The local community should be the best place for us to experience justice and peace and what it means to be
challenged (called forth) to go further. The role of the community is twofold for it is the place where we are
tested and the place where we are held accountable for the manner that we live our commitment to the gospel. We
cannot be content with simply speaking about Justice and Peace to those around us for we have been called to give
witness, to live the requirements of a commitment to justice and peace, first and foremost with our brothers and
sisters in community. We are challenged by them, so that together we can bring about a more just and caring
world.
T.S. is a Dominican sister who has always had trouble with her sight. Her conditioned worsened to such a point that today she is almost completely blind. She could no longer pray the Office (the words are too small for her to see and no one thought of making bigger Xerox copies for her to use) or read from Scripture. Little by little she had trouble doing her household chores which exasperated the others living with her. J.M. had to leave her work and go to a special school to learn Braille. She also learned to walk with a white cane and to get around by herself, despite the fact that she could not see. Any traveling became difficult. As time went by she was no more independent and depended on the good will of her companions to go shopping or to bring her to visit her friends. The sisters were too busy to do these things for her, so J.M. withdrew, isolated herself from the others... Community life became impossible.
This story has a sad ending, but it is important for us to hear it, that is what we mean when we say that Justice and Peace has to begin in our houses, in our own convents... J.M. could be anyone in our community, she could be the member suffering from Alzheimer's disease, from deafness or depression...
The General Chapters of the brothers, have often invited the members to pay special attention to the quality of our life together in community for this is the first place where we should give witness to Justice and Peace: Rome (249), Avila (54, 59) and Mexico (66). At the last Chapter held in Mexico they wrote; " our communities should be true schools of justice and peace for all of the members and for those with whom we are in contact." (66, 2b)
The sisters have written a number of texts on this topic. The General Chapter of the Dominican Sisters of the Presentation of Tours of 1984, is a perfect example of this call for consistency in our daily option for justice and peace:
Justice and Peace begins with the creation of an atmosphere of trust and respect. Such an atmosphere can only be
possible if it is based on respect for the different ages, education, lifestyles and sensitivities of the members ...certainly a tall order to fill!
The goal of Dominican community life is to support the members in their ministry of preaching and to give witness to the values of the gospel in a world characterized by economic and social harshness. The General Chapter recognizes the need to take into account the unique character of each one of the sisters and the importance of personal and communal growth. This should help in creating a community where all of the members can feel at home and comfortable with one another, in a manner that is conducive to the advancement of their liturgical life, their prayer life and their relationships within the group. The Chapter places particular importance on the need for a simple lifestyle marked by an attitude of openness and willingness to share with others... We ask that each one work at developing better skills in the area of attentive listening and mutual support and make a serious effort to accept our differences, recognize our unjust attitudes, learn how to manage conflict and take the time to celebrate together..." (General Chapter of the Dominican Sisters of Saint Catherine of Sienna of Newcastle, 1993).
Justice and Peace demands that we reflect together on the roles and powers of each and every member of the group. What place do we give to the 'lay' (cooperator) brothers and sisters? Who holds the information required to take a well-informed decision? How much of this information gets circulated? How do the decisions get communicated? Are there members who are systematically excluded? Who speaks and who refrains from speaking at the house meetings? Are we conscious of the enormous differences that exist within the community, (family gifts, certain advantages...)?
The practice of Justice and Peace requires that we reflect on the lifestyle we lead in community, our attitude regarding possessions, our capacity for sharing with other social groups. Are our buildings and furniture consistent with our apostolic project? Do we have an amount of money set aside for donations and solidarity at the international and local level? What and how much do we waste? How do we treat the beggars who come to our door? Are we concerned about the finances of the community, of the Order? Are we just in the salaries that we pay? Do we take into account the dignity of the person?...
One of the fundamental values we must practice is the value of hospitality. Who do we invite to sit at our table? Do we invite those brothers and sisters directly involved in the work of Justice and Peace to share with us? Do we invite the marginalized? How do we justify having empty rooms when so many of our brothers and sisters are homeless? Do we accept to help someone who needs help and who might be a friend of a member of the community?
"Our communities must be open and welcoming to those who need a place to stay, particularly the young. the poor, the marginalized, those who hunger and thirst for justice, those in search of solidarity, support, a bit of love. Our communities must act in a manner that is respectful of the dignity of each person. The members must seek the presence of Christ in the humblest brother and sister." (Oakland 11, 3,8).
It is difficult to get beyond sexist attitudes because we are often not aware that they exist. Are we sufficiently vigilant about this part of our life? Do we really and truly believe that men and women are equal, different and complimentary? Do we share power within our pastoral ministries?
"We ask that the formation directors and those in formation be particularly attentive to the situations of marginalization and discrimination that are placed upon women within the Church and society. " (Mexico 66, a6 in reference to Rome 250 and Avila 51)." We recognize the special charism of women in their capacity to live a global approach to our world. We deplore the lack of equal treatment and the oppression of women that contribute to the impoverishment of society as a whole. In order to counteract this trend, we bring the wealth of our heritage and spirituality, at the example of St. Catherine of Sienna, who was able to transcend the social models of her time and demonstrate how effective women can be within the Church and in the realm of politics.
The Chapter reminds us that we must work to bring about greater awareness of the complimentary that exists between women and men, in order to better understand and appreciate our femininity, to become more attentive to the situations of oppression lived by women throughout the world and to work for the full acceptance of women at all levels of life within the Church." (General Chapter of the Dominican Sisters of St. Catherine of Sienna of Newcastle, 1993).
Justice and Peace invite us to adopt a new way of being; where hospitality and openness are important, where the celebration of life and different ministries is possible, where our preaching is consistent with the life and commitments of the group. This new way of being will certainly be counter-cultural to the behaviors and logic of the world. The role of religious life is not only to take issue with the world, but to witness to the gospel values that motivate us and give us the courage to bring about " the new heavens and a new earth."
The Giordano Bruno d'Utrecht (Netherlands) community, has adopted a rather unique way of living. This is what they have to say about themselves.
" The 1960's were famous for the cultural, ecclesial and political upheaval that affected the whole world. It is within this context that a group of Dominican brothers and sisters decided to take seriously the motto of the Order -" truth." They came to the realization that poverty, chastity and obedience were a call to collective creativity and a liberating force when faced with the issues of power, possessions and affectivity/sexuality. We asked how we could live true solidarity in a world that systematically destroys all that is humane? Our response was to begin a new community where relationships would be developed differently and where we would begin to set the foundations for " a new heaven and a new earth."Within this context, the group meets once a week to reflect on our life together in community, to see to the equitable distribution of tasks between men and women, to ensure that our food purchases are not detrimental to our brothers and sisters in the Third and Fourth World and to share together about those we have met and helped out... Once every two months we meet for a longer period of time to reflect together on our fundamental orientations.
Our community is an alternative to what is more common throughout the Dominican Family (at the present time we are 6 women and 5 men), with the men belonging to the Netherlands Province. We share all of the different aspects of community life: housework, prayer, reflection, theology and leisure. Our lifestyle and socio-ecclesial involvement have brought us to a life of greater solidarity with other groups working for emancipation, solidarity and liberation.
Although our internal life as a group is important and is in itself a testimony to a new society and a new Church in favor of justice and peace, we know it is not sufficient and have created a network of partners. Our house is somewhat of a clearing house for different Dominican activities and for the Peace Forum (ecumenical movement based on the model of "Kairos Europa"). We are linked to the Hendrich Kraemer House in Berlin and because of this are active in the promotion of East-West relations. Our relationship with this house lead to the creation of the "Ecumenical Home" a network where all of the members see community life as a critique of our society. The "May 8 Movement", a progressive Catholic organization has its headquarters in our house. Every evening local, national and international peace groups, women's groups and development groups come here for their meetings; many are not catholic. Some of the members or the whole community participates actively in these various groups.
One of our members works with refugees, another with the Justice and Peace Group of the Dominican Province, another with the International Women's Forum in Peking, while others are involved with the international movement against prostitution and participate in the International Forum of the Order in favor of Global Solidarity...
We chose the name Giordano Bruno for our house, because of the way he succeeded in developing his ability to be critical and for all that he did for the advancement of society. He is also a European, who lived and worked in many of the cities on the continent.
When we set out on our venture many years ago, we were convinced that our society and our Church were going to change: it was the time of Vatican II, of student movements, of women's rights, of disarmament and of the protection of the environment. We thought we could contribute to these changes through our lifestyle and living conditions. Some changes have taken place, but reactionary forces have also been formed and with time have become hardened in their positions. Communism has fallen apart...but is there no alternative to capitalism?
We believe that communities and base communities... are places from where the alternatives will emerge. This is encouraging for us and gives us strength to carry on with the struggle despite our many failures and the social changes that have taken place. When we dream alone it remains a dream; when many of us dream, a new world appears.
Preliminary Conclusions :
The foundations for the work of Justice and Peace come to us from Scripture and are supported by of our Church tradition. This work is based on social analysis and invites us to renewed religious life. Justice and Peace is at the very core of our Dominican vocation. It does not consist of a series of specific actions (original and marginal) but is a way of living our religious life.
The integration of the work for Justice and Peace into our daily life and activities as Dominicans, requires of us that we set up more specific projects, that we act in a certain way in the face of situations of injustice and violence. In the next Workbook, (Workbook #3), we will deal with some of these more specific aspects.
- "The Spirit of the Lord has been given to me,
- for he has anointed me.
- He has sent me to bring the Good News to the poor,
- to proclaim liberty to captives
- and to the blind new sight,
- to set the downtrodden free,
- to proclaim the Lord's year of favor!"
- He then rolled up the scroll...Then he began to speak to them,
- "This text is being fulfilled today,
- even as you listen." Luke 4, 18-21.
| Back | Index | Next | |