INTRODUCTION TO WORKBOOK II

In the previous workbook we examined various aspects of the lives of those brothers, sisters and communities committed to actions of Justice and Peace and to a life of solidarity with the poor. In this new workbook, we want to take it one step further and try to understand the foundations of this commitment.

These foundations can be examined from four vantage points:

These four axes set the parameters for the foundations of the Justice and Peace dimension of all Dominican life, and also determines the axes upon which is founded the transformation that takes place in the lives of those brothers and sisters who have chosen to make a commitment to a life of solidarity with the poor. These four axes are the starting points (readings that invite) and arrival points (reflection, evaluation) that help move the process forward.

The Words of God

Members of the Dominican family who have made a true option for Justice and Peace, did not do so out of some personal fancy or whim, or because they were the recipients of some sort of unique charism. The majority of these responses are a direct answer to a call received from God, the result of having opened one's heart to the distress of the people (fulfilling the mission of the Word of God),"a person saw a brother/sister in need and did not close her/his heart." (1 John 3,17). When the Word of God touches the experience. brings it to a new level of awareness or sets it free.

The story of our Brother Las Casas is worth repeating:

"The cleric Bartolomé de Las Casas, like all of the other colonizers, was very concerned about cultivating his land and extracting the gold from his mines. He called upon the native people to do this work and used them for his own profit. While he fed them as well as he could and treated them with care and compassion, he never stopped to think these people were non-believers and that it was his duty to bring them to the Church of Christ.

Since he was the only cleric in the region, he would often leave his home and go to another colony to say Mass for the Spaniards living there. One day when he was preparing his preaching he was struck by the words of scripture he read, (if I am not mistaken, the text was Ecclesiasticus 34,"the sacrifice of an offering unjustly acquired is a mockery; The Most High takes no pleasure in offerings from the godless, multiplying sacrifices will not gain his pardon for sin. Offering sacrifice from the property of the poor is as bad as slaughtering a son before his father's very eyes. A meager diet is the very life of the poor, he who withholds it is a man of blood). He realized that this was the same misery and suffering the Spanish were imposing on the natives.

Another event that helped him come to this realization was what was happening in Española, A group of the Religious of St. Dominic were preaching that it was not acceptable to own Indians and that they would refuse to give absolution to anyone who did. Las Casas believed that such actions were outrageous and refused to accept the position of the Dominicans. One day he went to confession to one of them who refused him absolution. After demanding an explanation he began to argue with the Dominican concluding with the following statement,"therefore, dear father, I conclude that the truth always has many adversaries and lies have many accomplices."

Despite his reaction the argument served him well. It made him think and realize just how ignorant and dangerous his position really was, and that what was being done to the natives was tyrannical and unjust.

Everything he read after that confirmed this insight. He often said that once he began to reject the shadows of ignorance he never again read a book, (and in the forty years that followed they were infinite in number), in which he was not confirmed in his fight for justice for the natives and his condemnation of the injustices, harms and evils inflicted upon them by the colonizers.

He decided that the time had come to preach this message from the pulpit. Although he had treated them kindly, he felt that in order to be honest with himself and true to his conscience he had to let his Indians go free... He went to see the governor Diego Velasquez and explained to him that the only way to save his soul was to free his Indians... The Governor was astonished to hear these words from the mouth of Las Casas. How could this man who was still a cleric and very much a businessman, have such a dramatic change of heart and want to preach the same message as the Dominicans? It was all the more unbelievable because he was known to be a terribly greedy man with one goal in mind, 'to make as much profit as possible from his farm and his mines.'

The Governor told him to go back and think about this again ... but Las Casas was determined to go ahead ... That same day was the feast of the Assumption and he had been asked to preach in this same town where he had come to see the Governor. He preached on the active and contemplative life, the theme of the gospel for that day. He got onto the topic of the spiritual and temporal works of charity and began to admonish the Spaniards for the inhumane treatment they had towards their slaves. He told them that they benefited from these acts of charity from the Indians and that they should treat them in the same manner... They were absolutely dumbfounded and even scandalized by what they heard."

Fray de Las Casas"Historia de Indias,"Libro III, cap 79.

The Word of God continues to challenge us today, it is provocative, in the sense that it never ceases to ask,"what have you done to your brothers and sisters..."it is a source of consolation, for we are sure that"God hears the cry of the poor..."

 

Would it not benefit your group to discuss the following questions?
- which passages or stories from Scripture are the most significant for you in your life as a Dominican? Is this passage of a provocative nature or is it consoling?
- when you think of your present ministry, which passage(s) come to mind as being the most meaningful and why?

God always wants us to go a little bit further when it comes to living out the great commandment: love of God and love of neighbor (Lk.10, 27-28).

These two aspects come together to form one single commandment and form the basis of Christian life. John reminds us of this when he says,"one who does not love the brother or sister that s/he sees, cannot love the unseen God."(1 John 4, 20)

Let us now examine some of the main texts from Scripture, to better understand how Justice and Peace is rooted in the Word of God; they can be used either for your own personal prayer or for group discussion.

Ex. 3: 7-10 God sees the miserable state of his people, and has heard their cry, God wants to set them free and entrusts this mission to Moses.
Micah 6: 8 what God wants is that we act justly, love tenderly ... Micah repeats the message spoken by the other prophets of his time; justice (Amos), love (Hosea), humility before God (Isaiah); he inscribes God's message within a series of practices; justice (to act the way God wants), compassion ( conversion), never forgetting that we are God's creatures (not to act as if we are God).
Isaiah 58: 5-12 God does not want empty acts of piousness; God wants a true commitment to justice. The fast that is pleasing to God is to break the chains of injustice. Message also found in Hosea 6: 6 and Jeremiah 7: 1-10.
Mt. 21: 31-46 we will be judged on the way we treated those in need; we will have ministered to God each time we cared for those who were suffering.
Lk. 10: 29-37 the Samaritan overcame his prejudices and helped his brother laying on the side of the road, he acted, then left without being thanked. Jesus uses this parable to illustrate the fact that the two commandments are inseparable.
Acts 2: 42-47 to make sure that no one was in need, to share what we have... this is what the early Christians did to celebrate the presence of God among them.
James 2: 1-9 it is impossible for us to say we are disciples of Christ if we exclude the poor, and if we judge people according to their social standing.

 

There are many other texts we could have chosen to nurture our reflection. The Psalms are particularly important, for they often refer to the situation of the poor, those whose rights were not respected and who could count on no one else but God to defend them. (Ps.103:6; Ps.9:13; Ps.12:6; Ps.35:10; Ps 130:3; Ps.107:41; Ps. 22; Ps. 69...)

If you have any good suggestions that you think might be helpful to the others for their gospel sharing in community, or if you are aware of certain reflections that might help us to pray the Psalms that we sing at Divine Office... we would very much appreciate it if you sent them to us. Thanks.

There are a series of biblical exercises that are very helpful in understanding how Justice and Peace is rooted in Scripture and how it is Good News for the world. There are two ways to use the method. The first consists in sharing on a specific word, the second consists in sharing on a theme.

Example #1: The word: Justice

(We could also have used the word Peace, Rights, Poor, Little Ones, Violence, Mercy, etc.)

Example #2 The Theme approach

There is also the method based on a gospel theme. We could use the theme of the stranger, war (just and unjust),the relationship between peace and development, the relationship between humans and creation, men and women, the status of minority groups...etc.

For our purposes here we will use the theme of the stranger, or the foreigner, since this is an issue that affects every country,(refugees, workers, immigrants, racism, xenophobia...) to illustrate how the method can be used.

"It is surprising to see how the theme is presented to us in the Bible; it's as if we were being taken aside and told: stranger you have been, and in a certain way, stranger you shall always be...(Gen. 17:8 ; Lev. 25:23 ; 2 Cor. 5:11 ; Heb. 11:13 ; 1 P. 2:11)

The Bible places us face to face with an experience we would probably prefer to forget ;"you know how the stranger feels, for you lived as strangers in the land of Egypt"(Ex. 23:9; Ex. 20:2; Dt. 5:6; Lev. 19:34).

We must never forget from where we came :"Love the stranger then, for you too were strangers in the land of Egypt"(Dt. 10:19; Dt. 26:5), never forget that one day you were a stranger and that others welcomed you and received you among them (Gen. 19; Lk. 10:29-37).

Most people boast of their quality of native inhabitant. Israel was lead out of bondage to the Promised Land and this idea was later taken up by the Christians : they are to consider themselves as strangers and pilgrims on this earth, we are told (Heb. 11:13; 1 P 2:11) they can never really never settle and should avoid becoming unduly attached to their privileges and possessions. They must constantly work for the transformation of the world and proclaim"a new heaven and a new earth where righteousness will be at home."(2 P. 3:13). Even the word"parish"comes from"par-oikoi"meaning the"strangers", the "outside-home".

As Christians we are called to identify with the ' Host of Hosts,'"the one who accepts Christ and receives Him will enter into His kingdom"(Mt. 7:21; Mt 10:32-33...). Jesus will receive into His kingdom those who were considered strangers, deprived of their rights, those who are able to justify their life on earth by their good deeds (Mk. 15:22; Acts 10:34).

The stranger is someone very much like myself, the part of myself I reject, the forgotten side of my being. Elie Wiesel wrote :"Whomever is in need of a refuge is welcome wherever I am. If he feels like a stranger in my company, then I too shall be a stranger."

Scripture reminds us that the stranger is my neighbor, he/she may disturb my routine, but he/she also stops me from turning in on myself and from becoming too focused on my own well-being. The stranger is the 'other' who pushes me outward to welcome him/her and by so doing to receive myself. Obviously, this cannot happen without a certain amount of conflict but this is the road we are called to follow for Jesus the Christ goes before us. He set the example by welcoming the Samaritans, the Publicans, the Syro-Phoenicians... '

These elements of reflection were taken from the"Ecumenical Campaign" called,"Accueillir l'Etranger," France 1992-1995.

There are certainly many other examples and methods we could have used to help us integrate the Word of God and open our hearts to the cry of the poor... More examples can be found in the appendices to this workbook.

These and other similar Biblical exercises would be good to use at gatherings of brothers and sisters who are already active in the area of Justice and Peace, they could also be used in a retreat setting on the theme of Apostolic Commitment; or with a group of students, in a seminar on the theme of Solidarity, with novices or as a means to discover the Bible and how to confront the Word of God with our everyday actions. A similar approach could be suggested for use by those members of the Dominican family doing biblical research (ex. theses), or to communities who have their own internal programs for ongoing education.

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