St. John, in his gospel, presents the last supper discourses of Jesus – these discourses unfold over many chapters of the gospel and represent the final words of Jesus to his disciples before he goes to the cross. One of the most salient parts of these discourses is Jesus’s high priestly prayer to the Father where he prays – “that they may all be one, as you Father are in me and I in you.” (John 17:21). Jesus knows that division is a consequence of sin and will visit the nascent Christian community and indeed the Catholic Church throughout her history. The gifts of the Spirit and Eucharist are gifts of unity – to make us more united in faith and charity and more united as members of the body of Christ.
Against this important biblical and theological backdrop, Americans, Christians, and Catholics live in a highly polarized age. As one Catholic told me recently, our divisions as Catholics map very closely to the divisions and polarization which afflict American life, politics, and culture. But Jesus says to his followers in Matthew 20:26, “it shall not be so among you” – in other words, Christian disciples must overcome divisions and rancor to arrive at a more capacious and generous way of being – a way of humble service. As modeled by the Lord, Jesus’s followers are called to embrace all people with charity. Under Pope Francis, the Catholic Church has embraced a more inclusive outreach – as Pope Francis said at world youth day in Portugal – “todos, todos, todos…” all are welcome in the Catholic Church.
As I write this I am on a plane returning from a welcome Mass on the east coast for a seminary classmate and friend who was appointed coadjutor bishop in New Jersey. I realized in the last couple of days, how much sorting we do based on what people look like, their backgrounds, their geographical origin, their political affiliation, and whether they consider themselves traditional, progressive, or centrist Catholics.
In the last couple of days, I, and others took note on whether clergy were in their collars – what type of collars, and whether they seemed to be a supporter of Pope Francis. Once we arrived on the plane back to Minneapolis, I realized that my brain was again hard wired to sorting – was the person next to me watching CNN or Fox – were they watching the debate coverage or sports? Those who study polarization from a variety of angles have noted the acute increase in polarization in American life and in religious communities – not only is the Catholic Church not immune from these trends, we seem to be afflicted more and more by the demon of polarization.
If we agree that we live in a highly polarized age, that this polarization inhibits the flourishing of our communities, our nation, and our religious institutions, what can be done about it? Our need to overcome the acute harm of polarization and to seek better days of unity and concord must take root first in the Church – in the disciples of Jesus. We must be a leaven and a light to the broader society. We must be able to dialogue respectfully across difference with an open mind, heart, and an open spirit. A parishioner asked me during my first year as pastor of The Basilica of Saint Mary, what is the most surprising thing that you learned about The Basilica? The first thing that came to mind is the breadth of our community – we truly have everyone as a part of our community and this is our great strength – it mirrors the Church itself. The thing that also occurred to me is that, even across our differences, we hang together well, in charity and unity.
Lastly, another way we can respond to the deep harm of polarization in our Church and society is to come together in dialogue, respect, and solidarity. To that end, I would highlight two important programs this fall where people of good faith can come together to explore the harm of polarization, and also how we can unite to overcome it. The first program will take place September 27th at the University of St. Thomas School of Law. The Initiative on Restorative Justice and Healing, which I direct, will hold an afternoon program – Toward Better Days: Overcoming Polarization in Church and Society. The afternoon will begin with a keynote by Fr. Aaron Wessman, author of “The Church’s Mission in a Polarized World” followed by two panels on polarization. Please join us for this important forum.
October 3rd will mark the launch of a new lecture series at The Basilica in honor of Rev. David Link – Hope and Healing – The Promise of Catholic Social Teaching for a Divided America. President Rob Vischer of St. Thomas and Dean Marcus Cole of Notre Dame Law School will come together to discuss how value-based education can help to overcome polarization and foster greater hope and healing in our divided Church and nation.
Please join us for these important forums as we seek to do our part in overcoming the deep harm of polarization to create a future that is more inclusive, humane, and charitable.
Fr. Daniel Griffith