Ugo Nacciarone, SJ - Biblical Perspective on peace and Popular Participation

Some of us are familiar with the quotation that is found in Dag Hammarskjold diary notes that were published after his death under the title "Markings". This passage was written by him on the feast of Pentecost 1961, less than four months before his life was so tragically ended in the plane crash near Ndola on the 18 September 1961.

I don't know Who - or What - put the question. I don't know when it was put. I don't even remember answering. But at some moment I did answer Yes to Someone - or Something - and from that hour I was certain that existence is meaningful and that, therefore, my life in self-surrender had a goal.

From that moment I have known what it means "not to look back", and "To take no thought for the morrow."

Led by Ariadne's thread of my answer through the labyrinth of Life, I came to a time and place where I realised that the Way leads to a triumph which is a catastrophe, and to a catastrophe which is a triumph, and that the price for committing one's life would be reproach, and that the only elevation possible to man lies in the depths of humiliation. After that the word 'courage' lost its meaning, since nothing could be taken from me.

As I continued along the Way, I learned, step by step, word by word, that behind every saying in the Gospels stands one man and one man's experience. Also behind the prayer that the cup might pass from him and his promise to drink it. Also behind each of the words from the Cross.

In this quotation from this great man I have found the idea that captures in a wonderful unity what I would like to share with you. For here was a man who certainly participated in the great mission of bringing peace, and this man was obviously inspired by the Scriptures, especially the Gospels.

Let us begin with the biblical understanding of peace. As you all know so well, the Hebrew word for peace is "shalom". Its root meaning is wholeness or well-being. It is used in both religious and secular senses.

We are familiar with its use as a greeting or a farewell. Another common meaning is simply understood, namely the absence of war between nations, as we find in 1 Samuel 7:14.

Here was a man who certainly participated in the great mission of bringing peace, and this man was obviously inspired by the Scriptures, especially the Gospels.

But much more interesting and more relevant to our purposes is this word's association with other terms, as if to imply that the deeper concept of peace can only be understood in connection with another value which enhances it. Let me illustrate this with four examples.

PEACE AND SECURITY

Peace and security (usually from invasion) such as we find in 2 Kings 20:19. Even when a nation is not at war, if there is no security in the nation, then it cannot truly be said to be at peace. In a civil society where there is no security from violent crime, and people have to live behind locked doors or behind high walls, then in what sense is there any peace, even if there is no armed conflict between armies?

PEACE AND PROSPERITY

Peace and prosperity such as we find in Psalm 122: 7. Prosperity is closely associated with peace. This is obvious by looking at the nations around us. The poor people in Angola, Sudan, the Congo cannot sow or reap because of war. But I would say that this juxtaposition of peace and prosperity is also telling us that without prosperity there is a greater risk of losing peace. Hungry, unemployed people can become a threat to those who have a more comfortable existence.

Once again, we see the unjust distribution of wealth, the prosperity which is only for the few, leads to insecurity. The prosperity spoken of in the Bible is one that is shared by all the people. When that is not present, then there can be no peace. The great threat to world peace is the gross inequality in the wealth of nations when the average US citizen consumes in one day more than 33 times the energy consumed by the average African.

PEACE AND TRUTH

Peace and truth such as we find in the prophet Zechariah 8:19. This is a rather unusual combination of ideas. But reflect on it for a moment and see the depth of its meaning. Consider whether you could really feel at peace with someone whose word you constantly doubted because they were known to have lied on some very important issue. If this is true of individuals, even more so is it true of nations.

Can there be peace where the words of a treaty mean whatever anyone who signs it want them to mean? When there is no absolute truth, then there can be no peace. Just consider the various peace treaties and cease fire treaties signed in Africa in the past decade. How many disappointed the world when the signatures on the paper didn't seem to mean all that we thought they meant.

Truth in the Scriptures is more a relation than an intellectual quality. It has more to do with honest and faithful relationships than with the correspondence between words and reality. It is only in a loving, honest, faithful relationship that we can see clearly just who we are and what the other person is. This is as true between nations as it is between individuals.

Jesus is the truth because his whole person speaks the love and compassion of God. There is absolutely no distinction between what he says and what he does.

The unjust distribution of wealth, the prosperity which is only for the few, leads to insecurity.

This is the essence of the nature of truth.

PEACE AND JUSTICE

Finally, let us look at the union of peace and righteousness, or peace and justice. We find these concepts linked in Isaiah 32:17-18 and in Psalm 85:10. The fruit of justice is peace. Where there is integrity among the people, you find peace. War begins when a people feel unjustly treated, and consider fighting the only means available to obtain what they consider to be their rights.

We only have to look at the war in Kosovo, or the civil war in Sudan, or the earlier war in Nigeria, or the current situation in Northern Ireland. In all these cases, a people felt oppressed and their rights trampled on, and so they went to war in what they considered a righteous cause.

In all these four examples, we see that peace in the Old Testament is always relational. It is a quality that exists between people, or between people and their God. It is not an individual or internal state as we will find in the New Testament. Because the concept in the Old Testament is essentially relational, it requires the participation of people.

As Christians, we believe that we can do nothing without the grace of God. The God we worship is a God of peace. We offer our lives in service to him so that we may find true peace. As the prophet Jeremiah says, there can be no true peace without a sincere conversion (Jeremiah 6:13-15).

Peace is very rich concept that encompasses a vast array of relationships with other important qualities in an individual and in a society. Peace, on its own, doesn't seem possible unless

Peace, on its own, doesn't seem possible unless there are other key values in place, such as security, prosperity, truth and justice.

there are other key values in place, such as security, prosperity, truth and justice. There can be no real peace without these other values being present. Every person's efforts to enhance the reality of these virtues in themselves and in their society establishes the groundwork for peace.

PEACE IN THE NEW TESTAMENT

Let us look at some further reflections on peace that we find in the New Testament. The Greek word for peace normally means simply the absence of war. But in the New Testament, with its Jewish background, peace takes on much of the range of meanings of shalom, and also some new, specially Christian meanings.

- As in the Old Testament, shalom is a greeting and a farewell. Almost all New Testament letters open with this greeting.

- Peace is a gift that disciples can give to others, but if others are unworthy, it returns to the disciples. We find this idea in Matthew 10:12-13.

- Peace is also used for harmony and concord within the community, as we read in Romans 14:19.

Christians should strive for peace with all peoples, Christians and non-Christians alike. We find this in several places such as Romans 12:18-19, and in Hebrews 12:14. The combination of these texts advocate a non-aggressive stance for the followers of Jesus in relation with others.

The association between peace and material prosperity which is found in the Old Testament is not found in the New Testament. The connection is made between peace and spiritual blessings rather than between peace and material blessings. It should be clear that material prosperity alone cannot ensure peace, nor does its absence imply the absence of peace.

Some of the most peaceful places on earth may be quiet, underdeveloped regions, where people live in harmony with one another. By the standards of any developed nation, they would be considered materially very poor. And so peace in the New Testament is often linked with more spiritual things than with material things (Romans 14:17, Galatians 6:16, Jude 1:1-2, and Romans 8:6).

We see that the Biblical concept of peace is much more than the absence of war between nations. It encompasses many other values along with it, and without these other values even peace in the very limited sense of absence of war between nations is not very probable. This is so because the human person cannot be divided into sections.

Truthfulness, justice, love and mercy are essential components of the integrated mature person, and when these are found there is some hope of peace. So the first step in public participation is the effort of each individual to foster in themselves those qualities that are associated with peace in the Sacred Scriptures.

True peace is not possible without them. There can be no peace between two persons if one of them does not have the desire for peace and lays no groundwork in their heart for this peace.

PEACE AND FORGIVENESS

It is like story of two former allied soldiers who, during the Second World War, were prisoners of war in Germany. Years later, one asks the other, "Have you forgiven the Germans?" The other replies, "Yes, I forgave them a long time ago." The first says, "I have not forgiven them and don't think I ever will", to which the second replies, "Then you are still their prisoner."

Without the forgiveness, the war still goes on, even if the killing on the battlefield has stopped. There is just no way there will ever be a stable peace in Rwanda unless each Hutu and Tutsi can find it in their hearts to forgive one another. This true spirit of forgiveness is not inconsistent with a desire for justice. As we have already seen, in the Bible, both forgiveness and justice are qualities associated with peace.

In fact, where there is sincere forgiveness offered, the one forgiven for a serious wrong done would want to make compensation for the injury caused. The guilty person would not feel at peace unless some act of atonement had been done. This is true of nations as well as of individuals. After the Second World War, Germany offered substantial compensation to the new state of Israel for the holocaust perpetrated by the previous regime.

To refuse to take revenge is not to cease looking for justice. Revenge is punishment to even the score. Justice is seeking not to even a score but to restore the necessary order for peace to flourish. Revenge is done with hatred in the heart. Justice is sought with love, not anger. It is as concerned with protecting the dignity of the offender as it is with restoring the rights of the offended.

UNDERSTANDING THE GOSPEL TEXT

A possible mistaken understanding of the passage in the gospel about turning the cheek and walking the extra mile may seem to be recommending a passive acceptance of wrongs done.

This is certainly not the way to peace since it is violates the search for justice which is one of the essential qualities of true peace. We only have to look at the great pacifists like Mahatma Ghandi and Martin Luther King, Jr., to see than non-violence is not passivity in the face of injustice.

SOME EXAMPLES FROM JESUS' TIME

In order to understand the gospel text, we must understand the culture and social circumstances of the time of Jesus. The ancient world was a right-handed world. The left hand was considered unclean. It was an insult to even gesture with the left hand. No respectable person would use the left hand in public.

To strike a person on the right cheek as Jesus describes, a

Truthfulness, justice, love and mercy are essential components of the integrated mature person, and when these are found there is some hope of peace.

person would have to use the back of their right hand to do this. And this would have been the normal way to insult someone. Giving the back of your hand was the normal way of reprimanding inferiors. By now turning to the left cheek to the person who has hit you, it forces him to use the front of his hand, thereby being forced not to treat you as an inferior.

The second example Jesus uses is that if someone asks for your coat, give him your shirt as well. To understand this we must know something of the dress of the ancient world. The usual attire consisted in only two garments, the outer garment and the undergarment.

To offer the money lender your undergarment would be as if someone took your coat, and you offered him your undergarment as well, leaving yourself naked and him looking very embarrassed. This would force the lender to realise fully just what his unscrupulous interest rates are doing.

The third example Jesus gives is of someone forcing you to go one mile, and you offer to go two. During the time of Roman occupation, a soldier could command a civilian to carry his pack for a mile, but not longer. To force someone to do more would have been a violation of the military law of Rome on occupation and could have severe consequences for the offending soldier. If at the end of one mile you continue to walk down the road with the pack, you throw the soldier off balance and now put him in an awkward position. And so the unjust situation is exposed without any violence.

We have spoken of the individual participation in the search for peace that requires qualities of life that foster and encourage peace. We have also tried to give to each individual an understanding of the biblical perspective on peace that requires more than passivity, but almost demands action.

As Christians we believe that we are all united intimately in the Body of Christ, and therefore, are not just individuals. The early Church was known for its unity. It was their love for one another that was the quality that Jesus asked them to reveal to others as the mark of His followers (John 13:34-35). This love was shown in the sharing of all possessions as we read in the Acts of the Apostles (Acts 4:32-35).

If all of us who are concerned about peace were as united to one another as the Christians of the early Church, what could we not accomplish! If, in addition to our unity, we each underwent the conversion necessary to incorporate in ourselves the qualities that are the essential components of peace as outlined in the Scriptures, then we could accomplish even more.

There can be no doubt that we could accomplish more than we ever imagined. Jesus tells us that as one in him we will be able to do even greater things than he did (John 14:12).

Peace will not just happen. It won't descend from the heavens. Though it is a gift of heaven and can only come from God, it cannot come unless we prepare the way for it. Just as the birth of Jesus is a pure gift of the Father, it could not come about until the human race had evolved to the stage where the Son could become flesh.

There is a great deal of work to be done, as we have seen from our study of the Bible passages on peace. No individual can do it alone. We should not become discouraged because it doesn't happen overnight.

Each time we work to stand against injustice, peace is being born. Every time we work for the development of our people, peace is growing. Every time we resist evil creatively by our non-violent action, peace is maturing. Whenever we return love for hate, peace takes root in our society. It is all up to us. Cooperating with the grace of God, we can hope for great things.

THE CHALLENGES

The Scriptures have thrown us a challenge. God dreams of people for our world, but He needs us to make the dream come true. I challenge Churches to work more closely to bring the dream to reality. I challenge the representatives of the international community to open up the channels of communication with all the people. I challenge the civil service to create an atmosphere of trust and honest service that will not tolerate even a trace of corruption. I challenge each one of us to see how we can individually, in our families and in our societies create the conditions that will give birth to a true peace, a peace that the world by itself cannot give.

The man that we quoted at the beginning, Dag Hammarskjold, was one who incorporated in himself great integrity, openness, a hunger for justice, and a great love of God and his fellow men and women. It is no wonder that he was an apostle of peace and gave his life in its service.

He certainly knew that peace, inspired by the principles of the Scriptures, would never be accomplished without an active participation of the peoples of the world, and in his person, was pleading for them to be involved in the search for peace. We find in this man the wonderful synthesis of a deep reflection on the Scriptures an untiring activity in the cause of peace. We could do no better than to look to him as a model of what we all ought to be.

Ugo Nacciarone, S.J.
Jesuit Residence
Kitwe, Zambia

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