As I write this, the Church is in the throes of “Religious Freedom Week,” June 22-June 29. The theme for the 2024 celebration is “Called to the Fullness of Dignity.” I recently received a letter from Rabbi Sam Radwine from Temple Israel, Springfield, MO. Over the course of several months, I have called the rabbi twice to see how his community is doing given the developments in the Middle East and the continued public protests on many of our college campuses throughout the United States. I offered him my prayers and my support. At the end of my last phone conversation, I asked if there was anything that I could do for them and he just stated that he appreciated my phone call.
Not long after, however, I received a letter from him where he said, “Please, Bishop Rice, you must speak out! I would humbly but loudly ask you and those under your care to use your voice(s) to condemn the virulent anti-Semitism that we in the Jewish community are now experiencing. Please understand that, as a Jew, my heart breaks for the suffering of any and all people everywhere. We are a people who, in our daily prayers, beseech the Almighty for peace and wholeness. And yet, now we see and hear chants of ‘death to the Jews,’ ‘bomb Tel Aviv,’ and ‘go back to Poland.’” He goes on to say, “The Roman Catholic Church has a powerful reach and presence. With moral authority, the Church speaks for justice, love, and the protection of all peoples everywhere; Please help us by strongly condemning the hate that has emerged so loudly in the recent weeks.”
Of course, I do condemn hate, violence, and prejudice. And the reality is that when there is no peace—when war reigns—no one wins, everyone loses. I am mindful of the song that we often sing, “Let there be peace on earth, and let it begin with me.” That is a good start. But should we not also take an individual inner journey of the heart to root out any prejudice or hatred? I was touched by the Rabbi’s assessment of the Catholic Church, but I am a bit dubious of his assessment of the Church’s influence. But for what it is, I would say that to remain silent is cowardice.
I quote from Martin Niemoller, the Luteran pastor in Germany who from 1937 to 1945, was a prisoner in a Nazi concentration camp. His words are so relevant for us today:
“First they came for the socialists, and I did not speak out —because I was not a socialist. Then they came for the trade unionists, and I did not speak out —because I was not a trade unionist. Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out—because I was not a Jew. Then they came for me—and there was no one left to speak out for me.”
We say that “silence is golden,” but that is not always true. Sometimes, silence bespeaks consent to what is going on around us. So, I raise my voice to say there is no place in our world for violence or hatred or prejudice against any other group. Some may say that this is a simplistic response to a complicated situation, and I would agree. Still, Mother Teresa offers us insight to the current situation our world is facing:
“If we have no peace, it is because we have forgotten that we belong to each other.”
Yes: Palestinians and Jews and Christians belong to each other. Using the imagery of Isaiah, let us beat our weapons into plowshares so that one nation may not lift up the sword against another, that we may forget the ways of war. In our Catholic tradition, peace and justice are related and we remember the words of Pope St. Paul VI:
“If you want peace, work for justice.”
The words of Our Lord at the Sermon on the Mount remind us, “Blessed are the peacemakers for they shall be called children of God.” When you put forth the effort to promote peace, you reflect the very likeness of God. And so I end this reflection with the prayer that St. Francis of Assisi lived by:
“Lord, make me an instrument of your peace: where there is hatred, let me sow love; Where there is injury, pardon; Where there is doubt, faith; Where there is despair, hope; Where there is darkness, light; Where there is sadness, joy. … O divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console, to be understood as to understand, to be loved as to love. For it is in giving that we receive, it is in pardoning that we are pardoned, and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life. Amen.”
“O Sacrament Most Holy, O Sacrament Divine, all praise and all thanksgiving be every moment Thine.”
Published in the July 05, 2024 issue of The Mirror.
Photo Credit: The Mirror