Today's Marists 2024 Volume 8, Issue 2

Living a Marist Life of Reconciliation
in a Chaotic and Violent World
by Ted Keating, SM
The title for this article was the obvious
theme when we gathered to prepare
this issue of Today’s Marists. It was not
necessary to share every concern that
was on our minds and in our hearts
at the meeting since so much of it was
obvious: the meltdown in Israel after the
horrendous slaughter of so many Jewish
people in the massacre on October 7th ; the
on-going stories of the thousands of deaths
of the Palestinians and the destruction
of their homes and hospitals with lifethreatening
deficits in food, medical
care and the basic necessities of life;
the continuing tragedy in Ukraine; and
continuing starvation in East Africa from
the climate crisis. Locally in the United
States, the persisting epidemic of shootings
around the country only continues to build
understandable fears of walking the streets
and being in schools. These events and
growing concerns guided us to the theme
of this issue of Today’s Marists — ‘Living
a Marist Life of Reconciliation in a Chaotic
and Violent World.’ This theme was further
confirmed through stories of young
Marists around the world who are actively
engaging in ministries of Reconciliation
(as you will read in some of the articles in
this issue).
As Marists, we recognized the wisdom of
our Superior General’s recent declaration
that our Marist presence in these chaotic
times calls forth a deeper understanding
of our mission of reconciliation. It is not
a change in our mission, but a deeper
awareness of being “Instruments of Mercy”
as a way of living our mission faithfully.
In a real sense, the situation of our own
chaotic times is not new. We can go back
to St. Paul’s Letter to the Colossians
where he says, “For in Him all the fullness
was pleased to dwell, and through him
to reconcile all things for Him, making
peace by the blood of his cross [through
him], whether those on earth or those
in heaven.” (Col. 1:19-22) We find a basic
insight that the whole earth is in constant
need of Reconciliation, and “Christ among
us” is at the center of this reconciliation by
His own death and Resurrection. We are
reminded of “original sin” in all this but
encouraged by the grace of Christ among
us, reconciling all.
In the Letter to the Ephesians after decades
of conflicts between Jew and Gentile in the
early Church, St. Paul says of this “mystery
hidden since the foundations of the world”
in this late letter. He writes there:
“…you can understand my insight
into the mystery of Christ, which
was not made known to human
beings in other generations, as
it has now been revealed to his
holy apostles and prophets by the
Spirit that the Gentiles are coheirs,
members of the same body, and
copartners in the promise in Christ
Jesus through the gospel.” (Eph.
3:3-6)
Our world then and now is only made
up of Jew and Gentile, so this is the
reconciliation of all of humanity in this
plan of God from all eternity. In Chapter
4 of St. Paul’s Letter to the Ephesians, he
emphasizes the critical need for unity in
the Church and sets out the attitudes that
encourage it and/or undermine it. So,
after the reconciliation of all humanity
(Jew and Gentile), and the reconciliation
of all humanity with God, the Church
moved into its pilgrimage through history
with this ministry of reconciliation for all
humanity.
The Second Vatican Council (Vatican
II) laid the groundwork for an agenda of
reconciliation for all humanity through
several topics seeking to enrich its pastoral
implementation of the call from these two
letters of St. Paul on the reconciliation of
all humanity:
• Ecumenism: This decree on Christian
unity emphasized healing divisions
among Christians. It encouraged
dialogue and respect for the traditions
of other Christian denominations. This
marked a shift from previous stances
that viewed other Christian faiths as
unfaithful to the Christian tradition.
• Interfaith Dialogue: The council also
opened the door to dialogue with
followers of non-Christian religions.
This showed a recognition of the value of
other faith traditions and a willingness
to find common ground with them. St.
John Paul II would say later that the Holy
Spirit is alive in these religions.
• Human Dignity: The beautiful and
transforming document Gaudium et
Spes (“Joy and Hope”), promulgated
by Pope Paul VI in 1965, addressed the
Church’s relationship with the whole
modern world. It emphasized the
inherent dignity of all human beings,
regardless of religion, background,
status/class or nationality. This laid
the foundation for building bridges
and fostering understanding across
differences in the hope of building a
just and respectful world. A later Synod
went so far as to say that such work is
“constitutive of the proclamation of the
Gospel.” (Justice in the World, Synod of
Bishops, 1971)
• Universal Peace: The council addressed
the need for continuing peace between
nations and the importance of working
for peace, justice and human rights.
Pope Paul VI’s motto was “If you want
peace, work for justice,” referencing
the integration of justice and peace
in avoiding war. Just after Vatican
II and months after the 1962 Cuban
Missile Crisis, the beloved Pope John
the XXIII issued the transforming
encyclical Pacem in Terris (Peace on
Earth) in 1963. To the whole world, this
transforming document dramatically
shifted the Church’s pastoral mission
in ways that lay a foundation for a focus
on the reconciliation of relationships as
central to these issues.
This brings us finally to the role of Pope
Francis who has spent much of his papacy
bringing Vatican II more clearly to the
center of the Church. In 2020 he issued
his third encyclical Fratelli Tutti (On
Fraternity and Social Friendship). Pope
Francis’ second encyclical, Laudato
Si’ (Praise be to you – On Care for Our
Common Home), published in 2015,
pleaded for a world effort to take action
concerning the critical dangers to human
survival from the climate crisis. Another
significant writing by Pope Francis
4 Today’s Marists Magazine