It's been interesting to really chew on chapter four of the encyclical Evangelii Gaudium and see how it can be put into real terms. Ironically, the reality is the ideals put forth by Pope Francis in this document do not seem to be put into practice in real life, especially in Christian communities.
So how should communities work together towards bringing peace and justice into a world filled with inequalities? Can we be one harmonious whole, united by a common vision, working to be in solidarity with the poor by bringing social justice and peace to all?
There are four principles we are encouraged to adopt (in chapter 4.3) to help us along, that I feel makes absolute sense in how I should live my life 24/7:
Time is greater than space
Pope Francis says: This principle enables us to work slowly but surely, without being obsessed with immediate results. It helps us patiently to endure difficult and adverse situations, or inevitable changes in our plans. It invites us to accept the tension between fullness and limitation, and to give a priority to time.
We are invited to adopt the parable of the weeds and the wheat; to initiate processes rather than possess spaces, and to put our attention to the bigger picture, openness to suitable processes and concern for the long run.
Living in a world that promotes instant gratification and celebrates individualism, it is so easy for me to fall into the trap of impatience and measuring my sense of self worth by how much I have accomplished in real terms (not a bad thing in itself to have a vision, mission and to set goals, but I don't think Jesus fussed with KPIs in the business of His life and ministry, nor are we judged by secular standards of success when we stand at the Pearly Gates).
In embracing this principle of living in God's time, it has helped me persevere in difficult relationships and situations instead of giving up and walking away. It has been a journey, and still is, of keeping the faith, showing up and being loving even when I personally want to throttle someone. And when I feel like I am hitting a stone wall, I must rely on the Holy Spirit to be the drop of water that propels me to keep dripping on the stone surface of hostile intransigence, and allow God's timing to be transformational for both me and the other.
Saint Peter Faber said time is God's messenger, so as long as I know the processes I am pushing through are sound, I just have to keep chugging ahead even when the storms threaten to drown me and the world laughs at me and thinks my efforts sad. As Derek put it, surviving the storms makes for a more compelling testimony than giving someone the red carpet story to salvation.
Unity prevails over conflict
Most of us do not deal very successfully with conflict. We either ignore it and walk away, or we stubbornly refuse to let go of our own perspective until we lose the plot. The Pope proffers a third way: the willingness to face conflict head on, to resolve it and to make it a link in the chain of a new process. “Blessed are the peacemakers!” (Matthew 5:9).
To build communion even amid disagreement, we are asked to be magnanimous, to be willing to go beyond the surface of the conflict and to see others in their deepest dignity. Ultimately we must be guided by the principle of unity so that we are willing to overcome our own personal dislikes and prejudices, to work towards diversified and life-giving unity, preserving what is valid and useful on both sides.
Pope Francis suggests the best way to remove the roadblocks is to look inward: this reconciliation of differences is within ourselves, in our own lives, ever threatened as they are by fragmentation and breakdown.[183] If hearts are shattered in thousands of pieces, it is not easy to create authentic peace in society.
Hit a conflict, look inward. His advice is simple, yet extremely tough to accomplish. I know I'd much rather whine about someone else's ridiculous pigheadedness than my own. It's also more satisfying to point fingers than admit to my own shortcomings and work on them. And if I am right, I am going to rub the other's nose in it and make sure everyone knows I am right, forget mercy. Unity, what's that?
Father Raniero Cantalamessa in his third Lenten sermon wrote: "Go, leave your ‘I’ behind, deny yourself. Everything belongs to me now. Your life is changing, my face is becoming your face. It is no longer you who live but I who live in you.”
When I allow Jesus to live in me, His humility gives me the much needed perspective and objectivity to love someone despite still actively disliking him or her, and to act intentionally towards keeping the peace even if it sticks in my craw. Yarning it out with the Father definitely helps me discover the logs in my eyes and to see things in a new light so that I am able to carry supernatural wisdom into conflict situations. It is not a pleasant or speedy process, but if I truly desire unity, there are always a way to resolve conflict. I just have to allow myself to be guided by the Holy Spirit, time and time again, no matter how long it takes.
As Father Cantalamessa writes: This is the only way to overcome the teeming mass of envies, jealousies, fears of embarrassment, rancors, resentments, and antipathies that fill the heart of the old self—in a word we need to be “indwelt” by the gospel and to spread the scent of the gospel.
So when conflicts arise, may we all keep our hearts within the Father's heart and therefore see through His eyes, and act with His heart within us.
Realities are more important than ideas
The Pope reminds us that: Ideas – conceptual elaborations – are at the service of communication, understanding, and praxis. Ideas are great, but when they are disconnected from the realities of life, they become just so many words, impressive sounding rhetoric, but impractical and unintelligible to most.
Pope Francis writes: This principle has to do with incarnation of the word and its being put into practice. He points to Jesus, the word made flesh and reminds us that this word is constantly striving to take flesh anew, and that this incarnation is essential to evangelization. The saints knew this, and in following closely in the footsteps of Jesus, inculturated the Gospel in the life of peoples. We are invited to do the same in our current times.
This principle impels us to put the word into practice, to perform works of justice and charity which make that word fruitful says the Pope. The only way we put the word into practice effectively is when we spend time in prayer, allowing the word to gestate and give birth in us.
Father Cantalamessa highlights that a missionary commitment is exposed to two principal dangers: 'inertia' or 'feverish and futile activity' that has lost contact 'with the wellspring of the word and its efficacy.' He warns: This would be setting oneself up for failure. The more the volume of activity goes up, the more the volume of prayer should go up. Someone could object that this is absurd because there is only so much time. That is true, but cannot the one who multiplied the bread also multiply time? Besides, this is something God is always doing and that we experience every day: after having prayed, we do the same things in less than half the time.
Thanks for the great reminder, Father C. Knowledge or book learning is great, but it is how we apply knowledge, our ideas born of both knowledge and wisdom in the real world that will make a difference. Inculturating the Gospel requires me to first hear the cries and understand the needs of those around me, and to respond with my gifts, amplified by prayer-inspired wisdom, prayer that is centred on the Word and the Word incarnate, Christ Himself.
The whole is greater than the part
Think global but act local pretty much sums up this last principle. The Pope writes: The whole is greater than the part, but it is also greater than the sum of its parts. There is no need, then, to be overly obsessed with limited and particular questions. We constantly have to broaden our horizons and see the greater good which will benefit us all. But this has to be done without evasion or uprooting. We need to sink our roots deeper into the fertile soil and history of our native place, which is a gift of God. We can work on a small scale, in our own neighbourhood, but with a larger perspective.
He goes on to remind us that there is a place for everyone in the universe. It is the convergence of peoples who, within the universal order, maintain their own individuality; it is the sum total of persons within a society which pursues the common good, which truly has a place for everyone.
This is the integrity of the Gospel, that the prodigals, the lost, the weak, the marginalized, even the dubious each has a place in the world, and each one has the opportunity to be found, to be healed and to receive the unconditional and generous love of the Father.
As the Father has found me and brought me back into the fold, I would like to help Him do the same with others, and I am grateful I have a community of brothers and sisters to depend on and work with in bringing the Gospel to others. In being effective missionary disciples, we need to remain plugged into what goes on in the world, home and abroad, without falling into the danger of a "them and us" mentality as we set about changing the environment we are in.
The world is not without its problems, the poor, the homeless, the marginalized, the oppressed, the abused, the forgotten, the old, the sick, the defenceless, the persecuted... we have our work cut out for us if we are to bring peace and justice into our spheres of influence, to work for the common good. With these four principles* guiding our actions, it will definitely help us accomplish what Jesus did in His time. Let us, too, work for peace.
* Read chapter 4.3 of Evangelii Gaudium
