One of my favorite philosophical reads is “After Virtue”, written by Alasdair MacIntyre, in 1981. I won’t bore you with my pretentious philosophical musings, but the first chapters of the book take up a theme that has been growing increasingly relevant as the years go on. Almost forty years ago, Professor MacIntyre posited that society had lost its ability to carry on meaningful moral discourse, because we have abandoned our understanding that things have a
meaning and a purpose in themselves. In other words, because we no longer recognize that life, and the body, or anything for that matter, have a specific end or goal written into their design, we cannot truly debate with one another. The best we can do is work backwards to our original moral assumptions, and then scream at each other loudly until someone backs down. It is both alarming, prophetic, and even more true today than it was forty years ago.
With that in mind, I implore you, as your spiritual
Father, to seek to express yourself always with
nuance, prudence, and above all, charity. Seek even more to listen to your brothers and sisters with the same charity that you wish to receive. In the Gospels, when people listen to Jesus with open hearts, they find true conversion and a path to salvation. It is worth stating that we must seek this conversion at all costs, even though it may be painful.
We often find that when we follow Jesus unreservedly, it can be deeply uncomfortable because we ultimately do not line up
perfectly with either “side”, as they are known, but instead are living out the Gospel itself, which never aligns perfectly with the political or public structures of any age.
The structures that we use to label ourselves and others are useful, up to a point. To call ourselves or someone else conservative, or liberal, or a Democrat, or a Republican, or socialist, or whatever, gives a framework to the conversations in which we seek to understand one another. But people and their viewpoints do not usually fit neatly into these smaller categories, and in order to not shout past one another, we must be prepared to listen, understand, debate, challenge, and be challenged. The national conversation raging right now is about racism and inequality, and I have been stunned by some of the things I have heard from my friends, even brother priests, about racially charged experiences they have had both growing up and as adults. There is great pain and tension in our midst over the loss of life, over identity, and over prejudice. The inability to listen to one another with grace, understanding, and concern, has born even more wounds and division. Complex emotions and beliefs are whittled down to soundbites that become the litmus test for whether one is on “our side” or “their side.” None of this is conducive to truly encountering one another, or seeing each other as a unique individual, created by God, loved into existence, and made for eternal life with Him.
I lack both the time and ability to craft a complete statement about where we are as a nation and where we should be headed, so please don’t read this as me making some sort of comprehensive political statement and manifesto. It appears that we stand a loggerhead at least in part because of two competing views of our nation and our history. It seems to me that some people are frustrated because the great gifts, blessings, and privileges of our nation afforded to many are being forgotten or even derided, while others are frustrated because history doesn’t look that way through their personal experience or the experience of their families and ancestors.
Both of those views need to be understood and accommodated. Inequality is the problem and listening with true charity is part of the solution. The Church has always sought to find its place in this great nation, and it also has a responsibility to stand up for the rights of all people, even, and especially, when there are such profound disagreements.
The long and storied legacy of the Church, especially in the United States, has been at its most fruitful in times when open discourse was held, and true understanding was sought. If we do not get bogged down in factionalism and tribalism, we are not too far gone to be able to do what we have always sought to do: uphold the dignity and sacredness of human life. Instead of isolating into a place where we only hear opinions like our own, we should strive to listen, pray, and respond to those around us. Not a single one of us will likely become a widely recognized voice on these issues, but we can shape the conversations around us so that people feel heard, understood, and, most importantly, loved.
It is my firmly held belief that if we stay true to what we believe as God’s Holy Church, and seek to build equality in light of the Gospel, we can make small changes in our lives, our families, and our communities that will help us to understand one another better and live out one of the most important parts of Jesus’ mission for us:uphold the sacredness of life.