Peace and Justice Reflection

RELIGIOUS FAITH IN TODAY'S VIOLENT SOCIETY

By Fr. Andy Cribben, O. Praem.

(Talk given to the Green Bay Area Retired Men's Club on June 21, 2011)

First context – I am a Catholic Christian.  I believe and accept Jesus, the Christ, as my Lord and Savior.  (The Christ = title: Messiah; Christ is not Jesus’ last name!)Second context – I am a citizen of the United States of America.

I would like to suggest to all of you, whether you consider yourself a Christian, a Jew, a Muslim, or some other religious affiliation, that your religious faith and values come first, even before your rights and duties/obligations as a citizen of the United States of America.  It is our duty as religious persons to make certain that we have considered our religious values and foundations BEFORE we enter the voting booth, or the public forum, or a public debate.

I am not saying that as religious persons that we do have to pay attention to our obligations as citizens.  I am saying that our religious faith gives context to our public involvement as citizens, and not our citizenship which gives context to our religious faith.

For example, I believe that the example of Jesus, the Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed One) and his teachings are THE key starting points for engaging in the public discourse of the current age.  This includes all the ways in which we engage the violent actions which we confront in society today.  We must contend with Jesus’ body of teaching and his example as Christians.

I am a Christian pacifist.  I commit to living non-violently, non-vengefully, and in a peaceful manner because of what I believe about God, because of what I believe about myself as a creature of God.  I am a pacifist because of what Jesus showed and taught in his own life.  Still, I admit that I have violent thoughts and impulses of which I try to be more aware all the time.  But, because of what I believe about God, the God of Jesus Christ, I have concluded that the violence in me is not of God.  Like the impulse to lie in order to avoid responsibility, or the impulse to lust after someone who is not one’s wife, or the impulse to gossip about another or otherwise seek to make another person look bad are all impulses that do not come from God, so also our violent impulses and actions are not of God.

One man whom I admire in the field of theology and ethics is Stanley Hauerwas who teaches at Duke University and formerly taught at the University of Notre Dame. I am paraphrasing what I once heard him say at a talk he gave at St. Norbert College.  He said that he is a Christian pacifist because of what he believes about Jesus the Christ and because he is a violent man (he used a more colorful phrase) and recognizes the violence as being NOT of God.

I believe and think that Jesus, the Christ, the Son of God, came into the world to show us what God is like, so that we could become like God.  Jesus says:  be holy, be merciful, be compassionate, be perfect…like your God in heaven is.

I am a Christian.  And I am a pacifist because I am Christian.  I am not perfect.  I have sinned and I have had violent impulses upon which I have acted in the past and for which I am sorry. I recognize that there is a spectrum of violence which extends from the sarcastic word at one extreme through murder at the other extreme.

When Jesus was raised from the dead he appeared to his apostles and said, “Peace be with you.” In a way, he was saying I forgive you and I want to re-establish my relationship with you, because, right before his arrest, torture, and execution on the cross, they had abandoned him.  (Peter explicitly denies him, 3 times).  But Jesus, who went to his death asking for forgiveness for his executioners – “Father, forgive them for they do not know what they are doing” – rose from the dead and appeared to his disciples forgiving them for abandoning him and denying him in his hour of need.  And because he was God, I suppose that he could have used Godly power and might to claim his kingdom.  But he did not.  He went to his death with the integrity of his teachings about peace and non-vengeful living.  The one with all power used his power to witness to peace and integrity, even unto death.

• John 15:12 & 17 – This I command, love one another.  Love one another as I have loved you.

 

These are the basis of all the commandments and teachings which Jesus gave us.  How are we doing?

Some Scripture texts:

• Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.—John 14:27  
• I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.”—John 16:33  
• Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.—Romans 5:1  
• For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace.—Romans 8:6  
• For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking but of righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. Whoever thus serves Christ is acceptable to God and approved by men. So then let us pursue what makes for peace and for mutual upbuilding.—Romans 14:17-19  
• Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.—Philippians 4:6-7  
• And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful.—Colossians 3:15  
• Now may the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times in every way. The Lord be with you all.- 2 Thess 3:16

Religious faith for many Christians, especially Christians in American society today, has taken a back seat, or is secondary to being an American.  We have united the two of them to the detriment of religious faith.