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Liturgy calls Church to unity

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Aaron Williams

Spirit and Truth
By Deacon Aaron M. Williams
“Jesus said to [the Samaritan woman], ‘The hour is coming, and now is, when true worshippers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth, for such the Father seeks to worship him’” (John 4:23). During my diaconate internship in Meridian this past year, I taught a course on the sacred liturgy entitled “Spirit and Truth” — taken from this passage of the Gospel of John, which incidentally was the gospel at my diaconate ordination. In this passage, our Lord meets the Samaritan woman and enters a dialogue with her which causes her to realize that he is the Messiah. One of the questions she poses to the Lord involves a matter of the law of worship. Whereas the Jews worshiped in Jerusalem, the Samaritans worshipped in their own district (and therefore were seen as outcasts by the Jews). Christ reveals that in the new covenant, it will not matter if God is worshipped in a particular city, but that he be worshiped in a particular way — in “spirit and truth”.
Now, when we hear these words, we can mistakenly interpret them to mean that the worship Christ desires is some sort of non-physical reality. That is what “spiritual” means, after all. But, the Lord himself explains these terms in the next verse. He says, “God is spirit and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth” (vs 24). In the Jewish mind, to do something “spiritual” was to do something that only God was capable of doing. Every day rituals and animal sacrifice were offered in the temple in Jerusalem, but these were “human” acts — they were done by men at the command of God. But, even in the Jewish mind, these acts could not have truly pleased God, but only functioned to give thanks or make atonement for personal blessings and sins. The promise of Christ to the Samaritan woman is that somehow men and women will perform “spiritual” worship. In other words, somehow they themselves will do something that only God can do — the only sort of worship that could please truly God.
And not only that, but this worship will be done in “truth.” It will be authentic, lawful, and in accordance with He who is Truth, which we know to be Jesus Christ. Thus, Our Lord is promising the Samaritan woman that the worship offered by the people of the New Covenant, though not offered in the temple in Jerusalem, will be even greater because it will be enabled by God and be truly perfect.
This is a great promise to all of us, of the great dignity we have, by offering God our the worship of the Church — the Sacred Liturgy, which his the fulfillment of Christ’s promise in the fourth chapter of the Gospel of John. The Church is able to offer this spiritual worship by virtue of our Baptism, whereby all of us are conformed to Christ and enabled by Christ to participate in his mystical worship of the Father. Therefore, unlike the people of the Old Covenant, our worship, when done as part of the Church — which is the Mystical Body of Christ — can truly please God, because it is not the actions of men or women, but of Christ. In the Sacred Liturgy, we are made participants in Christ’s perfect worship of the Father.
Regrettably, even in light of the astounding generosity of our Lord, who grants us such a great dignity by share in this ‘gift of God’ (cf. John 4:10), many people within the Church miss the point of Christ’s promise and instead focus on the same questions of the Samaritan woman. “Should we worship in Jerusalem or Samaria?” “Should we do this practice or ought this custom be forbidden?”
The Sacred Liturgy, which ought to be the most unifying aspect of the Christian life, is often a source of division in the Church. This is mainly because some people, intending to do what is right, begin to forget that the liturgy — the worship of God — does not belong to them, but to the Church and primarily to Christ. We are participants in his action. And, though there is room for our own humanity to shine through by the various customs we observe in the liturgy, it would be a terrible error if we allowed that personal expression to overshadow the unifying and ultimate action of Jesus Christ in the liturgy.
It is for that reason that I decided to start this column. I am confident that the controversy and division present in the Church regarding the liturgy cannot be solved either by providing a list of rules or a encouraging a spirit of individualism. Rather, by seeking to come to knowledge of what the liturgy is intending to do, and who is acting, we can be far more equipped to address the matter of how this action is meant to be done.

(Deacon Aaron Williams and his classmate, Deacon Nicholas Adam, are completing their final semester of seminary formation before their priestly ordinations on May 31, 2018 see page 11 for details.)

2018 Ordinations announced

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Four men will be ordained in the Diocese of Jackson this spring, two to the transitonal diaconate and two to the priesthood. In keeping with his tradition, Bishop Joseph Kopacz will ordain deacons in their home parishes. Priestly ordinations take place at the Cathedral of St. Peter the Apostle.

Adolfo Suarez Pasillas will be ordained as Transitional Deacon in Aguascalientes, Mexico April 11.

Mark Shoffner will be ordained as Transitional Deacon at Greenville St. Joseph Parish June 8 at 6 p.m..

Deacons Nicholas Adam and Aaron Williams will celebrate their Priestly Ordinations at the Cathedral of St. Peter the Apostle in Jackson, May 31 at 6:30 p.m.

https://vocations.jacksondiocese.org/vocations-overview/seminarians/

Oath of fidelity marks next step to ordination

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NEW ORLEANS – Deacon Aaron Williams and Deacon Nick Adam sign their Professions of Faith and Oaths of Fidelity as required by Canon Law in the chapel at Notre Dame Seminary on Sunday, Feb. 4 along with other members of their seminary class. Seminary Rector Father James Wehner witnessed the oaths. This is one of the last steps men take before priestly ordination. See below for details on their ordinations. (Photos courtesy of Notre Dame Seminary)

St. Gabriel Mercy Center seeks Executive Director

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MOUND BAYOU – The staff and board of the St. Gabriel Mercy Center faces the task of finding a new director just weeks after the director they hired died of a heart attack on the day he was set to start his new job.
Myron Douglas of Starkville had begun orientation with outgoing director Sister Monica Mary DeQuardo, OSF. Sister DeQuardo and Sister Emy Beth Furrer were packed and ready to leave for their next stop in St. Louis on Tuesday, Jan. 16 when they got the news. Douglas was to be the first lay director of the center.
The board regrouped and the call for a new director is going out. Board Chairperson DeVoyce Morris offered the following reflection on the history of the center:
1829, 1954 and 2013, 2015 and 2017 are significant dates in the annals of the St. Gabriel Mission School and St. Gabriel Mercy Center’s history. It was in 1829 that the Oblate Sisters of Providence was founded by Mother Mary Elizabeth Lange, OSP, and Father James Hector Nicholas Joubert, SS, in Baltimore, Md. The Oblate Sisters were an order of African American women religious devoted to the “education of young African American girls.”
Years later, September 7, 1954, to be exact, Father John W. Bowman, SVD, opened the doors of the St. Gabriel Mission School to the children of Mound Bayou and surrounding areas. Realizing that education is the key that unlocks the doors of progress, especially for the predominantly black community of Mound Bayou, Father Bowman appealed to Mother Teresa Shockly, OSP, Superior General of the Oblate Sisters, for teachers. When the new school doors flung open, three Oblate Sisters M. Raymond Lawes, Margaretta and Mary Roberts, had already arrived at St. Gabriel. Thus began the reputation of educational excellence at St. Gabriel, having educated some of the world’s most prominent doctors, engineers, lawyers, educators, religious leaders, entrepreneurs, nurses, other professionals and citizens.
Following 30 years of kindling the young minds of countless boys and girls, the Oblate Sisters left Mound Bayou. The Sisters of St. Agnes (CSA) of Fond du Lac, Wis. came and stayed for five years. From 1990-2001, the Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart (MSC) from Reading, Pa., followed and opened the St. Gabriel Early Childhood Center after the grade school closed. In 1997, the St. Gabriel Center was opened by Christian Brother, Tom Geraghty (FSC), and in 1999 three Sisters of Mercy (RSM) arrived. In 2001 the early childhood center closed; and, the building became what is known now as the St. Gabriel Mercy Center, offering an array of programs for the people of Mound Bayou and Bolivar County.
A trip of Franciscan Sisters served at the center for the past two years preparing the staff and board to take over their operations. Catholic Extension recognized the work of the Sisters and the center by deeming St. Gabriel to be a finalist in its Lumen Christi Award program. The board hopes that a new director can continue the tradition of excellence found there.
A qualified applicant will have at least five years of administrative, leadership, managerial and/or supervisory experience; a master’s degree or above in a business, supervisory or managerial related field; demonstrated experience in fundraising and grant writing; be willing to live in a small, rural community and be an active member of a church. Resumes and cover letters are due to the center by March 30. Send applications to: DeVoye C. Morris, Board Chairman, St. Gabriel Mercy Center, P.O. Box 567, Mound Bayou, MS 38762.

Bishop gives stark appraisal of church relations with black people

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By Mark Pattison
WASHINGTON (CNS) – The bishop who chairs the U.S. bishops’ Ad Hoc Committee Against Racism gave a sobering assessment of U.S. Catholics’ treatment of African Americans, from the laity to the hierarchy.
“The American Catholic Church has continued to be virtually silent,” said Bishop George V. Murry of Youngstown, Ohio, “which leads us to the question: Why?”
Bishop Murry spoke at a plenary session, “Church and Communities Address the Sin of Racism in Our Society,” Feb. 4 during the Catholic Social Ministry Gathering in Washington.
He recalled a 1983 conference that featured an address by African-American theologian James Cone, then a professor at Union Theological Seminary.
“What is it about the Catholic definition of justice that makes many persons of that faith progressive in their attitude toward the poor in Central America, but reactionary toward the poor in black America?” Bishop Murry recalled Cone asking.
“It is the failure of the church to deal effectively with the problem of racism that causes me to question the commitment to justice,” Cone said. While he added he “didn’t want to minimize” the church’s contribution to the struggle for racial justice, there is “ambiguity” in the church “where racism is not addressed forthrightly.”
Bishop Murry was ordained a Jesuit priest in 1979, the same year as the issuance of “Brothers and Sisters to Us,” a pastoral letter written by the nation’s black bishops.
He said the bishops’ Committee on Black Catholics examined matters on the 10th anniversary of the pastoral. “Sadly, this committee found little worth celebrating,” Bishop Murry said. Harking back to the 1960s, when riots in the inner cities of some of the United States’ largest cities broke out, the committee noted: “In spite of all that has been said about racism in the last 20 years, little has been done. As it was yesterday, so it is today.”
The bishops commissioned a 25th anniversary study in 2004, he added, which found much the same to be true.
“It painted a disheartening picture,” Bishop Murry said, as “only 18 percent of the American bishops have issued a statement condemning racism, and very few have addressed systemic racism,” opting to focus instead on personal attitudes.
“Seminary and ministry formation programs are inadequate,” the study found, adding: “White Catholics over the last 25 years have expressed diminished interest and support for government policies aimed and diminishing racial inequality.”
The study’s conclusion faulted the bishops’ conference, Bishop Murry said, for “lack of compliance with its own recommendations.”
The bishop also examined “the attitudes of the early church. The area of slavery is one that has been historically treated with concern by the Catholic Church,” with popes issuing papal bulls condemning slavery.
When it came to the United States, Bishop Murry said, the position was “apprehension, yes; abolition, no.”
With the expansion of the young nation, “the notion of the complete abolition of slavery was not considered realistic,” Bishop Murry said.
“Many bishops in the South, at that point in history, were slave owners,” he added, justifying it as “a blessing for black people.” He brought up the claim of one antebellum Louisiana bishop who claimed slavery was “an eminently Christian work because it led to the redemption of black souls.”
Even after the Civil War, and the freeing of slaves in the South, “there were few white Catholics who believed that blacks were equal to whites,” Bishop Murry said. “The subordination of blacks in America was simply part of the cultural landscape for Catholics and non-Catholics alike.”
Despite the efforts of Daniel Rudd, who published the American Catholic Tribune for black Catholics, and the early lay-led black Catholic congresses to prove black people as equal to whites, “most parishes remained segregated along racial lines,” Bishop Murry said. Some parishes did not give Communion to black worshippers until all whites had an opportunity to receive the Eucharist.
“Some parishes,” the bishop added, “even placed a physical screen between blacks and whites.
“The church in America has been incapable of taking decisive action,” he declared. “American Catholics have shown a lack of moral consciousness on the matter of race.”
However, given “the negative events that have occurred in our country recently” that have touched Hispanics, Jews and other minorities, Bishop Murry said, “the discussion on racial equality must run much deeper if we are to be true to the principles of our country and the faith on which they are based.”

(Follow Pattison on Twitter: @MeMarkPattison).

Federal tax changes offer tuition savings opportunities

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By Maureen Smith
JACKSON – Mississippi parents can use one of the state’s 529 plans to pay for Catholic elementary and high school educations and take advantage of the federal and state tax benefits of the plans. The provision is part of the new tax plan approved by Congress and signed by President Donald Trump in late December.
Emelia Nordan, the college savings and policy director for the Mississippi State Treasurer’s office led a webinar for the Mississippi Independent School Association about the topic on Tuesday, Jan. 30. She explained that Mississippi’s MACS 529 savings account can now be used to pay for private or Catholic School tuition, but urged parents to be cautious and seek advice from a financial planner as they move forward. The MPACT pre-paid college tuition plan is not part of this new provision.
“Last year Congress expanded the definition to include tuition for elementary and secondary education,” said Nordan. Interest earned on deposits is not taxed on a federal level and in Mississippi, “you can contribute $10,000 in a single account, $20,000 in a joint account per year and claim that contribution as a state deduction,” said Nordan. Parents can contribute more than $10,000 per year per child, but that is the only tax deduction they can take. Parents can contribute to an account all the way up to April and claim the deduction on their 2017 taxes.
The deduction only applies if the family is using the Mississippi 529. Out- of-state 529 plans can provide some federal benefits, but only a state plan will result in state tax deductions.
Mississippi’s 529 savings plan has ten different investment options so families can select the one they think will earn them the best return. Another route is to simply deposit the money for the ten-day required waiting period and immediately withdraw it just for the tax benefit.
The families would still have to pay any fees associated with the plan, said John Fletcher, a partner at Jones Walker LLC working with the Tax and Estates Practice Group. He said families should take a good look at whether the tax benefit would offset any fees, but he recommends that families consider finding some way to start saving money.
“What I would ask people is if they are considering opening a 529, can they put $250 in it, maybe more?” If the family is already making tuition payments, Fletcher said they can make the payments into the 529, then get the money back out after the required 10-day waiting period. “Then, if you earn any interest, you keep that money and your cash flow stays the same,” he said. Getting some of the tax benefit is just another bonus if a family uses the plan this way.
In order to access the money, parents can use an online account to have the money transferred directly to their school or ask for a check. Nordan warned that having their student’s identification number or name on withdrawals is important so schools will know how to apply the money. She also said documenting how the money is used is critical.
One unanswered question deals with third-party institutions who process tuition payments. For example, some schools have a partnership with a local bank. Parents can take out a loan for their tuition. The school gets the tuition money up front while parents are able to make year-round payments to the bank. Nordan said it is unclear right now how the IRS will view payments to third-party vendors. “You are self-certifying that this is a qualified expense,” said Nordan. This is part of why documentation of how the money is used can be important.
Fletcher said it might be better to withdraw the money as a loan reimbursement rather than have the 529 pay the bank, but he added that the Internal Revenue Service has not yet clarified this part of the plan.
Another unclear area is whether the money can be used for pre-kindergarten programs. In the case of colleges and universities, the accreditation of the institution is what determines if it is eligible for money. The initial bill references K-12 education, so pre-kindergarten families may want to wait until the IRS weighs in on that issue.
The changes are getting attention on a national level. Representatives from the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops and the National Catholic Educational Association spoke with Catholic News Service about the need to educate the Catholic School community about the new options. One significant change the national representatives are discussing is the definition of who may contribute to such a plan. Under the original 529 framework, it was parents. Now, it could be pretty much anyone.
“Grandma and Grandpa, aunts and uncles, and parishioners” could make contributions under an expanded 529 rubric, Daniels noted. No matter who contributes, only the account holder gets the tax benefit in Mississippi.
“I was the principal of a grade school, and I know there are parishioners who really want to make a difference in children’s lives,” said Dominican Sister John Mary Fleming, executive director of Catholic education for the USCCB.
Under the new law, not only can multiple people contribute to an account, multiple accounts can be opened for the same child, according to Kathryn Flynn, content director of savingforcollege.com, which provides research on 529 plans’ performance rankings and other metrics, then recasts it to make it more understandable.
Non-profit organizations can even open an account to earn interest for scholarships. The non-profit would not have to designate a recipient until the scholarship is awarded.

Foundation to honor Sister Thea Bowman, other women of courage

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By Maureen Smith
JACKSON – A Jackson-based foundation will honor Sister Thea Bowman, FSPA, as one of five women of courage during their Women’s History Month gala with the theme “Women of Courage and Strength: nevertheless, she persisted.” The Connecting the Dots Foundation raises money to support other non-profits. This gala will support scholarships and historic preservation.
Sister Thea will be honored for her work to advance the appreciation of diversity within the faith community. Among the other women to be honored at the gala: Dr. Helen Barnes, the first African American woman on faculty at the University of Mississippi Medical Center; Eliza Pillars, the first African American public health nurse; Beth Orlansky, an attorney with the Mississippi Center for Justice; and Pam Johnson, author and community activist.
The Diocese of Jackson is one of the sponsors of the event which is set for Saturday, March 24, at 6 p.m. at the downtown Jackson Marriott. Tickets are $100 each. Those who wish to support the event, but cannot attend can donate tickets for local students to use. Dress is formal. Tickets are available through the Ticketmaster service by calling (800) 745-3000. For sponsorship details call Marilyn Luckett at (601) 813-5045.

Tolton Play to tour Diocese of Jackson

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By Maureen Smith
JACKSON – A one-man play detailing the life Father Augustus Tolton is coming to the Diocese of Jackson for two runs, first in March and again in June. “Tolton: from slave to priest,” was written by Leonardo Defilippis, president and founder of St. Luke Productions.
Father Tolton, a former slave, is the first recognized American diocesan priest of African descent. The Archdiocese of Chicago opened his cause for sainthood in 2011, giving him the title “servant of God.”
Born into slavery, he fled with his mother and siblings through the woods of northern Missouri and across the Mississippi River while being pursued by soldiers when he was only 9 years old. The small family made their home in Quincy, Illinois, a sanctuary for runaway slaves.
The boy’s father had died earlier in St. Louis, after escaping slavery to serve in the Union Army.
Growing up in Quincy and serving at Mass, young Augustus felt a call to the priesthood, but, because of rampant racism, no seminary in the United States would accept him. He headed to Rome, convinced he would become a missionary priest serving in Africa. However, after ordination, he was sent back to his hometown to be a missionary to the community there, again facing rampant racism.
He was such a good preacher that many white Catholics joined his black parishioners in the pews for his Masses. This upset white priests in the town, so Father Tolton headed north to Chicago, at the request of Archbishop Patrick Feehan, to minister to the black Catholic community here.
Father Tolton worked to the point of exhaustion for his congregation in Chicago, and on July 9, 1897, he died of heatstroke while returning from a priests’ retreat. He was 43.
This play debuted in Chicago in 2017. The promoters of Father Tolton’s cause hope that taking it on a nationwide tour will inspire devotion to the priest and advance the cause. The author first learned of Father Tolton from a priest in the Diocese of Springfield, which includes the town of Quincy where the priest served and is buried.
The Office of Black Catholic Ministry for the Diocese of Jackson invited the tour to Mississippi. A grant from Black and Indian Missions is helping to make the stops possible. “The March showings will be specifically targeted to schools within the diocese. We will have other evening showings in June in cities within the diocese,” said Will Jemison, coordinator for Black Catholic Ministry for the diocese. “The school viewings are free and open to the public,” he added.
On Thursday, March 1, Greenville St. Joseph School will host the play. Then, on Friday, March 2 Madison St Joseph Catholic High School will host. Each location will have two showings, 9 a.m. and 1 p.m.
Defilippis has created a “very unique art form” that makes it easy for groups anywhere to host the play because of the simple setup. The show ultilizes a multi-media platform so pre-recorded actors seem to interact with the live actor on stage.
When writing the script, Defilippis, who co-wrote the play with his wife, pulled from themes in Father Tolton’s life – perseverance, trust in God, incredible forgiveness and his priesthood.
Defilippis believes the time Father Tolton spent studying for the priesthood in Rome opened him up to the universality of a priest’s ministry. He studied with men from all over the world and saw the church’s history in places like the catacombs, the Coliseum and St. Peter’s Basilica.
“Once he becomes a priest, he’s a priest for all. This is not a segregated situation, it’s not a segregated mindset,” Defilippis said.
The play doesn’t shy away from the harsh realities Father Tolton faced, such as severe prejudice against him from fellow priests in Quincy. The post-Reconstruction period was a troubled time for the United States, and tensions and violence were real. Father Tolton himself often spoke of being watched.
Defilippis believes that telling Father Tolton’s story through art is a way to bring light into today’s seemingly dark world.
“The highest form of art is when you not only entertain and inspire, but bring it to another level of what we call evangelization, what actually touches hearts in a deep and impactful way that actually changes lives,” he said. “That’s what we’ve seen with these plays.”
In June, the play will return to the diocese for shows in other locations. Details on those shows will be announced as soon as they are worked out.
(Joyce Duriga, editor of the Chicago Catholic, newspaper of the Archdiocese of Chicago, wrote the play descriptions and interviewed the author for Catholic News Service in November, 2017. Excerpts from her story appear above.)

Pope to religious: Your hearts must be open 24-7

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By Cindy Wooden
VATICAN CITY (CNS) – Lift up your eyes from your smartphones and see your brothers and sisters, those who share your journey of faith and those who are longing for the Word of life, Pope Francis told consecrated men and women.
“Today’s frantic pace leads us to close many doors to encounter, often for fear of others,” the pope said in his homily for the feast of the Presentation of the Lord and the World Day for Consecrated Life. “Only shopping malls and internet connections are always open.” Yet believers’ hearts must be open as well, because every believer receives the faith from someone and is called to share it with others, the pope said at the Mass Feb. 2 in St. Peter’s Basilica.
The feast day commemorates the 40th day after Jesus’ birth when, in accordance with ancient Jewish practice, Mary and Joseph took him to the temple and presented him to the Lord. The feast’s Gospel reading from St. Luke recounts how the aged Simeon and Anna, who were praying in the temple, recognized Jesus as the Messiah.
The Mass, attended by thousands of women and men belonging to religious orders, began with the traditional blessing of candles and a prayer that God would guide people toward his son, “the light that has no end.” In his homily, Pope Francis focused on a series of encounters: between people and Jesus; between the young Mary and Joseph and the elderly Simeon and Anna; and between individuals and members of their religious communities or their neighborhoods.
“In the Christian East,” the pope explained, “this feast is called the ‘feast of Encounter’: It is the encounter between God, who became a child to bring newness to our world, and an expectant humanity.”
The pope told the religious that their own journeys were “born of an encounter and a call” which, while highly personal, took place in the context of a family, a parish or a community.
Members of religious orders must realize that they need each other – young and old – to renew and strengthen their knowledge of the Lord, he said. They must never “toss aside” the elderly members because “if the young are called to open new doors, the elderly have the keys.”
One’s brothers or sisters in the community are a gift to be cherished, he said before adding a plea: “May we never look at the screen of our cellphone more than the eyes of our brothers or sisters, or focus more on our software than on the Lord.” Pope Francis said strengthening the intergenerational bonds in a religious community also is an antidote to “the barren rhetoric of ‘the good old days’” and the only way “to silence those who believe that ‘everything is going wrong here.’”
Religious life, with its vows of poverty, chastity and obedience, always has been countercultural, he said. And yet it is the source of true freedom because while “the life of this world pursues selfish pleasures and desires, the consecrated life frees our affections of every possession in order fully to love God and other people.”

Overcoming the Divisions that Divide Us

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Father Ron Rolheiser

IN EXILE
By Father Ron Rolheiser, OMI
We live in a world of deep divisions. Everywhere we see polarization, people bitterly divided from each other by ideology, politics, economic theory, moral beliefs, and theology. We tend to use over-simplistic categories within which to understand these divisions: the left and the right opposing each other, liberals and conservatives at odds, pro-life vying with pro-choice.
Virtually every social and moral issue is a war-zone: the status of women, climate change, gender roles, sexuality, marriage and family as institutions, the role of government, how the LGBTQ community is to be understood, among other issues. And our churches aren’t exempt; too often we cannot agree on anything. Civility has disappeared from public discourse even within our churches where there is now as much division and hostility within each denomination as there is between them. More and more, we cannot discuss openly any sensitive matter, even within our own families. Instead we discuss politics, religion, and values only within our own ideological circles; and there, rather than challenging each other, we mostly end up feeding each other in our biases and indignations thus becoming even more intolerant, bitter, and judgmental.
Scripture calls this enmity, hatred, and indeed that’s its proper name. We are becoming hate-filled people who both fuel and justify our hatred on religious and moral grounds. We need only to watch the news on any night to see this. How’s this to be overcome?
At the more macro level in politics and religion, it’s hard to see how these bitter divides will ever be bridged, especially when so much of our public discourse is feeding and widening the division. What’s needed is nothing short of religious conversion, a religious change of heart, and that’s contingent on the individual. The collective heart will change only when individual hearts first do. We help save the sanity of the world by first safeguarding our own sanity, but that’s no easy task.
It’s not as simple as everyone simply agreeing to think nicer thoughts. Nor, it seems, will we find much common ground in our public dialogues. The dialogue that’s needed isn’t easily come by; certainly we haven’t come by it yet. Many groups are trying for it, but without much success. Generally what happens is that the even most-well intended dialogue quickly degenerates into an attempt to by each side to score its own ideological points rather than in genuinely trying to understand each other. Where does that leave us?
The real answer, I believe, lies in an understanding of how the cross and death of Jesus brings about reconciliation. The author of the Letter to the Ephesians tells us that Jesus broke down the barrier of hostility that existed between communities by creating one person where formerly there had been two – and he did it this “by reconciling both [sides] in one body through his cross, which put that enmity to death.” (Ephesians 2, 16)
How does the cross of Christ put enmity to death? Not through some kind of magic. Jesus didn’t break down the divisions between us by mystically paying off some debt for our sins through his suffering, as if God needed to be appeased by blood to forgive us and open the gates of heaven. That image is simply the metaphor behind our icons and language about being washed clean of sin and saved by the blood of Christ. What happened in the cross and death of Jesus is something that asks for our imitation not simply our admiration. What happened in the cross and death of Jesus is an example for us to imitate. What are we to imitate?
What Jesus did in his passion and death was to transform bitterness and division rather than to retransmit them and give them back in kind. In the love which he showed in his passion and death Jesus did this: He took in hatred, held it inside himself, transformed it, and gave back love. He took in bitterness, held it, transformed it, and gave back graciousness. He took in curses, held them, transformed them, and gave back blessing. He took in paranoia, held it, transformed it, and gave back big-heartedness. He took in murder, held it, transformed it, and gave back forgiveness. And he took in enmity, bitter division, held it, transformed it, and through that revealed to us the deep secret for forming community, namely, we need to take away the hatred that divides us by absorbing and holding it within ourselves and thereby transforming it. Like a water purifier which holds within itself the toxins and the poisons and gives back only pure water, we must hold within ourselves the toxins that poison community and give back only graciousness and openness to everyone. That’s the only key to overcome division.
We live in bitterly divisive times, paralyzed in terms of meeting amicably on virtually every sensitive issue of politics, economics, morality, and religion. That stalemate will remain until one by one, we each transform rather than enflame and retransmit the hatred that divides us.

(Oblate Father Ron Rolheiser, theologian, teacher and award-winning author, is President of the Oblate School of Theology in San Antonio, TX.)