1st Reading: Joshua 5:9, 10-12
2nd Reading: 2 Corinthians 5:17-21
Gospel: Luke 15: 1-3, 11-32
Homily: Marie Dennis
“Action on behalf of justice and participation in the transformation of the world fully appear to us to be constitutive to the preaching of the Gospel.” (1971 Synod of Bishops)
In 1971 the universal Church was prophetic, clearly calling all of us to implement Gaudium et Spes – to bring the Church into the world and to participate in its transformation – literally – in response to the signs of the times. Remember? “the joys and the hopes, the griefs and the anxieties … of this age, especially [of] those who are poor or in any way afflicted, these are the joys and hopes, the griefs and anxieties of the followers of Christ.” (Guadium et Spes)
What the world needs now, I believe, is not so different from then – what the world needs now is still transformation – even more that it did 50 years ago. But what might that look like now, in 2022?
Pope Francis, from the beginning of his papacy, has been offering some answers to that question, setting the stage for full-on Catholic re-engagement with what he sees clearly as an urgent paradigm shift. Formed by his experience in the Latin American Church of Medellin, Puebla, Santo Domingo and Aparecida, Francis is constantly asking how the signs of the times affect the most marginalized people on the planet – and the Earth itself. His visionary encyclical Laudato Si, his clarion call for ecological conversion and for a “new post-pandemic normal,” his descriptions of “political charity” and “social love” in Fratelli Tutti point clearly in this direction.
Now, the signs of the times are even more ominous. The war in Ukraine is not more important than the other wars destroying human lives and the earth, but, as The Tablet says (March 19), it is “history-making, game-changing, paradigm-shifting.”
U.S. Institute of Peace senior advisor, Maria Stephan (who spoke to the Pax Community a few years ago), calls this “a moment of profound moral clarity.”
We have shaped our society, and especially our economy, around the belief that militarized security is the only way to survive. We are extremely well armed, yet we are standing at a precipice. Thirty plus year after the end of the Cold War we are facing the very real possibility that nuclear, chemical or biological weapons, which are illegal and should have long ago been abolished, will be used. The war in Ukraine itself is an incredibly serious threat to human life and it may push Earth’s climate over the tipping point. It is hard to comprehend the level of threat. And the only off ramp is nonviolence.
It is no wonder that Pope Francis’ pleas for peace are becoming more and more urgent. In Fratelli Tutti, he said, “Every war leaves our world worse than it was before. War is a failure of politics and of humanity, a shameful capitulation, a stinging defeat before the forces of evil.” (261) Two years ago, that was still an abstract idea (unless you were living in Afghanistan, Iraq, Yemen, Syria, Colombia …), now it is too real for every person on the planet. Last week to an international congress of educators he said, “A war is always – always! – the defeat of humanity, always …There is no such thing as a just war: they do not exist!”
At the same time, what the world needs now is actually happening, visible – in Ukraine (and Russia) – a deep and sophisticated understanding of the power of nonviolence. The stories coming from Ukraine and Russia about creative, active nonviolence are really important. They are stories about dogged diplomacy, civil resistance, civilian based defense, symbolic action, non-cooperation, winning over enemy combatants, solidarity and accompaniment, music and art, acts of kindness and welcome, the use of digital tools to document war crimes and more. (You have seen them I’m sure – the orchestra playing in defiance of approaching Russian troops in a public square in the middle of Kiev; people stopping with their bare hands and bodies armored Russian military vehicles approaching their town; streets signs turned in the wrong direction.
These stories are about nonviolence – a way of life and a spectrum of realistic, effective strategies for preventing or interrupting violence, for protecting human life and the planet, for promoting a more just and peaceful world. The question is not whether the people of Ukraine have a right to protect themselves and defend their country. Of course they do – the question is how.
What the world needs now – really – is to stop dismissing nonviolence as naïve, simplistic, disengaged or ineffective and to invest in a radical reset of our values, our priorities, our relationships with each other and with the planet. We need to start right now to build a new nonviolent paradigm that replaces the scarcity model and “survival of the fittest” with values that draw on the wisdom and experience of cultures and traditions committed to respect, reciprocity, justice and life and upon which we need to rebuild the systems and structures of our societies.
What the world needs now – still – is a prophetic Church (both institution and people of God), a Church that is committed to participating in this urgently needed and deeply challenging transformation of the world toward nonviolence and social justice and ecological integrity. But (paraphrasing the 1971 synod a bit): “Anyone who ventures to speak to people about justice (and nonviolence) must first be just (and nonviolent) in their eyes …” and that will require an examination of the Church’s own ways. The synod on synodality is happening just in time!
Homily: Joe Nangle OFM
Let me follow up on Marie’s reflection and bring her comments closer to home.
My introduction to PAX came in 1975 (!). I found a community which was implementing the wonderful renewal of the liturgy, concentrating on meaningful, participatory celebrations. My first Eucharist with PAX began with one of the members placing the stole over my shoulders – a sign that I was authorized by the Community to celebrate with them. Wonderful imagery!
Gradually over the years increasing attention was given to the signs of the times along with the wider Church:
-John Paul II wrote on Human Labor as it was lived at that time;
-Globalization and the runup to the Millennium came into focus in the life of the Church;
-And now we have Pope Francia (not much needs to be said about his approach to Church life and ministry).
PAX ‘s life was parallel (to) the wider Church.
Marie spoke about the theme for our Liturgy today – “The World Needs a Prophetic Church.” Applying this to PAX means several things:
-continuing this same trajectory of reading the signs of the times;
-doing this especially as Catholic/Christians in the First World/U.S.;
-deepening the habit of Social Analysis (not something totally in our DNA as a society of activists);
-using the lens of American Exceptionalism and Entitlement and personal freedoms vs the on (common) good.
As part of the larger Church, the current Synodal process gives us a vehicle for doing these analyses. We are called not only to deal with intro-ecclesial questions but the wider issues of our time.
PAX has a word to say in this moment because of its/our history and our unique place in the Church. And we have many examples of continuing to do this work of responding to the signs of our times. To name just a few (with apologies for inevitably leaving out others):
- Stephanie Niedringhaus and Sylvia Diss who continually bring these issues to our attention;
- Doug Spaulding with his work on behalf of the prisoners at Guantanamo;
- Nellie Ohr with her reflections on these same issues.
So thank you PAX. May we continue in this same inspired pathway.
The Vatican has sent bishops around the world the text of the prayer that Pope Francis led on March 25 for the consecration of Ukraine and Russia to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. Thanks to Nellie Ohr for providing background regarding the history of this prayer. Here is the full text of the prayer.
O Mary, Mother of God and our Mother, in this time of trial we turn to you. As our Mother, you love us and know us: no concern of our hearts is hidden from you. Mother of mercy, how often we have experienced your watchful care and your peaceful presence! You never cease to guide us to Jesus, the Prince of Peace.
Yet we have strayed from that path of peace. We have forgotten the lesson learned from the tragedies of the last century, the sacrifice of the millions who fell in two world wars. We have disregarded the commitments we made as a community of nations. We have betrayed peoples’ dreams of peace and the hopes of the young.
We grew sick with greed, we thought only of our own nations and their interests, we grew indifferent and caught up in our selfish needs and concerns.
We chose to ignore God, to be satisfied with our illusions, to grow arrogant and aggressive, to suppress innocent lives and to stockpile weapons. We stopped being our neighbor’s keepers and stewards of our common home. We have ravaged the garden of the earth with war and by our sins we have broken the heart of our heavenly Father, who desires us to be brothers and sisters. We grew indifferent to everyone and everything except ourselves. Now with shame we cry out: Forgive us, Lord!