by
Dr. Sherry Simon
In the last few years, we have increasingly divided our world into broad, black and white, overly simplistic categories. And this categorization has become possible on a global scale in large part due to the current forms of communication and social media that encourage us to take a side, give our opinion as truth regardless of the facts, and then blast the other side for being ignorant, misinformed, or even treasonous if they dare to believe anything different. Of course, the division is also reinforced by political agendas that will distort objective truth to sway the populace to believe that one party or the other has all the answers. It seems that we no longer even seek the truth, only those positions that reinforce what we want to believe to be true. Sadly, this has contributed to a culture of destruction where the human dignity of each person is no longer honored, unless of course they happen to be on the right side. People seem to take great joy in touting the superiority of their beliefs and the stupidity of others, even though history has shown that no one side has ever successfully solved all the problems in the world.
How are we to disengage ourselves from this destructive spiral that only breeds increasingly virulent contempt and anger towards “the other,” who we don’t even really know on a more than superficial level? I believe that Catholic Social principles provide us with the answer to this dilemma. The central tenet inherent in these wisdom teachings is that ALL people are made in the image of God, so ALL life is sacred and deserves to be treated with the utmost dignity. Now, that is not an easy teaching to carry out. It requires that we get to know others on a more intimate level so that we can truly understand the value of their life. It means we must take our eyes off our screens, which very rarely display the beauty and integrity of life, and spend time talking to one another again. And it means that we do not treat people who think or look differently as less valuable, whether that be in interpersonal relationships, determination of immigration status, or decisions to initiate war.
What if we actually did as Jesus commanded? In John 13: 34-35, Jesus says, “I give you a new commandment: love one another. As I have loved you, you also should love one another. This is how all will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” This new covenant redefines love by the extent of Christ’s own sacrifice and grace. This is a tall order for us humans, and many have told me that it is not a practical way to live, particularly when we are dealing with people who are “the other” (immigrants, people of other religions, people of other races). However, I believe Jesus was showing us the true path to surviving and flourishing in our world, especially as our ability to know and affect the rest of the world has increased exponentially with our technological advances. This type of sacrificial love can only be accomplished if we receive Christ’s love first, allowing it to naturally overflow to others. Perhaps simply keeping this commandment in mind before our next encounter might make a difference in our messaging, and thus in the state of our heart, where Christ resides.
Pax Christi Little Rock 