Give Peace a Chance!
Elinor to her sons: "Oh, my piglets, we are the origins of war, not history's forces, nor the times, nor justice, nor the lack of it, nor causes, nor religions, nor ideas, nor kinds of government, nor any other thing. We are the killers. We breed wars. We carry it like syphilis inside. Dead bodies rot in field and stream because the living ones are rotten. For the love of God, can't we love one another just a little? That's how peace begins. We have so much to love each other for. We have such possibilities, my children. We could change the world." ~ Lion in the Winter
"Instead of hating the people you think are war-makers hate the appetites and disorder in your own soul, which are the causes of war. If you love peace, then hate injustice, hate tyranny, hate greed - but hate these things in yourself, not in another." ~ Thomas Merton, a Trappist monk, and writer who dedicated his life to promoting peace and social justice through his writings and actions.
"Peace means giving oneself completely to God's commandment, wanting no security, but in faith and obedience laying the destiny of the nations in the hands of Almighty God…" ~ Dietrich Bonhoeffer, was a German Lutheran pastor, theologian and anti-Nazi dissident who was a key founding member of the Confessing Church. His writings on Christianity's role in the secular world have become widely influential.
"God is speaking to us in a new way today. God is speaking to us in the events and problems of our time. Jesus can help us to understand the voice of Truth but, in the last analysis, it is we who must decide and act." ~ Albert Nolan OP
"C'mon, ev'rybody's talking about
Ministers, sinisters, banisters, and canisters
Bishops and Fishops and Rabbis and Popeyes and bye-bye, bye-byes
All we are saying is give peace a chance (what are we saying?)
All we are saying is give peace a chance (give it a chance baby)" ~ John Lennon, Yoko Ono
Today, where are all the Catholics when it comes to promoting peace? How do Catholics engage as a faith community in preaching about peace? How do lay Catholics get involved in the Church and make, as John Lewis said, "good trouble?” (In the US, John Lewis was a notable congressman from Georgia who had a Thomas Merton book in his backpack the day of the Selma, Alabama, march over the Pettus Bridge.)
We should not consider creating a committee to consider how the parish can promote peace. Instead, in Joseph Cardijn's spirit, let us unite as ordinary Catholics to innovate, educate, and collaborate. Our collective efforts can make a significant difference in advocating for peace and social justice within our community.
Cardijn specialized in Catholic Action! Albert Nolan's OP was about action, and Louis Putz's CSC was all about action, mainly originating with the laity. Louis Putz often said, "YOU, the people, are the Church, not the hierarchy." Louis believed the role of the clergy was to assist the people in leading the Church.
From the beginning, the Cardijn movements have been radical Catholic Movements that seek to bring about the Kingdom of God here and now for the greater good of all human beings.
"The existence of each and every individual is deeply tied to that of others: life is not simply time that passes; life is a time for interactions." (Pope Francis, Fratelli Tutti, no. 66)
How to begin and where to start?
Start where you are today. Don't try to create a new group; plant the seeds where you are right now. Whether you are a catechist, a parish eucharistic minister, a choir member, a teacher, a maintenance engineer, etc., you have the power to initiate change. Ask questions to understand how people perceive the current situation and inspire them to take action.
In your sphere of influence, start a discussion, for example, around "Pacem in Terris," a teaching we should all be familiar with and know the significant influence that Joseph Cardijn had on creating the document. Let's delve deeper into its themes and implications. Some discussion questions might help you explore the document's themes.
Discussion Highlights, Thoughts and Questions:
What happens when Christian elements identify with the empire's dominant powers?
What do the alternatives look like?
How can we navigate a path toward a more authentic and liberating faith? How does "Pacem in Terris" define peace, and what does it say about the conditions necessary for peace to exist?
What are the critical human rights outlined in the encyclical, and how do they relate to the concept of a global community?
Discuss the role of public authority as described in "Pacem in Terris." How should laws be made according to the encyclical?
In what ways does "Pacem in Terris" reflect the political and social context of the 1960s, particularly concerning civil rights?
How does "Pacem in Terris" align with or differ from other international documents on human rights, such as the United Nations' Universal Declaration of Human Rights?
Then, using the Socratic method, engage in the five focusing steps in the process:
SEE What Do We See? Understand? Perceive?
DISCERN/Judge how to address the issues (Open Discussion)
ACT What do WE do? How do we Subordinate everything else to the decisions we make in our judging process?
Elevate the system's constraint. In our paradigm, minimal constraints limit any manageable system/process to achieve more of its goals. There is always at least one constraint.
If the constraint is broken, return to the first step, but do not allow inertia to cause a new system/process constraint.
Lead your group through the discernment process. Focus on what needs to change and let the change drive the need for action.
“If we have no peace, it is because we have forgotten that we belong to each other.” ~ Mother Teresa
(PS: Just a side note, I used a handful of these discussion questions one day in Galveston, TX, after work at a Friday Happy Hour at Landry's Restaurant. The group was a mix of Catholics, Episcopalians, a few Disciples of Christ, a Greek Orthodox, and a redneck atheist.)
