Is “JPIC” a Four-Letter Word?! (pt. 2)

From September 24 -26, 2010, I was privileged to attend the third nationwide presentation of the “Ours To Do!” conference.  This particular one was held in Chicago, Illinois.  The event was hosted and presented by Monica Herald and Russ Testa, two superb individuals, and staff at the Franciscan Action Network (FAN).  It was attended by about twenty representatives from various parts of the United States, and representing all three orders of the Franciscan “family.”

Our conference took place at the “Cenacle Retreat Center” in the heart of Chicago proper, and just a few blocks from Wrigley Stadium and the Lake Michigan waterfront.  It was a beautiful day, and a quiet 5 to 6 hour drive from my home in the suburbs of St. Louis, MO.  I took the opportunity of my rarely obtained “alone time” (I have four energetic teenage boys and a beautiful wife, 2 dogs, and 2 cats at home) for an opportunity to listen to many of my “religious” DVD’s while driving through the Illinois Countryside: an enjoyable mini-retreat for me I must say.   Even though I grew up in the shadows of the tall buildings of the downtown and inner-city of St. Louis, I was amazed at the size of the buildings in Chicago, how close these buildings were to each other, and the amount of car and pedestrian traffic in the city of Chicago itself.  I also was impressed with the splendor of the streets and the hospitable interactions of all the various ethnic races of people; a true “melting pot.”

Over the two and half days, FAN presented five workshops on various aspects of influencing change in society.  Can you believe we even had a homework assignment?!  I am only going to highlight the areas we covered in this article since I plan to get more in-depth in future papers that I plan to publish on my blog and Facebook page.

Areas covered included:

• Franciscan Values
• Stages of Social Movements
• The Dynamics of Non-Violent Social Action
• Applications of Social Movement Theory
• “Franciscanizing” the Model of Social Movement
• The Philosophy of Power
• Advocacy
• Actions and Tactics
• How to Influence Congress on the Federal Level
• Grassroots Organizing
• Inviting New Members to a Social Movement, and finally,
• Prioritizing, Organizing, and Communicating the Process of Social Change and Movements

As Franciscans, we are dedicated and charged to care for all of God’s creation without any prejudice.  We see all creatures as brothers and sisters.  And, we need to emphasize the dignity of the human person, especially in its social nature.

Life is sacred, and we are dedicated to encourage and advance a consistent ethic of life, as all life is a gift of our glorious heavenly Father.  I see Franciscans as striving to witness to a true and genuine love and respect for all, and especially for the poor and vulnerable among us.  We are “heralds” of peace and reconciliation as St. Francis and St. Clare demonstrated so well, 800 years ago.

All three of our “Franciscan Order’s” vision and rules stress a correct relationship of justice for everyone.  We are to be transformational, demanding a continuous change and conversion, and following in the footsteps and example of Saints Francis and Clare.  Finally, we as Franciscans are called not only to change ourselves but also to be agents of change in the larger community: the people around us, and the world as a whole!

Franciscan Social Movements have consistently been proven to be powerful, and centered on “the whole of society.”  Social movements must focus on winning over the “ordinary” citizens and NOT necessarily the “power-holders” of society.  We are the “little ones” of Christ.  We are to be integrated into the lives of the marginalized.  We are for and with the people, and should have no aspirations towards “power” in itself.

I am going to throw a new word at most of you reading this paper: “paradigm.”  Paradigm has nothing to do with two coins totaling twenty cents in your pocket.  Paradigm is a business oriented word meaning “a pattern or model – a typical or stereotypical example.”  “It always has been done this way” is the mantra for the classic paradigm in business and group dynamics.

Changing the paradigm of a group (called a paradigm shift) is usually a long-term process.  The social movement to change or “shift” the paradigm – the way people think, or the “traditional” way of doing something – should never be a “publicity event.”  Our focus should be on others in need, and not on ourselves.  Involvement in any social movement, for us as Franciscans, MUST always be nonviolent as well.

So how do we start a social movement involving Justice,  Peace and Integrity of God’s Creation (JPIC)? First, PRAY, PRAY, PRAY!  Listen to God in your heart and soul, and not with your brain at this time.  Let the Holy Spirit work in and through you to set the tone of your advocacy.  Then learn as much as possible about the issue you wish to change and any previous attempts to “shift the paradigm:” to change the process in the past.

Assess your strengths and weaknesses; who your audience is; and who involved agrees, disagrees, and is neutral to your vision and mission. Create your plan and then act on the plan realizing that it has to be somewhat fluid; subject to changes as it rolls out.  Advocate your position, reasons, and need for the change.  Be prepared for others to argue another position.  Homework, homework, homework; it never stops!
In getting the message across: “Keep It Short and Simple” (the KISS principle).  You should be able to describe your vision in one breath: one or two sentences.  Have no more than three “points” or areas of focus to your plan.  For each of these points, have a personal story (it can be someone else’s); a monetary or statistical number to confirm the point; and a Scripture or philosophical quote to go along with that point.  By gathering and preparing this information, you should be able to address any audiences’ needs and wants, thus bringing them into the fold and advancing your cause.

Remember that people have preconceived ideas, and that certain words and phrases instantly turn people off, and makes them immediately defensive.  Words (and body language) are powerful, and can put up massive walls between you and the audience you are trying to draw into your fold of change.  Justice and Peace advocacy is definitely a political activity, as all of life is, unfortunately.  We, as Franciscans are political, but we MUST ALWAYS be non-partisan in our message and vision!  Do not “slam” the opposing parties or beliefs.  Always look for the commonalities, and then build on those.  I believe it is easier to “chip away” at a large block of granite, than trying to break it down with one massive blow of a sledge hammer.  The same is true with the “walls” built around those who are being defensive.  A paradigm shift is usually nothing more than the sum of “little victories” at the individual levels.

Justice and Peace always have been part of our Catholic heritage.  From Holy Scripture, I present three of many, many verses referring to our need to participate in Justice and Peace issues:

2Sam8:15, “David reigned over all Israel; and David executed justice and righteousness unto all his people.”

Psalm 106:3, “Blessed are they who observe justice, who do righteousness at all times!”

From the Beatitudes: (Verse 5) “Blessed are they that hunger and thirst after justice: for they shall have their fill….”  (Verse 8) “Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God….”

 

I wish to end this dissertation with a prayer I have grown to love, and one I recite and meditate on each morning.  This prayer may not have been specifically written by St. Francis, but he definitely “lived” it:

“St. Francis’ Peace Prayer”

“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.”

Bio:
Dan Halley is a retired paramedic and member of the “Our Lady of Angel Fraternity” of the “St. Clare Region.”  He writes a twice-weekly reflection blog, usually on each Wednesday and Sunday.  Please read his blog at http://sfodan.wordpress.com.  He is presently working on a book of reflections for the “new” Mass which was recently approved, and Catholics will start using with the 2011 Advent season.

 

The Franciscan Action Network staff graciously thanks Dan Halley for his contribution to our blog.

Reflections from the Holy Land: Something to think about…

Today was a day of visiting Holy sites from our Christian heritage, mostly around the Sea of Galilee. The trip was a good 4 hours with traffic.  Besides visiting the Sea of Galilee (with) a boat ride, we visited the Beatitude Church, believed to be the site where Jesus taught his disciples; Capernum where he performed three miracles (the Centurion’s servant, the lame man lowered through the roof, and healing  Peter’s Mother-in-law.  We next visited the Church of the Multiplication, where tradition has it that Jesus multiplied the bread and fish.  We finalized our day with Mass at Peter’s Primacy where after the Resurrection, Jesus appeared to the fishing disciples and called Peter to build the Church.

One of my thoughts with these Christian Holy Sites is to see how they differ from Jewish or Muslim Holy site like the Temple Mount and the Dome of the Rock.  During the Crusades, Christians felt it necessary to kill and control the Holy Land, and to this day Christians control most of our own Holy Sites.  What would happen if some government or people took control of these sites for their own usage?  Would Christians be just as combative as the Muslim and Jewish people are to one another over their holy sites.

Something to think about.

Day 3 in the Holy Land

Today was a much more difficult day. I think the theme running through it is the torture of the Incarnation.

We began going through the old city of Jerusalem to meet with the Latin Patriarch.  He was away, but the Chancellor of the Diocese of Jerusalem met with us instead.  He provided a nice intervention that shared an honest skepticism that peace would not be possible soon.  He did offer some points of hope but they were tempered by the reality that even the Christian community is not that united.

We next visited two holy sites, the Cenacle (the place of the last supper) and the Church of St. Peter Gallincantu.  This church is believed to have been the High Priest Caiphas’ house where Jesus was condemned by the Jewish leaders and where Peter denied Jesus three times (thus the name of the church).  It is also here that Jesus would have been tortured and kept overnight in a dungeon before being taken to legal authorities the next day.

After lunch we had the gift (not a nice gift) of meeting some families whose house are being taken by settlers.  The story is a sad one but a typical one.

There are 28 households that were moved by the Ottomans in the 1910’s from their previous neighborhood in Jeresalem to their current one.  Now, the Israeli government has declared that the land is not theirs and has determined it should be made available for settlers.  They have begun moving these families out of their houses.  One family was able to get papers from Turkey proving that they are the rightful tenants of the land.  However, the case was “decided” before the official papers could arrive.  They have not been able to get an appeal hearing.

A word on “settlers” as the word brings up a connotation for Americans that is not true.  We think of settlers going to uninhabited or unused land and creating a new life, often from agriculture.  In Palestine, there is almost no uninhabited or unused land.  So to get the land they must take it.  The settlements are more like neighborhood or small towns than farm settlements.  The persons who are settlers fall into two types: religious/ideological and economic.  The first type believes the Holy Land should on be inhabited by Jewish persons.  The second are looking for a better life and housing.  In all cases the settlements are heavily subsidized by the Israeli government, which gets the largest amount of foreign assistance of any nation.  Our aid to the Israeli government frees money to subsidize the building and defending of the settlements.  So we who pay taxes are in part supporting the removal of families from their land.  The Israeli government’s reason is for security; however, their action squeezes the Palestinians so much that it builds pressure to a point where terrible things will happen.

The ongoing building of settlements is a torture to the people of Palestine.  Let us all pray for forgiveness and a peaceful resolution.

Day 2 in the Holy Land

After morning prayer, led by Fr. Jacek Orzechowski, OFM,  we visited more holy sites in Bethlehem, but not the ones most people see.  Today we witnessed three places where people of faith are making the Incarnation a reality in our world.

We started with a visit to a house of a Palestinian Christian family that was being rebuilt by the Holy Land Ecumenical Foundation. Heading next to their office we reviewed the various programs and projects that HCEF prepares for the purpose of improving the lives of the Christians in the Holy Land.  One of their foci is education of Christians in the U.S.  HCEF does its work in a way so as not to be too political in their direct support of the Palestinian Christians.  However, their work in educating U.S. Christians is directed towards solidarity between the Christian communities of our two lands.  Part of solidarity is recognizing the other’s existence.  There are many U.S. Christians that are completely unaware that there are Christians living in the Holy Land.  It is hoped that by being aware and learning the stories of our Christian brothers and sisters in the Holy Land, U.S. Christians will also become engaged in the underlying causes of their struggles; one of the chief causes being the unjust policies of the Israeli government many of which are supported, or at least not contested, by the U.S. Government.

The second place of incarnational hope was Bethlehem University.  Here we heard from students and faculty as they shared how this relatively new school (begun in 1973) offers Palestinian young people new opportunities.  In particular, it was refreshing to be in a place where Christian Palestinians and Muslim Palestinians study, learn, and play side by side.  This is quite a different story than we hear.

Finally, we ended our day at the Holy Land Trust, where we interacted with their founder, Sami Awad.  In this interaction we heard stories of how non-violence has been making a difference in the the conflict.  Nonviolence seems to not only be a tool for lasting change, but perhaps the only tool for real lasting peace.

All three experiences were a grace-filled encounter of seeing Christ alive in the land where he once walked; and still does today.

Day 1 in the Holy Land

The Franciscan Peacemaking delegation arrived without incident in Tel Aviv where we met our guide Rami.  Rami is one of only 43 Palestinian that are licensed by the Israeli government to do tours.  His guidance allows us better access to the West Bank and Israel proper.  From Tel Aviv we immediately (via a 45 min bus ride around Jerusalem) went to Bethlehem which will be our base of delegation for the first three days.

The choice to stay at the Bethlehem Hotel is itself a peacemaking action.  Since the last uprising in 2001 the Israeli government put up a number of checkpoints and barriers to access  the Palestinian territory, including Bethlehem, on the West Bank.  This was done in part to stop allowing the suicide bombers easy access to Israel, which is completely justifiable.  However, it has also cut off easier tourist and pilgrimage access to the Palestinian West Bank.  In fact, the official tourist site of Israel tells people it is “not safe” to stay in Bethlehem.  This is quite false; it is safe and welcoming.  By keeping the tourist money away it further adds a challenge to Palestinians Christians.  We can discuss this importance later.

The drive to Bethlehem brought home for me the youthfulness and multicultural nature of this land.  It is also amazingly small (area wide) but rough in terrain (rocky and such).  More on the land later.

After getting settled at the Bethlehem hotel, we had a wonderful lunch at the Abu Eli Restaurant.  I won’t go into detail on this as I am not writing for the Food Network, but it could fill volumes.

With satisfied stomachs we next went to the Church of the Nativity.  I found myself unprepared for this experience.  The reality of being in a place that Jesus was, seemed “cool” to me, but it was more powerful than that.  It brought me to tears when touching the spot “upon which Jesus was born.” I put this in quotes as who knows if this is the actual spot, but to be in a place that is within probably 200 meters is rather amazing.

In addition, knowing of our purpose to learn the situation so as to be better peacemakers, I was struck by how small the area around the Church of the Nativity actually is.  In 2001 the Church served as a sanctuary for members in the Palestinian uprising.  The friars who served then, as well as their Greek Orthodox and Armenian Catholic brethren with whom they share custody of the site, stood as peacemakers in the spot of Jesus’ birth.  How the incarnation must live on in these times.

This was heightened by our final stop for the day, the Shepherd’s Field, where as Fr. Hugh MacSherry, ofm pointed out in his homily at mass that the announcement of Jesus was first shared outside of the Holy Family with persons who were on the fringe of society.  Today, across the valley from the Shepherd’s Field is the newest Israeli government sponsored settlement and wall that separates people and grows the enmity between Palestinians and Israelis.  Again, we need the peace that comes through the Incarnation to “appear” in this land.

Signing off for now.
Russ Testa