14-18), and that Christ's disciples are messengers of peace (Lk 10:5). Peace is a free gift from God (Jn 14:27) and a fruit of the Holy Spirit (Gal 5:22), but peace is also something for which man must work (Eph 4:3; Heb 12:14). Peace is associated with grace (Rom 1:7); life (Rom 8:6); righteousness and joy (Rom 14:17); compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, patience, forbearance, forgiveness, love (Col 3:12-15); as well as wisdom, gentleness and mercy (Jas 3:17).

Christ's peace is different from the peace that the world tries to give (Jn 14:27). Peace with God through Christ leads to inward peace, unhindered by the world’s strife (Rom 5:1; Phil 4:7; Jn 16:33).

The Scriptural reflections above point us to a Christian vision of peace, which is one of the elements underlying the practice of Christian peacemaking.

Dispositions, skills and attitudes

Practices necessitate certain attitudes and skills. Attitudes include “dispositions, qualities of mind and character, affections, emotions.” Therefore, practices help practitioners to develop the skills and attitudes appropriate to carrying out that particular practice. Such skills can become virtues, “part of one’s character.” Furthermore, dispositions inspire a practitioner to move toward the vision of the practice and encourage the use of means appropriate to the vision. Dispositions and attitudes are therefore not only intellectual but affective as well.

Link: Catechism of the Catholic Church, #s 1803-1845

Link: Summa Theologiae of Thomas Aquinas, I-II, Qs 49-56 (on the topic of habits and virtues)

If piloting a passenger ship is taken as a generic example of a concrete practice, then related dispositions might include portraying a calm but commanding demeanor in front of the crew as well as the passengers. Engaging in the practice of Christian hospitality—welcoming those in need, practicing the works of mercy—develops and reinforces necessary virtues and capacities, such as generosity and humility. 

Drawing on John XXIII, as mentioned above, John Paul II often spoke of four pillars of peace, which we might fruitfully reflect on as core dispositions necessary to Christ-like peacemaking. These dispositions and attitudes include freedom, truth, justice and love.

With the profound intuition that characterized him, John XXIII identified the essential conditions for peace in four precise requirements of the human spirit: truth, justice, love and freedom. Truth will build peace if every individual sincerely acknowledges not only his rights, but also his own duties towards others. Justice will build peace if in practice everyone respects the rights of others and actually fulfills his duties towards them. Love will build peace if people feel the needs of others as their own and share what they have with others, especially the values of mind and spirit which they possess. Freedom will build peace and make it thrive if, in the choice of the means to that end, people act according to reason and assume responsibility for their own actions.

Link: Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church, #s 197-208 

1. Freedom. Freedom and peace are connected. It is God who gives to each one of us our freedom.

During this year dedicated to the Eucharist, may the sons and daughters of the Church find in the supreme sacrament of love the wellspring of all communion: communion with Jesus the Redeemer and, in him, with every human being. By Christ's death and resurrection, made sacramentally present in each Eucharistic celebration, we are saved from evil and enabled to do good. Through the new life which Christ has bestowed on us, we can recognize one another as brothers and sisters, despite every difference of language, nationality and culture. In a word, by sharing in the one bread and the one cup, we come to realize that we are ‘God's family’ and that together we can make our own effective contribution to building a world based on the values of justice, freedom and peace.

God desires that we freely choose him over all else. A Christian is called and graced to choose God's peace and his ways of peace freely. No one can force peace on us, nor can we impose it on others. We have freely received shalom and are to freely share it. This is never easy, particularly on our own. Yet we are not on our own: Christ has left us the sacraments, and Christ gave us brothers and sisters in faith.,

The Church calls us to look inside ourselves to discover the barriers that prevent us from freely being peacemakers—attitudes of fear, greed and malice; the desire for revenge; sins of pride, resentment, apathy and self-interest. In light of the above, we should consider whether by our example, our words or our actions, we are creating similar barriers to peace in those around us—in our neighbors, but also in our enemies. “Freedom will build peace and make it thrive if, in the choice of the means to that end, people act according to reason and assume responsibility for their own actions.”

2. Truth. “To build peace, it is necessary… to live in truth.” Peace truly describes the Kingdom of God proclaimed by Jesus, and peaceful the nature of those who live in the Kingdom.

Peace is a gift of God and at the same time a task which is never fully completed. And the driving force of evangelical peace is truth. Jesus revealed to man the full truth about man; he restores man in the truth about himself by reconciling him with God, by reconciling him with himself and by reconciling him with others. Truth is the driving power of peace because it reveals and brings about the unity of man with God, with himself and with others. Forgiveness and reconciliation are constitutive elements of the truth which strengthens peace and which builds up peace.

Peace rests on a humble recognition of the truth of God’s transcendence and of man’s inherent dignity as made in the image and likeness of God (Gen 1:26-27). God endows each human being with intrinsic and equal dignity. Peace with God, oneself and others can only be built on the recognition of this inherent dignity in ourselves and in others. The building up of peace and reconciliation demands that we look for God's stamp in every human being—neighbor and enemy—because it is truly present. The sacraments and the shared life of disciples united in Christ help to build up the virtues necessary to see the image of God in the other.

3. Justice. Peace builds on justice, the promotion of the common good. Peace “is rightly and appropriately called 'an enterprise of justice' (Is 32:7).” Justice restores creation and humankind to its divine order or shalom. Jesus, the only-begotten Son of God, teaches his disciples about God's justice: “ Which of these three ... was neighbor? ... The scholar of the law answered, 'The one who treated him with mercy.' Jesus said to him, 'Go and do likewise' ” (cf. Lk 10:25-37).

To build peace, we are to seek God's will in all things. This will help us strive to act with justice and mercy towards all—every neighbor and every enemy—even when others do not treat us mercifully, and even when it seems futile in our estimation. We are called and graced as Christian disciples to live justly, doing good for others, freely sharing God's gifts to us—both material and spiritual—with those in need, because this is what God calls us to. The early Church continues to shine for us as an example of such justice, not justice as the world sees it but as Christ Jesus lived it. Though we so often fail at this, the call and the grace is to keep trying.

The establishment or restoration of justice most often is to be accompanied by forgiveness, because injustice is a result of sin. The Christian is called to extend forgiveness to all, not just to neighbors or to loved ones, but to enemies as well. This is radically, heart-wrenchingly difficult, but brings us even closer to the mystery of the Cross, as well as to the sacrament of the Eucharist. We offer forgiveness to those who have hurt us, and seek forgiveness from those we have sinned against. Justice, forgiveness and penance will slowly but surely help to restore wholeness and shalom to our sinful and fallen world.

4. Love. Peace can only be achieved through love; it is truly a fruit of charity. Christ-like love of God, of neighbor and of enemy will help to bring Jesus' peace to this world. Such love is exemplified for disciples by the life, sacrifice and teaching of Christ the Suffering Servant. “Love will build peace if people feel the needs of others as their own and share what they have with others.”

No man or woman of good will can renounce the struggle to overcome evil with good. This fight can be fought effectively only with the weapons of love. When good overcomes evil, love prevails and where love prevails, there peace prevails. This is the teaching of the Gospel, restated by the Second Vatican Council:  “the fundamental law of human perfection, and consequently of the transformation of the world, is the new commandment of love.”

Charity is the source of our desire and prayer for peace. “Daily Mass and the daily Rosary and daily works of mercy ... are all one in the authentic Catholic Christian life and therefore must all be part of any authentic Catholic Christian peace movement.”

These four fundamental dispositions toward freedom, truth, justice and love—understood and incarnated in a Christian sense—help strengthen Christian communities and disciples to act as peacemakers in the spirit of Jesus, Prince of Peace.

Patterns of action

A shared vision and shared dispositions take shape in concrete acts by persons, individually and communally. Patterns of action carried out over time can be thought of as ongoing stories of connected events and experiences. Tilley notes that such patterns of action within a practice are necessarily intentional acts, and so must be carried out in freedom. Note the connection to the disposition of freedom, which is one of the pillars of peace.

Link: Catechism of the Catholic Church, # 1749.

Link: Summa Theologiae of Thomas Aquinas, I-II, Q 6 (on the topic of voluntary human acts)

Such patterns of action are connected to the vision and dispositions of a particular practice. Beliefs shape actions; Christian beliefs shape Christian acts. For example, genuflecting before the Blessed Sacrament makes sense as an action when connected to a belief (vision) that Christ is present in the host and when connected to the disposition of humility. 

Practices are communal, not private. We typically learn what a practice is by seeing it in action within a community. As Yves Congar point out, “The dialogue with the Word is realized in each Christian, but it is incomplete and only fully what God wishes it to be when realized within the whole body.” 

In my experience, Christian peacemaking actions start small, as new daily or weekly habits, and only slowly help to build disciples up to be able to respond more and more, and in increasingly difficult situations, to the vocation of peace. No one starts out as a Dorothy Day or an Oscar Romero; it takes grace, membership in the Church, time, intent, and practice. How can we see these small actions? Examples might include parents who teach and role model to their children a nightly examination of conscience, or who set aside regular time to practice family forgiveness and reconciliation around the dinner table before the evening meal starts. This may remind us of the monastic practice of the  “chapter of faults.” 

To take another example: in many Amish communities, their Lord’s Supper is celebrated less frequently, and requires a period of preparation (e.g., over five or six weeks). If the bishop of a local community knows that there is discord among certain members of that community, he can delay the celebration of the Lord’s Supper until the members reconcile, and will affirm as such during worship. This is one liturgical and communal application of Jesus’ instructions in Matthew 5:21-24.

During the Mass, we may consciously develop the habit of reminding ourselves, before receiving, that one of the names in the early Church for the Eucharist was pax, peace. Ancient traditions which surround the ‘kiss of peace’ during Mass may also prove to be instructive, even if no longer practiced. For example, the priest-celebrant used to kiss the corporal or even the host, then offer the kiss of peace to the deacon, who would then offer it to the next clergy on the altar, and so on. Kissing the corporal or host, then offering the kiss of peace, was a visible reminder of from whom our peace truly comes. Another ancient practice during Mass in some areas was the use of a small plaque, called a pax board, which was kissed during Mass by the priest-celebrant then brought to the altar rail for those in the congregation to kiss.

Christian peacemaking therefore may consist of many shared patterns of actions, such as: 

• forgiveness,

• asking for forgiveness; initiating a process of forgiveness, rather than waiting for someone else to do it (cf. Mt 5:23),

• willingness to help others reconcile (cf. Mt 18:16), rather than think  “oh, that’s a private matter”; forgiveness is a concern of the whole Church (cf. Mt 18:17),

• regular reception of the sacrament of reconciliation, 

• engaging in dialogue and/or conflict resolution within a Christian community (Mt 18:15-20),

• restorative justice, 

• carrying out the spiritual and corporal works of mercy, in small ways and big, particularly with fellow Christians,

• practicing hospitality,

• proclaiming the Gospel in deed and word, at home and in society (cf. Dt 6:7),

• praying specifically and concretely for one’s enemies, in private as well as liturgical prayer,

• loving one’s enemies and one’s neighbors, 

• studying the lives of holy peacemakers to learn from their example,

• asking the saints (such as St. Francis or St.Therese) to intercede for you, that you may receive   the necessary graces to be(come) a peacemaker in the spirit of Jesus,

• starting a Bible study or book club on Christian peace and peacemaking,

• if you are a teacher or a catechist, teach about shalom,

• a wholehearted embrace of the beatitude of poverty, 

• speaking up for the lowly and vulnerable, 

• sharing your testimony about the Prince of Peace, including in public,

• a proper Christian embrace of the suffering that often results from Christian actions in a fallen world (taking up one’s Cross). 

• The lives of the saints beautifully exemplify for us these and other patterns of action tied to Christian peacemaking. Spotlight: Dom Virgil Michel brought out the living link between liturgy and social justice; this is evident in his writings, and in the journal he started, Orate Fratres (now published as Worship)

Tradition

How might we describe a tradition? Traditions are networks of practices carried out over time by a community. Tradition involves the handing on of specific tradita (e.g., skills, virtues, doctrines, beliefs, practices, etc.), as well as traditio, the process of handing on. 

Link: Catechism of the Catholic Church, #s 74-84 

A tradition is an enduring set of practices that incorporates the components of vision, dispositions and patterns of action. A living tradition is not static, and must be received and then incarnated in each generation of the community.  A tradition that endures over time and is shared among a community will be both universal and particular: universal across time and across the community, and particular in its expression in this particular moment within this particular community or even for this particular member of that community. 

The question is, how can we act as peacemakers in our time and place? Catholicism has a long tradition of peacemaking—both within (i.e., with other Christians) and without (i.e., with non-Christians) the Church. Christian tradition is to be consistent with the apostolic faith while remaining ever new—received, lived within changing circumstances, and handed on to new Christian generations. Our practice of peacemaking is to be obediently faithful to the example of Jesus and the Apostles while clearly responding to the problems of today, to the signs of our times.Link: Gaudium et Spes (on the topic of the ‘signs of the times’) 

Practitioners learn a tradition through participation in a local community. Traditions give us ways of communicating certain ideas and practices. They shape those who live in them, in continuity with past practitioners but also with future practitioners. One of theologian John Thiel’s criteria for the  “canonicity” of a particular Christian tradition is the degree of that tradition’s  “community-forming power.” How well does a certain practice or tradition help strengthen a community’s bonds?

Authentic traditions can be expressed in new ways in new contexts. Such a process is not only inevitable but also necessary in the face of new  “signs of the times.” 

Traditions confer identity on a community: “To be a disciple of Christ is to be a member of his body, to take the stories of the Christian tradition and adapt or adopt them to be one’s own story.” Christian traditions draw on multiple true stories or narratives, from Revelation, Scripture, and Tradition, as well as narratives expounded upon in Church teaching.Religious traditions must engage with questions of grammar, imagination, memory and authority.

Grammar

One of the primary meanings of grammar concerns the rules of usage in speaking and writing: how words should be used, how they should relate in a sentence, etc. Another definition of grammar speaks to the fundamental principles of an art or science. It is this second definition that concerns us in this paper. Grammar, the guidelines for understanding and participating in a tradition, relates to the three fundamental elements of a tradition: vision, dispositions, and action. 

Rules and grammar “guide the practice, govern behaviors, shape attitudes, and prescribe the beliefs involved in the practice.” Grammar should help us to identify the connections between and among the different aspects of a practice, e.g., how a vision will shape a particular act, how a particular act can reinforce a belief or disposition, how a shared vision gives meaning to acts, and so on. 

Grammar initially grows out of the experiences of a (new) shared practice. In terms of learning a practice, though, grammar mostly come first for initiates (or new disciples, in a Christian context), as a practical heuristic. Even so, practices will be best understood against the backdrop of good examples incarnated by a community of practitioners. 

Imagination

Traditions are not unchanging but must be lived by their community: “discipleship is a matter of imagination, of creatively extending the patterns set in the Jesus-movement in the first century into new times and places.” Tilley names three related aspects of Catholic imagination: analogical imagination, sacramental imagination and incarnational imagination. First, Tilley describes Catholic imagination as analogical: “and ... and” rather than   “either ... or.” Jesus is God and man; the Eucharist is bread and Body. Peacemaking is corporal and spiritual. Second, all creation and all humanity are sacramental: the divine presence and grace can be discerned in creation as well as in human action. Peacemaking itself is to be a response to grace as well as a sign of God’s grace in the world. Third, the imagination of Catholic tradition is incarnational. The Creator became part of creation. The lived tradition of the Gospel stems from and draws us back to Jesus who is Prince of Peace. Peacemaking is incarnational; it is to act in this world as the hands and feet of Christ who is our peace.

Thiel highlights the necessity of faithful imagination, an imagination in continuity with its origins while remaining open to authentic development. This leads us to the element of shared memory within a Christian community.

Memory

Faithful imagination has to be rooted in something real. The imagination of the Christian tradition must tie back to the apostolic community created by Jesus. The memory of this foundation is to be incarnated in the actual practice of the community of disciples today. “Memories are carried by a community. To remember who Jesus was and what he did is a practice of discipleship. The practices of discipleship are public and social. They are shared by a group of committed practitioners who have learned how to engage in the practices and how to pass them on.”

Link: Summa Theologiae of Thomas Aquinas, I, Q 79, Articles 6 and 7 (on the topic of memory)Authority

For practices and traditions to endure, Christian communities need authentic ways to make authoritative decisions. Christian communities and practitioners therefore are to bear in mind their shared responsibility to God and to authentic sources (fontes) of Tradition.,  Such responsibilities imply making decisions in unity with: Scripture, the apostles, the Church and the Church’s faith and the Magisterium.,  Authentic decision-making and authority call for a constant turning to: the prayers and liturgies of the Church, her pastors, the rhythm of the Church year, and the lives of the saints. 

Christian Practices

The elements of a shared practice are not so easily distinguished, because practices are holistic. Christian practices are to take Christ as their model, and are dependent on the life-giving gift of grace through the power of the Holy Spirit, on God working in and through person and community.
 
Shared practices are to be tied to the needs and conditions of the human person. For example, Christian practices respond to both the universal and particular, to particular moments in particular places, across generations and societies. In response to divine revelation and open to the gifts of grace, they play out in the messiness of the now-and-not yet. They may be the work of but a minute, yet can be repeated day after day, week after week, year after year, generation after generation. Peace is most often the fruit of long and hard work over time by many people, not solely the result of a single action by a single person. Each person’s acts are important, but Christian peacemaking grows best out of a shared, communal practice.

Practices are part of a whole, a “way of life,” not just their discrete elements of vision, disposition, act, memory, imagination and authority. This is not to say that there are never gaps among these elements or within a community of practitioners.  As fallen human beings, we experience such breaks and gaps every day of our lives. The effects of the Fall, our actual sins, cause gaps and also sneak into the gaps. We remember that it is the divine activity of God that saves, not our own. Jesus creates peace, not us. We receive it as a gift and are to share this gift with others. 

The reality of a network of practices, though not our contemporary language of practice, has been part of the way of life and the teaching of the Christian community since her beginning. Distinctive Christian practices, the example of the lives of Christians coming together and living in response to God’s grace, have often been the primary form of evangelization, charity, service, liturgy and formation.,  The Christian practice of peacemaking in today’s world, too often torn apart by fear and violence, is a light to the world and an invitation to turn and follow Jesus. This is one of the challenges and opportunities for the Church in the twenty-first century.

The Pilgrim Church

As bearers of and witnesses to the Risen Christ, as missionaries in the footsteps of Christ, as a pilgrim Church in the service of reconciliation and peace, where might we begin to find hope in the century that lies ahead of us? 

• In an increased formation (human, spiritual, intellectual, emotional) in concrete Christian peacemaking practices: within our families, Catholic schools, parishes, seminaries, universities, religious congregations, liturgical celebrations, and sacramental preparation programs. Indeed, Benedict XVI pointed to peacemaking as part of the new evangelization: 

Religious communities are involved in a special way in this immense task of education for peace. The Church believes that she shares in this great responsibility as part of the new evangelization, which is centered on conversion to the truth and love of Christ and, consequently, the spiritual and moral rebirth of individuals and societies. Encountering Jesus Christ shapes peacemakers, committing them to fellowship and to overcoming injustice.

• In a deeper study of and commitment to a vision of peace and peacemaking that is distinctly Christian.

• In local churches and Christian communities which help disciples to cultivate the dispositions which sustain peacemaking.

• In the shared peacemaking actions of Christian communities and disciples, from the very local to the global.

• In the obedient witness of the Church to her Lord, the Prince of Peace.

• In authentic ecumenical efforts of dialogue, reconciliation and peacemaking.

• In a greater ‘seamless garment’ unity between and among various peacemaking efforts (around war, violence, abortion, capital execution, euthanasia, assisted suicide, and so on).

Conclusion

 “And the LORD said, ‘What have you done? The voice of your brother's blood is crying to me from the ground’ ” (Gen 4:10). The history of the twentieth century cries out to us with the bloodshed, even by Christians and tragically sometimes with the blessing of Church leaders, as a result of war, bombing, revolution, terrorism, genocide, abortion, and execution. With hindsight and prayerful reflection, such darkness may make those twentieth-century voices who did cry out for peace shine even more brightly for us in our world today. “As long as I have breath within me I shall cry out: ‘Peace, in the name of God!’ ” 

By grace, some in the twentieth century did raise their voices for peace, faithfully echoing the call of Jesus, Prince of Peace and Son of God. We lament and repent of those times, however, when Christian disciples and Churches listened to other voices, to wolves in sheep’s clothing. Our challenge today is to open our ears, so that we can begin to hear these voices of peace in our own time and place, and to strive to become a voice for peace ourselves: from pulpits and in writing, in our homes and workplaces, in our cities and towns, in our schools and neighborhoods, in prayer and worship, in our dioceses and parishes, in congregations and lay movements, and in our church communities. Our challenges are to share the gift of peace with a world that is so hungry for it, and to faithfully hand on the Gospel of peace to the next generation of disciples.

Ever thankful for the divine gift of shalom, therefore, we pray for the grace to receive and share the gift of peace; we pray for the grace to be united in our efforts as peacemakers; we pray for the grace to be open to the gift of shalom received through the sacraments–that we may truly become peacemakers, beacons of light and bearers of salt (Mk 9:50).

(P)rayer for peace is not an afterthought to the work of peace. It is of the very essence of building the peace of order, justice, and freedom. To pray for peace is to open the human heart to the inroads of God's power to renew all things.

Amen!

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RESPONSES TO THIS CHAPTER:

Response of Sean Hurt:

This is a compilation of my thoughts on the Tumenski peacemaking chapter. The italicized sentences are quotes from the chapter indicating the passage I’m commenting on, followed by my comment.

Ben Salmon was a Catholic conscientious objector to World War I, who suffered…

Ok, I know that the author starts this list with a statement that it cannot possibly be exhaustive. But it seems like we discuss a handful of Catholic martyrs in Nazi Germany, and say nothing about the thousands of Jehovah’s Witnesses who, given the option of renouncing Christ, chose death, torture, and imprisonment ..

Peace is possible…

It’s funny how radical this sounds to the ears of young people. It’s an age of such cynicism, where so many promising –isms of the previous century failed to produce their utopias. Unlike previous generations, I feel ours has so little hope for a better world. What is it that young people look forward to? There is no particular political philosophy that we look to for salvation; and more and more, the youth identify as nonreligious. My wife and I discuss this question: who is the savior of this generation? I think, more and more, the answer is, “oneself.”  So, that simple axiom, peace is possible, sounds refreshing—even extreme because it is a compelling vision, but one whose fruition lies beyond individual effort. 

Peace is not merely the absence of conflict…

I agree with the point made in this paragraph. There’s a broader sense of the word, peace—I’ve heard it termed “positive peace.” Absence of conflicts is such a superficial indicator of what boils beneath the surface. We wouldn’t, for example, say there was “peace” between slaves and slaveholders in the antebellum days, nor in the days of Jim Crow. Presently, in a time of brutal, mass-incarceration of blacks, should we say there is peace for African-Americans in this country? That’s the thing though. In the absence of outward conflict, it’s easy to miss the absence of Peace

 “The Church calls us to look inside ourselves to discover the barriers that prevent us from freely being peacemakers... assume responsibility for our own actions.”

I’ve found this sort of introspection very important. In our everyday interactions we inevitably embroil ourselves in conflicts which damage human solidarity. It’s good to look hard at what role we play in a conflict. Are we really playing the part of peace maker, or are we embroiling ourselves in fruitless and hurtful argument? In conflicts, we are not hapless victims; for the most part, conflicts that we’re involved in continue solely with our own active participation. Frequently, when I start arguing heatedly with my wife, I realize that, at any time, I can stop saying hurtful things, turn around, and make peace and make the discussion constructive instead of divisive.

And the driving force of evangelical peace is truth… Forgiveness and reconciliation are constitutive elements of the truth which strengthens peace and which builds up peace.

As the author stated before, it takes much introspection to realize the deep wounds in our hearts that inspired anger and discord in the first place.  There are so many lies that we build up around ourselves for emotional security or protection and we can be tempted into conflict by one simply undermining these lies. It’s wonderful when we can drop the subterfuge, acknowledge the truth, and see ourselves as broken, wounded little children, and ask Jesus to heal us—to put us back together. I’ve found that he will always help mend our broken, fallen selves in this way.

To build peace, we are to seek God's will in all things…

I’m sorry if this is only tangentially related, but again and again I come back to the phrase stated above. Not just regarding peace, but all aspects of this religion. Similar to how Jesus instructs us to seek first the kingdom of God and then these other (material) things will come, I feel like we must first abandon ourselves to God’s will and then the resolve to work towards peace will come. In my early stage of faith, I’ve come to regard abandonment to God’s will as the central struggle. Those are easy words to speak. To truly live them is difficult, when you consider that God might call you to prison, death, torture, etc., for the sake of peace. I find myself holding back when I say “thy kingdom come; thy will be done” and really meaning, “My will be done” or “Thy will be done, but on my terms.” 

This will help us strive to act with justice and mercy towards all—every neighbor and every enemy—even when others do not treat us mercifully, and even when it seems futile in our estimation.  

 I have some thoughts on this part about futility. As a Peace Corps volunteer, you live with this problem every day. You’re striving to help people and to amend the unimaginable suffering that surrounds you, but the problem is so massive; you’re paralyzed by your own perception of impotency. The situation seems irreparable and effort futile. 

In those situations I had some things about which I’d remind myself: there’s more to mankind than just material things. A gesture of peace that does not have a direct effect can make a profound impact on people around you, as well as yourself. If you take, for example, the problem of a homeless man, how much of the problem is material? Definitely he’s stuck in a financial rut, but that may only be half of it. Maybe the other half is the fact that a thousand people pass him every day and don’t look twice. What does that do to a man’s soul?  There’s something very valuable in making a gesture of mercy to street people—just to prove to them that they’re worth something and that people can care about them. So, maybe a small act of mercy does not improve their material state much, but has a valuable internal impact.  

Before my conversion, Ronda used to pass down all this Catholic literature to me trying to make a subtle influence. Those material things she gave me never worked, but what touched me was her simple, joyful morning greetings, “Good morning, God bless you!” She’d say that to me every morning, and her joy pierced me. We could go on and on with examples, but the point is: as a single individual, you’re only one person with one person’s material influence, but as a soul you can influence all the souls that surround you in a profound but invisible way. 

 No man or woman of good will can renounce the struggle to overcome evil with good. This fight can be fought effectively only with the weapons of love.

So, this idea of conquering evil with good perfectly illuminates what I was trying to say above. If you acknowledge only the superficial material aspects of action and consequence, this whole notion of good conquering evil is just so ridiculous. A contemporary social-commentator, Derrick Jensen, has parodied this and makes quite a convincing case. It does seem ridiculous; it does seem futile to ask, “So should we have conquered Hitler’s war machine with love?” 

But throughout history, how many would-be-Hitlers never got off the ground because people of peace and goodwill refused to fight? And if violent people want to kill each other for violence’s sake then why should that tempt us into violence? If there are warmongers on one side there will be warmongers on the other willing to fight them.   

This truth is so clear to me now. As a socialist I blamed the lack of peace and justice on other people. These were the evil people that only need to be eliminated to establish justice on Earth. As a Christian, we see evil as something omnipresent, separate from humanity rather than a product of humanity. It exists within each of us, and so the struggle to conquer evil with love is both internal and external. Now I set my crosshairs on evil, the real enemy. Peace will prevail only when all of us are peacemakers. 

The building up of peace and reconciliation demands that we look for God's stamp in every human being—neighbor and enemy— because it is truly present.

I love this truth. Regarding the topic of peace I ascribe high importance to it. When we realize the beautiful truth that each and every person was willed into life by our Creator (especially our enemies), then we can truly value all human life and affirm all people’s humanity. This fact, along with prayer for the people we hate or dislike, is a powerful approach to loving our enemies and Jesus’ commandment to love our neighbors.

Beliefs shape actions; Christian beliefs shape Christian acts.

Just from my own personal introspection, I don’t think the relationship between belief and action is simple like this. I think the causality can flow the other direction. I don’t know, but I often wonder how many of our beliefs are there and have always been there, but we never realized that we believe them. I certainly felt this way about belief in God and Jesus. It was my actions— impulsive prayer and a clouded searching that informed me of my beliefs.  In other words, actions informed me of my beliefs. How do we know what we believe? I’m not asking the basic epistemological question. I’m just saying that, for me at least, I can’t know about anyone else, it’s not always clear to me what I believe and sometimes it’s my own actions that clue me in. 

In my experience, Christian peacemaking actions start small, as new daily or weekly habits, and only slowly help to build disciples up to be able to respond more and more.

I agree with this point. Another thing, the author reminds us, “No one starts out as Dorothy Day.” That’s true, but also remember that, when we look at Dorothy Day, we see a lifetime of work. When I was in Peace Corps, I often felt like I was doing nothing and accomplishing nothing. However, two years of work added up, and at the end, when I reported my accomplishments, I was shocked. Looking at those years summarized on paper, it seems like I got so much done. If I could have shown that paper to myself two years earlier, and asked, “One volunteer accomplished all this, can you do the same?” I might have said, “Oh that’s impossible for me!” Even Dorothy Day herself purportedly said, “Don't call me a saint. I don't want to be dismissed so easily.”

Ancient traditions which surround the ‘kiss of peace’ during Mass.

I find these ancient traditions and liturgies so beautiful and enlightening (especially the thought of passing on the kiss of peace that comes from Christ). I love all the varied traditions in this religion. I talk a lot to Ronda about this. There are these warm, folksy Masses, high mass, Latin Mass, charismatic Mass and all of the various Eastern Catholic rites. The Church is so rich and I love that she allows this rich diversity in the liturgy. I hope that people try the different traditions. I know of some groups at my parish who attend an Eastern Catholic Mass once a month as a sign of solidarity. I think that’s important. I go into this more below, but we must avoid dividing over differences that don’t matter. Unfortunately, I do see that happening.

 Embracing the diversity of the Church allows us to discern between divine truths of the Church and our preferences. It’s so enlightening to embed yourself in another tradition, because it reveals the universal underlying truths and filters out personal bias. Before I left to Malawi, I had so many personal preferences that I regarded as objective truth. Two years of living in another culture broadens your horizons as you see more of the truth from a different view.

How might we describe a tradition? Traditions are networks of practices carried out over time by a community.

Tradition and peace are not related in a simple way. One could discuss that relationship for a long time. One thing I want to interject is that tradition, almost by default, is a barrier between people. I saw this clearly when I lived in Malawi. Here in America, I see this even between Catholics who agree on some deep level, but disagree over tradition. For example, in the African Church, sacred dance is important. This is their expression of holiness; but I know American Catholics who’d be scandalized if their priest or parishioners did what African Catholics do. So both communities have a tradition of holiness in their Mass, but different traditions of expressing that holiness. One thing I’ve encountered already in my Catholic community is squabbling and division over rather superficial traditions (like a priest is joyful during liturgy of the Eucharist instead of solemn, etc.). 

So, my point is, we should be careful when forming traditions of peacemaking in our communities because any tradition can become divisive. I don’t know what the solution is; maybe it’s fostering attitudes of acceptance or encouraging multicultural experiences. I don’t know. But I think we can agree that it’s not right when divisions form in the church over unimportant or superficial traditions. Of course, we need to be discriminating about heresies and traditions contrary to Church teachings, so it takes contemplation to discern the difference.

For Personal Reflection and Group Sharing

• How have you received and experienced the gift of peace, under both aspects of ‘absence’ and of ‘presence’?

• In what ways can Christian communities receive and hand on a vision of Gospel peacemaking? Reflect on this question in light of the nature of leitourgia. For example, how can bishops, priests and deacons proclaim this Gospel vision of peace through the liturgical celebration of the sacraments? How do disciples dwell in the Word of peace?

• In what ways can Christian communities receive and hand on a vision of Gospel peacemaking? Reflect on this question in light of the nature of leitourgia. For example, how can bishops, priests and deacons proclaim this Gospel vision of peace through the liturgical celebration of the sacraments? How do disciples dwell in the Word of peace?

• How can Christians help one another within community (e.g., family, parish, classroom, workplace, religious order, lay community, etc.) to cultivate dispositions helpful to becoming Christian peacemakers—dispositions toward freedom, truth, justice and love? In what ways do these dispositions reinforce one another? How can those ordained to Christian ministry (as bishops, priests or deacons) nurture in themselves, and within the Christian community, the dispositions toward Christian freedom, truth, justice and love?

• What peacemaking patterns of actions can you imagine, as concretely practiced within a family, a prayer group or Bible study, a workplace, a classroom, a neighborhood, a parish, a religious congregation, a lay community? How can bishops, priests, deacons, religious sisters and brother, catechists, teachers and evangelists carry out such peacemaking patterns of action, and form other disciples to do so as well?

• Based on the framework of vision-disposition-action laid out above, which saints speak to you as exemplars of Christian peacemaking?

• What are some of the traditions of peacemaking that have been handed on to us as Christians, e.g., in our families, parishes, religious orders, etc.? In what different ways have these traditions been handed on, by whom and to whom? How can we now hand on our Christian tradition of peacemaking?

• What are some of the universal elements of the Christian tradition of peacemaking? What are some of the particular elements unique to your own community, time and needs?

• What can we learn from Christians of the past—the early Church, the saints, Christian orders and communities dedicated to peace—about the practice of peacemaking? In what ways can the shared practice of peacemaking help to solidify a local community of Christians?

• What new challenges and signs of the times do Christians face today in regards to the practice of peacemaking? What worldly temptations and idols might draw Christian disciples and communities away from the Gospel of peace? What shared practices can help us to resist and overcome these temptations?

• What narratives of peacemaking can we as Christian churches and disciples draw upon?

• How are the a) Christian vision of shalom; the b). dispositions of freedom, justice, truth and love; and the c) actions of peacemaking connected, in an authentic grammar of Christian peacemaking within a particular community?

• Contemplate some of the key sources (ad fontes: to the sources) of memory in Scripture and Tradition that engender and support the practice of peacemaking. How can we drink from these springs of living water?

• Prayerfully read Matthew 18 on binding-and-loosening, in light of authority and decision-making within the Church, particularly within local Christian communities.


RESPONSES TO THIS CHAPTER:

Response of Sean Hurt:

This is a compilation of my thoughts on the Tumenski peacemaking chapter. The italicized sentences are quotes from the chapter indicating the passage I’m commenting on, followed by my comment.

Ben Salmon was a Catholic conscientious objector to World War I, who suffered…

 I know that the author starts this list with a statement that it cannot possibly be exhaustive. But it seems like we discuss a handful of Catholic martyrs in Nazi Germany, and say nothing about the thousands of Jehovah’s Witnesses who, given the option of renouncing Christ, chose death, torture and imprisonment. Jehovah’s Witnesses are such outspoken critics of Catholicism—I just hope that the author is not discriminating against them. I know that the Church does not consider their baptism valid, but still it’s an extreme example of heroic peacekeeping that far surpasses some the examples mentioned. Besides, it’s good to acknowledge the good of people we’re tempted to deem enemies.

Peace is possible…

It’s funny how radical this sounds to the ears of young people. It’s an age of such cynicism, where so many promising –isms of the previous century failed to produce their utopias. Unlike previous generations, I feel like ours has so little hope for a better world. What is it that young people look forward to? There is no particular political philosophy that we look to for salvation; and more and more, the youth identify as non-religious. My wife and I discuss this question, who is the savior of this generation? I think, more and more, the answer is, “oneself”.  So, that “simple axiom”, peace is possible, sounds refreshing—even extreme because it is a compelling vision, but one whose fruition lies beyond individual effort. 

Peace is not merely the absence of conflict…

I agree with the point made in this paragraph. There’s a broader sense of the word, peace—I’ve heard it termed “positive peace”. Absence of conflicts is such a superficial indicator of what boils beneath the surface. We wouldn’t, for example, say there was “peace” between slaves and slaveholders in the antebellum days, nor in the days of Jim Crow. Presently, in a time of brutal, mass-incarceration of blacks, should we say there is peace for African-Americans in this country? That’s the thing though. In the absence of outward conflict, it’s easy to miss the absence of Peace

“The Church calls us to look inside ourselves to discover the barriers that prevent us from freely being peacemakers... assume responsibility for our own actions”

I’ve found this sort of introspection very important. In our everyday interactions we inevitably embroil ourselves in conflicts which damage human solidarity. It’s good to look hard at what role we play in a conflict. Are we really playing the part of peace maker, or are we embroiling ourselves in fruitless and hurtful argument? In conflicts, we are not hapless victims; for the most part, conflicts that we’re involved in continue solely with our own active participation. Frequently, when I start arguing heatedly with my wife, I realize that, at any time, I can stop saying hurtful things, turn around and make peace and make the discussion constructive instead of divisive.

And the driving force of evangelical peace is truth… Forgiveness and reconciliation are constitutive elements of the truth which strengthens peace and which builds up peace.

As the author stated before, it takes much introspection to realize the deep wounds in our hearts that inspired anger and discord in the first place.  There are so many lies that we build up around ourselves for emotional security or protection and we can be tempted into conflict by one simply undermining these lies. It’s wonderful when we can drop the subterfuge, acknowledge the truth, and see ourselves as broken, wounded little children, and ask Jesus to heal us—to put us back together. I’ve found that He will always help mend our broken, fallen selves in this way.

To build peace, we are to seek God's will in all things…

I’m sorry if this is only tangentially related, but again and again I come back to the phrase stated above. Not just regarding peace, but all aspects of this religion. Similar to how Jesus instructs us to seek first the kingdom of God and then these other (material) things will come, I feel like we must first abandon ourselves to God’s will and then the resolve to work towards peace will come. In my early stage of faith, I’ve come to regard abandonment to God’s will as the central struggle. Those are easy words to speak. To truly live them is difficult, when you consider that God might call you to prison, death, torture etc. for the sake of peace. I find myself holding back when I say “Thy Kingdom come; Thy will be done” and really meaning, “My will be done” or “Thy will be done, but on my terms”. 

This will help us strive to act with justice and mercy towards all–every neighbor and every enemy–even when others do not treat us mercifully, and even when it seems futile in our estimation…   

I have some thoughts on this part about futility. As a Peace Corps volunteer, you live with this problem every day. You’re striving to help people and to amend the unimaginable suffering that surrounds you, but the problem is so massive; you’re paralyzed by your own perception of impotency. The situation seems irreparable and effort futile. 

In those situations I had some things I’d remind myself: there’s more to mankind than just material things. A gesture of peace that does not have a direct affect can make a profound impact on people around you, as well as yourself. If you take, for example, the problem of a homeless man, how much of the problem is material? Definitely he’s stuck in a financial rut, but that may only be half of it. Maybe the other half is the fact that a thousand people pass him every day and don’t look twice. What does that do to man’s soul?  There’s something very valuable in making a gesture of mercy to street people—just to prove to them that they’re worth something and that people can care about them. So, maybe a small act of mercy does not improve their material state much, but has a valuable internal impact.  

Before my conversion, Ronda used to pass down all this Catholic literature to me trying to make a subtle influence. Those material things she gave me never worked, but what touched me was her simple, joyful morning greetings, “Good morning, God bless you!” She’d say that to me every morning, and her joy pierced me. We could go on and on with examples, but the point is: as a single individual, you’re only one person with one person’s material influence, but as a soul you can influence all the souls that surround you in a profound but invisible way. 

No man or woman of good will can renounce the struggle to overcome evil with good. This fight can be fought effectively only with the weapons of love…

So, this idea of conquering evil with good perfectly illuminates what I was trying to say above. If you acknowledge only the superficial material aspects of action and consequence, this whole notion of good conquering evil is just so ridiculous. A contemporary social-commentator, Derrick Jensen, has parodied this and makes quite a convincing case. It does seem ridiculous; it does seem futile to ask, “So should we have conquered Hitler’s war machine with love?” 

But throughout history, how many would-be Hitlers never got off the ground because people of peace and goodwill refused to fight? And if violent people want to kill each other for violence’s sake then why should that tempt us into violence? If there are warmongers on one side there will be warmongers on the other willing to fight them.   

This truth is so clear to me now. As a socialist I blamed the lack of peace and justice on other people. These were the evil people that only need to be eliminated to establish justice on Earth. As a Christian, we see evil as something omnipresent, separate from humanity rather than a product of humanity. It exists within each of us, and so the struggle to conquer evil with love is both internal and external. Now I set my crosshairs on evil, the real enemy. Peace will prevail only when all of us are peacemakers. 

“The building up of peace and reconciliation demands that we look for God's stamp in every human being–neighbor and enemy– because it is truly present.”

I love this truth. Regarding the topic of peace I ascribe high importance to it. When we realize the beautiful truth that each and every person was willed into life by our Creator (especially our enemies), then we can truly value all human life and affirm all people’s humanity. This fact, along with prayer for the people we hate or dislike, is a powerful approach to loving our enemies and Jesus’ commandment to love our neighbors.

Beliefs shape actions; Christian beliefs shape Christian acts.

Just from my own personal introspection, I don’t think the relationship between belief and action is simple like this. I think the causality can flow the other direction. I don’t know, but I often wonder how many of our beliefs are there and have always been there but we never realized that we believe them. I certainly felt this way about belief in God and Jesus. It was my actions— impulsive prayer and a clouded searching that informed me of my beliefs.  In other words, actions informed me of my beliefs. How do we know what we believe? I’m not asking the basic epistemological question. I’m just saying that, for me at least, I can’t know about anyone else, it’s not always clear to me what I believe and sometimes it’s my own actions that clue me in. 

In my experience, Christian peacemaking actions start small, as new daily or weekly habits, and only slowly help to build disciples up to be able to respond more and more…

I agree with this point. Another thing, the author reminds us, “No one starts out as Dorothy Day”.  That’s true, but also remember that, when we look at Dorothy Day, we see a lifetime of work. When I was in Peace Corps, I often felt like I was doing nothing and accomplished nothing. However, two years of work added up, and at the end, when I reported my accomplishments, I was shocked. Looking at those years summarized on paper, it seems like I got so much done. If I could have shown that paper to myself two years earlier, and asked, “One volunteer accomplished all this, can you do the same?” I might said, “Oh that’s impossible for me!” Even Dorothy Day herself purportedly said, “Don't call me a saint. I don't want to be dismissed so easily”

Ancient traditions which surround the ‘kiss of peace’ during Mass…

I find these ancient traditions and liturgies so beautiful and enlightening (especially the thought of passing on the kiss of peace that comes from Christ). I love all the varied traditions in this religion. I talk a lot to Ronda about this. There are these warm, folksy masses, high mass, Latin mass, charismatic mass and all of the various Eastern Catholic rites. It’s so rich and I love that the Church allows this rich diversity in the liturgy. I hope that people try the different traditions. I know of some groups at my parish who attend Eastern Catholic mass once a month as a sign of solidarity. I think that’s important. I go into this more below, but we must avoid dividing over differences that don’t matter. Unfortunately, I do see that happening.

Embracing the diversity of the Church allows us to discern between divine Truths of the Church and our preferences. It’s so enlightening to embed yourself in another tradition, because it reveals the universal underlying truths and filters out personal bias. Before I left to Malawi, I had so many personal preferences that I regarded as objective truth. Two years of living in another culture broadens your horizons as you see more of the truth from a different view.

How might we describe a tradition? Traditions are networks of practices carried out over time by a community…

Tradition and peace are not related in a simple way. One could discuss that relationship for a long time. One thing I want to interject is that tradition almost by default a barrier between people. I saw this clearly when I lived in Malawi. Here in America, I see this even between Catholics who agree on some deep level, but disagree over tradition. For example, in the African Church, sacred dance is important. This is their expression of holiness; but I know American Catholics who’d be scandalized if their priest or parishioners did what African Catholics do. So both communities have a tradition of holiness in their mass, but different traditions of expressing that holiness. One thing I’ve encountered already in my Catholic community is squabbling and division over rather superficial traditions (like a priest is joyful during liturgy of the Eucharist instead of solemn etc.). 

So, my point is, we should be careful when forming traditions of peacemaking in our communities because any tradition can become divisive. I don’t know what the solution is; maybe it’s fostering attitudes of acceptance or encouraging multicultural experiences. I don’t know. But I think we can agree that it’s not right when divisions form in the church over unimportant or superficial traditions. Of course, we need to be discriminating about heresies and traditions contrary to Church teachings, so it takes contemplation to discern the difference.

Response of Tommie Kim:

Geographically Korea is a bridge connecting the Asian continent and an island, Japan.  Small in size though it may be, the importance of its location has always been a target of invasion by neighboring counties. Korea suffered over 1000 invasions and has been colonized by Japan for 35 years.  After the liberation, the Korean War divided the country into two countries living over 60 years of armistice.  After the cold war, Korea is now the only country on earth that is split into 2 states. The tension never ceased at the border and it seems to be at the highest at present time with the 3rd generation young leader on board in the place of  power.  Young leader Kim is constantly intimidating the South as well as the United States by means of threats of nuclear weapons. There is a fear that the unstable personality of young leader Kim could lead to an accidental decision to attack the South at any minute. In fact, he is practicing numerous local provocations. 

However, what is nevertheless upsetting  is the fact that South has been living under such long years of tension that the people are insensitive to the potential crisis that this young leader may bring about at any moment. It may be a wonder to many visitors or to foreign eyes as to how Koreans can live in peace under such circumstances. South Korea has accomplished remarkable economic growth and is now one of the wealthiest countries.  Economic prosperity resulted in over spending for pleasure. 

Paradoxically speaking, Koreans suffered long years of repeated invasions of our land and our life and many families are still suffering from the pain of broken families between the North and the South.  Koreans, for many years, have had all the reasons to long for peace for many years. Perhaps this is the reason why Koreans have never interrupted the peace of other countries or provoked other countries over thousands of years.  Also, Koreans know more than any other race that a peace cannot be granted, nor last, without strong self-control and discipline. 

The same self-discipline applies to our Christian life.  In this world, it requires constant awareness in order to maintain a solid faith in God and practice peace. Peace does not mean a state of being without conflict or war.  True peace is obtained when we place our will in the hands of God, seeking and acting on God’s will at all times. Only when we unite our will with the will of God and arm ourselves with the gospel, can we become a true medium of peace. 

Korea is still considered a country of missionaries.  Although the number has somewhat decreased, we still have significant number of adult conversions to the Catholic church.  When they are questioned about their  reason for conversion, many of converts say, “to seek peace at heart and mind.”  Faith can offer peace at heart, but this is not the complete peace of Christian faith. There is a need for constant faith education and actual practice of self-purification to obtain true peace.  Peace is not self-fulfillment.

Response of David Tate:

The word concord brings to my mind both of the aspects of peace in the chapter. There is a passive peace that is absence of stress. The second kind is where people or things exhibit a harmony of unity. Because my older sister and younger brother were so many years apart in age, I thought of our family as having more of a passive type of peace. We all seemed to function, but it was not something that was bound together by feelings of joy. It was not until I was in high school when I was on a youth retreat (70’s style) that I noticed in an obvious way a harmony of unity.

Faith has a private mode to it, as well as a communal aspect to it. The Church is obviously a living communal entity. This entity is made of individuals who are supported and empowered by the community. It is wonderful to catch the wave of the human spirit (created by God) that is glowing with joy in being together when you enter a large building (i.e. Church) that has been filled to capacity with people who are enjoying themselves. Even though the details are not something easily agreed upon by the many, it is a wonderful to hear people seeing together. As Latin Chant is starting to make a return into the parishes, one can easily hear the value of non-hymn music in the life of the Church. In some countries, social gathering is a way of life. For those countries where ‘gathering’ is becoming a thing of the past, the Church should take notice. There is something therapeutic about large social gatherings (just ask the Pope!) 

If the term Christian peacemaker can be associated with certain useful characteristics, then the idea of a shepherd has many of these qualities. The shepherd takes interest in the welfare of the sheep. He stands near their activity quietly watching. He occasionally will mingle with them. He intervenes with them, or for them, when the situation arises. To makes a quick to the point remark, the shepherd (as Pope Francis says) smells like the sheep do. If a peacemaker is to function, then he must interact in some similar ways.

The practice of peacemaking reminds me of the principles of good conversation. To make good and healthy conversation, there must be at least two principles at work. The first is that an attitude of inclusivity must be practiced. If one does not feel acknowledged, then how is one to ‘join’ a conversation? Likewise, where is there peace if you feel  no bond or relationship? 

The second principle is that of receptivity. When conversing, everyone takes turns in stopping their talking in order that another’s voice can be heard. Each individual alternates in their participation by either giving (speaking out their statements or questions), or by joining with the others in listening and receiving from the appropriate speaker. Similarly, respect must be offered to the other in a relationship of peace. The other party (parties) needs to feel that when they speak, they are being listened to, their opinions or requests are being received and considered. These two principles are the minimum requirement for peacemaking to take place.