Oblates of St. Francis de Sales

New DeSales World Newsletter - Summer Edition

27th Sunday in Ordinary Time (October 3, 2004)

Suggested Emphasis

"Stir into flame the gift of God. The Spirit God has given us is no cowardly spirit, but rather one that makes us strong, loving and wise."

"I cry out to you, 'Violence!' but you do not intervene. Why do you let me see ruin; why must I look at misery? Destruction and violence are before me."

Salesian Perspective

In the wake of the terrorist acts of September 11, 2001 these ancient words of the prophet Habakkuk feel like they were written specifically for us. We have seen the face of evil. We have witnessed wholesale acts of hatred and violence. There is catastrophic debris - human, material, emotional, spiritual - through which we are still sifting today even as we struggle to find ways to combat and conquer terrorism around the world and address the underlying issues that, in part, give birth to terrorists.

What are we to do?

We must recognize the threat that terrorism poses not only to our nation but to peoples of all races, faiths and cultures who pursue peace, justice, freedom and reconciliation. We must take steps to rid our world of those who would promote their own grievances or agendas at the expense of human life.

These events are likewise a wake-up call on an even deeper, more fundamental level. We are challenged to see more clearly the less obvious, subtler face of violence and destruction in our own lives and in the lives of our families, friends, relatives, classmates and colleagues. We must confront resentment, abuse, addiction, hatred, bigotry, gossip and other attitudes/actions that tear at our minds, hearts, attitudes and actions. We must confront all forms of sin and evil that tear at the very fabric of who we are as sons and daughters of God; who we are as community; who we are as church; who we are as country; who we are as citizens of the world.

We must identify, confront and conquer anything that would seek to terrorize our God-given dignity and destiny.

To be sure, we need to stir up the flame of righteous indignation in ourselves and with one another. But while this inflaming of our spirit must make us strong, it must also make us loving and wise. We cannot allow our methods for confronting violence and hatred to become themselves a continuation of the circle of violence and destruction. We must respond, not react; we must be wise, not rash; we must be prudent, not indiscriminate. Above all, the pain that we - and others - may experience in the fight to confront hatred in all its forms must be motivated by and lead to a deeper, broader and more inclusive vision of justice, peace, freedom and reconciliation for ourselves and for all people.

Above all, the spirit that must be ignited and set ablaze inside and among us must not be rooted in fear. Francis de Sales reminds us, now more than ever, that we must "do all through love and nothing through fear."

God, increase and inflame your spirit within us. As we confront the many faces of terrorism (both the obvious and obscure) make us - keep us - strong, loving and wise.

Michael S. Murray, OSFS, is the Executive Director of the De Sales Spirituality Center