Saturday, August 16, 2014

Grant Us Peace (as We Work for Peace)


The worst thing of all is religious proselytism.
Who would say such a thing?

That's a recent quote from Pope Francis
Clearly he makes a distinction between proselytizing and evangelizing.
There are similarities, but they're not the same thing.
When we evangelize we present and demonstrate our beliefs.
We share the joy of the Good News of God's love for us.
In the hope that others will understand and take the opportunity to share in that joy.
We leave it to God and each of those others to determine their response.
Proselytizing, has come to carry a more aggressive connotation.
It's a hard-sell effort to convince the other to adopt our beliefs.
It assumes that it's our job to win that other person over, to land that conversion.
Even if it means disrespecting and demeaning that person's beliefs.

Pope Francis' quote was from a newspaper interview where he said:
We can inspire others through witness so that one grows together in communicating.
But the worst thing of all is religious proselytism, which paralyzes:
[which says:] 'I am talking with you in order to persuade you,'
No. Each person dialogues, starting with his and her own identity.
The church grows by attraction, not proselytizing.

Throughout history we see horrific examples of proselytism carried to extreme excess.
We'd like to think we've moved past all that.
But there are few examples more outrageous than that of ISIS in Iraq today.
Using violence and terrorism to force people to deny their true beliefs.
And profess to adopt a new religion.
Driving people from their homes, leaving them to die without food, shelter or care.
Beheading them, crucifying them.
Putting their mutilated bodies on display to terrorize others.

In response, we're asked to observe today as a national day of prayer for peace in Iraq.
That request comes from the Chaldean Patriarch of Iraq.
This past Friday, Cardinal Wuerl said a Mass for Peace.
And led an interfaith service for peace.
He invited local leaders from all the faith communities to stand together.
In unity and solidarity and opposition to the violence in Iraq.
And in all the other areas around the world where people are suffering.
From war and persecution and terrorism.

(Fr Avelino was there, as head of the Archdiocese Ecumenical and Interfaith Office.)
Cardinal Wuerl was joined by representatives from many other faith communities.
Hindu, Jewish, Protestant, Orthodox, Buddhist, Mormon, Baha'i and Islamic.
And all echoed the need for mutual respect, cooperation and brotherly love.
They all saw tolerance, mutual respect and unity as the only path to peace.

And now we come to today's Gospel passage.
A world of us and them.
Jesus himself seems caught up in division.
His mission was to the lost sheep, the children of Israel.
He had a lot to do and little time to do it.
He had to concentrate first on feeding the children.
He didn't have the time or the energy to deal with the dogs.

His dog analogy seems like a harsh rejection of the Canaanite (Gentile) woman's plea.
His words weren't steeped in malice, but they were clearly a challenge.
Jesus, who reads the heart, knew who he was dealing with.
And indeed, she rose to the challenge.
She came right back at him with a clever response.
Even the dogs get the scraps.
She may be the only person in the Bible to one-up Jesus with a spunky comeback.
And, because of her faith and courage and persistence, Jesus gave her what she wanted.
She's become a model of persistent prayer.

But she was still treated as an exception.
Jesus continued to focus on his chief priority, the children of Israel.
But in due time, when his own mission was completed, he gave a new mission.
Telling his disciples to Go and teach all nations.
Baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.

Our other Scripture readings today confirm that new, broader mission.
And we recognize our Great Commission to spread the Good News.
If others before us hadn't done that, few of us would ever have been baptized.

If we're ever tempted to belittle another's religion, we should think.
What if Jesus had remained just the Messiah of the Jews?
Would we have all recognized him and converted to Judaism?
With my German ancestry, maybe I'd still be worshiping trees.
What if we'd been born into a Buddhist or Hindu family?
Would we have abandoned our ancestral religion and culture?

For us, within our Catholic Church,
Under-zealous evangelization may be a greater problem than overzealous proselytism.
We may need an occasional reminder of our Great Commission.
And of the second Great Commandment, to love our neighbor as ourselves.
And of our baptismal call to live as priest, prophet and king.
As priest, praying.
As prophet, spreading the word.
And as king or queen, tending to the welfare of the people.

We still need evangelization to the merely nominal members of our own Church.
And there are still many millions to reach who are un-churched or even atheist.
The magician/illusionist Penn Jillette, is the tall non-silent partner of Penn & Teller.
He's also an outspoken atheist.
And he gives us an interesting perspective on evangelization.
He says he has no respect for true believers who don't evangelize.
He says, if you believe that something so important as everlasting life is possible,
How much do you have to hate somebody to not tell them about it?

So, let's commit ourselves to increased evangelization.
New Evangelization, re-evangelization, to relate the Good News to today's world.
Evangelization though words, but even more through actions.
We can start today by taking action to promote peace.
Our Archdiocese website—adw.org—offers us some guidance and assistance.
It encourages us to pray today, pray daily, fast, stay informed, and share the story.
And it gives us links to help us stay informed and share the story.

Right now, we can begin that easy very first step of praying today.
By joining in this day of prayer for peace in Iraq.
For our brothers and sisters facing torture and death at this very moment.
Certainly we and many others have prayed for peace many times.
But we need the spunk and persistence of that Canaanite woman.
And we also need to take our own worldly, positive actions to work for peace.

The Patriarch of Iraq didn't stop at asking us to pray for peace.
He asks that we join in a specific prayer that he composed.
I'll read it, and you can adopt it by joining in with your Amen.

Lord, the plight of our country is deep
And the suffering of Christians is severe and frightening.
Therefore, we ask you Lord to spare our lives, and to grant us patience,
And courage to continue our witness to Christian values with trust and hope.
Lord, peace is the foundation of life;
Grant us the peace and stability that will enable us
To live with each other without fear and anxiety,
and with dignity and joy.
Glory be to you forever.

Amen.

20th Sunday of  Ordinary Time
Mt 15:21-28          Read this Scripture @usccb.org

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