In recent days, the polarization and hostility that is dividing even the Body of Christ has been stunning. We at Where Peter Is have witnessed it on our personal social media accounts and on the threads of Smart Catholics, where vitriol* has pushed some participants out of the conversation. At the same time, our efforts to restore civilized interactions have been met with accusations of policing and a failure to recognize free speech. Yet, the divisiveness extends beyond our WPI community and into the larger virtual world. As just one example, Mike Lewis’s recent piece on the sanctity of Charlie Kirk’s life has fueled attacks from online influencers and hateful, below the belt comments* from Kirk’s own supporters.
We know that we are far from the only ones experiencing malice. All of us, regardless of where we fall on the political spectrum, have been horrified by the events of this past week in the United States and the ongoing aftermath. At times, even our heartfelt efforts to reach out and find common ground have been met with the fire of rage. While recent events may tragically reflect who we are becoming as a society, they are fundamentally incompatible with members of the Body of Christ.
The constant barrage of hostility on all fronts can feel overwhelming for even the most even keeled and thick skinned. Consequently, we all need to take a moment to pause and to ground ourselves in Christ’s love for us. Emotions run high in times of loss and we are all grieving losses: of individuals we loved or respected, of freedoms we have cherished, of economic prosperity that we have taken for granted, and even of stability, among other things. We are all grievers.
One thing I learned through the death of my daughter is that grief presents us with a choice. We can become defensive and hypersensitized, interpreting every interaction as an additional wound. Or we can open ourselves to our pain, recognizing that Jesus is big enough to hold it for us. In doing so, we become accepting of others’ pain and create pathways for connection. In his book, How Books Can Save Democracy, professor Michael Fischer writes,
The second building block of democracy that Mandela embraced is the readiness to ask for and extend forgiveness…It is the willingness of people in a disagreement to be patient with one another, let some things go, and to keep what may be lower-level annoyances and irritations from mushrooming into full-blown tensions.
Too often, wounded people choose to hunker down and reinforce our battle lines, but this only leads to escalating grief and damage to society. Are we brave enough to instead do the open ourselves to suffering?
Our recent celebration of The Feast of the Exaltation of the Cross should offer us a reason for courage. The celebration reminds us that the reparation of God’s relationship with His people came through Christ’s willingness to submit himself to suffering. He looked on us, who were quite literally His enemies, and saw something worth suffering for. At the height of His agony, He gazed down upon those who were killing Him and had mercy on them, moving beyond His own affliction to bear theirs.
I wonder how different the world would be if we who call ourselves His followers, followed Him along down this path of radical forgiveness and compassion.
We will never be able to truly follow Christ unless we view those around us as brothers and sisters. At his meeting with the World Meeting on Human Fraternity last week, Pope Leo XIV, reiterated the necessity of peace and brotherly love as he reflected on the tragic story of Cain and Abel. “However ancient or widespread it may be, the violence of Cain must never be accepted as ‘normal’,” he cautioned. Instead, we need to be asking one another “Where is your brother,” and allow fraternal love to reveal to us the “face of the other.” This means, “seeing the face of God in everyone – the poor, the lonely, even the enemy.”
Are we seeing the face of God in our brothers and sisters, even when we disagree? Do our words and actions – both in person and in the digital world – reflect this recognition of God’s image in every human we encounter? Do we let this recognition shape our understanding of others’ points of view? Can we risk slipping our feet into their shoes for a moment to consider what brought them to this place and how our words and deeds will impact them?
Radical empathy that aligns with that of Christ may well be our only escape from the world in which we currently exist. I was not raised Catholic, but I was raised by strong Christians who took their mission as Christ’s followers seriously. One of these Christians was a pastor who seemed in some ways to be ahead of his time because he ended every sermon by paraphrasing an ancient quote: “Be kind, for everyone you meet carries a heavy load.”
Lord, let us be kind and make us known as Christians for our love.
*Specific examples of such comments have not been provided to avoid furthering the pain of those being attacked. They are easily accessible if you feel the need to verify, however.
Image: “Peace” (CC BY-SA 2.0) by Kaarina Dillabough
Ariane Sroubek is a writer, school psychologist and mother to two children here on earth. Prior to converting to Catholicism, she completed undergraduate studies in Bible and Theology at Gordon College in Wenham, MA. She then went on to obtain her doctorate in School and Child Clinical Psychology. Ariane’s writing is inspired by her faith, daily life experiences and education. She is currently writing a women's fiction novel and a middle-grade mystery series. Her non-fiction book, Raising Sunshine: A Guide to Parenting Through the Aftermath of Infant Death is available on Amazon. More of her work can be found at https://mysustaininggrace.com.
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