January 2008

Stories Seldom Heard
101^st  Edition

“Open up the gates to let in a nation that is just, one that keeps faith.  A nation of firm purpose you keep in peace; in peace, for it thrusts in You.”  (Is. 26:2,3)

Welcome to Stories Seldom Heard.  I would like to especially welcome those from Sacred Heart Parish in Homestead and Holy Rosary Parish in Miami, Florida. 

Looking over the Christmas cards I received, most every card sends wishes of or for peace.  Since I am biased, one of the most memorable cards is a picture of the earth in the background and two of my young grand nephews in the foreground hugging each other and holding up their fingers in the traditional “v” as a symbol for peace.  Yet, with all of our prayers for peace and good wishes we offer one another, the news reports both far and near are filled with violence.  We hear of continued unrest in Pakistan, as well as, in the small city where I live, of four random homicides that took place on the night after Christmas.  The number of murders this year in our town will rank us once again as the city with the highest murder rate per capita in California.

There is no one solution that will bring about peace.  There are bumper stickers that remind us that “There is no peace without justice”.  There are books written by people of every faith that encourage daily actions that will help bring about peace.  Thich Nhat Hanh’s book Peace is Every Step offers brief daily practices that are helpful and practical.  Pax Christi has published volumes of strategy, liturgy and prayer books calling us to justice and contemplation: The Fire of Peace is just one of them.  Recently, however, I bought a DVD published by Journey Films:  “The Power of Forgiveness”.  (1)  This film explores the role that forgiveness has in our lives.  It presents insights on the Amish and 9/11 tragedies.  There are interviews with Jewish, Buddhist and Christian leaders.  I highly recommend this 70 minute film for schools, parishes, families, prayer groups and individual reflection. 

There are many pathways to peace, many steps that can be taken individually and collectively.  Each of us will have our own way, but I would like to offer some insights that I received from a book I read recently.   A Life Poured out: Pierre Claverie, of Algeria (2) is the story of the Dominican Bishop of Algeria who was assassinated on August 1, 1996.  But the story doesn’t start there.  It begins with his childhood in Algeria.  Pierre grew up in a loving family.  Letters that he wrote to his family from the Dominican novitiate and throughout his life are frequently quoted.  Since Pierre was a very private person, these letters offer us poignant insights into his thoughts, experiences and intellectual development.  They also give us a sense of immediacy as he begins to understand himself better.  The excerpts from Pierre’s letters help us hear the rumblings of change and prepare us for the key moments of conversion in his life.

From the time Pierre was a child until he was an adult, Algeria had gone through enormous changes and with Algeria, Pierre’s world also changed dramatically.  The Algerian War of Independence took place between 1954 and 1962 and led to Algeria’s independence from France.  With that victory everything began to change.  One of Pierre’s first insights came when he realized his indifference towards the Other.  As a child he lived in a “colonial bubble”.  In other words the only people with whom he had contact and the only ones who really mattered to him and to many people in power, were the Europeans who lived in Algeria.  “The social environment I lived in was a bubble in which the Other was ignored, in which the Other was seen as a part of the landscape or of the décor that … (surrounded)….. our collective existence.”  (p. 36)

“Perhaps because I ignored the Other and denied his existence, one day he suddenly leapt right in front of me.  He burst open my sheltered experience… (but could it have been any other way?)  (p. 258)  As Pierre reflects on his own life it strikes me that many of us are going through similar experiences. Our lives have changed dramatically over the years.  Structures within the church, society and the world have shifted.  Values that we have depended on and perhaps taken for granted are not as sure as they used to be.   A hand shake used to seal a deal and guarantee the promised product.  Neighbors used to know each other by name.  They would gather for celebrations, summer block parties and share holiday open houses.  Everyone on the block was invited.  Also, the words we commonly use have to be more specific.  When we go to the post office we have to ask for religious Christmas stamps otherwise we are handed stamps with snowflakes and winter symbols.  Stores and front lawns are now filled with inflatable snowmen and frosted deer rather than simple lights and crèches.

However, not all change is bad.  Because of the changes many of us have begun to think more deeply about our lives: what is important to us, what is of real value.  With new convictions and deep concern we have reached beyond cultural and economic divisions.  For many of us these changes were evident in our Christmas gifts.  Chickens, goats and small educational grants to non profit organizations that help families in need were given as gifts.  Christmas family photographs and letters reflect the diversity of nationalities and religious traditions of those who are part of our families and our American landscape. 

The particulars of our changes are different from Pierre Claverie’s, but what Pierre comes to realize after the war between Algeria and France is how small and exclusive his world was while he was growing up.  In the midst of the violence and changes that take place in Algeria he begins to see life differently.  The Europeans were not in power any more.  Of course, there were injustices, but as his old world begins to break apart he is able to see life in Algeria from a different point of view.  As Pierre reflects on his early life he begins to understand the sin of his youth and his European social/political/religious structures in a new way.  With his new understanding he offers us a different definition of “original sin”.  He defines original sin as the tragedy of indifference.  Continuing that line of thought he warns against a society that is built on exclusion.  “Living in our enclosed world, we are no more objective than the Communists.”  (p. 45)   Trying to understand how this exclusion came about for the white Europeans in Algeria, Pierre states “We have done NOTHING…to learn about the true conditions of the Arabs we knew and who liked us…why is the European sphere so closed and why does it monopolize three-quarters of Algeria’s wealth?” (p. 46)

The story of Pierre Claverie is a modern story.  He talks of a world, France and Algeria, that sometimes seems far away, but the issues Pierre addresses are not far from ours.  Whether we are speaking of our political situation or our religious beliefs, Pierre reminds us of the importance of dialogue - a worn out word perhaps, but packed with grace when truly sought.  He identifies real dialogue as a concern for the other’s welfare.  Dialogue recognizes that the other has a portion of the truth and that we need the other person’s truth - whether it be religious, personal or political - to help us in our search for the truth.  Just as no one possesses God, no one possesses truth.  In Pierre’s world and ours, religion and politics walk hand in hand.  Therefore, it behooves us to be in dialogue with people who have different opinions from us if we desire peace.  A true appreciation of the other and an understanding of the other person’s views are necessary as we walk the path towards greater understanding.  This path, however, can only be forged by respectful dialogue and as religious people through daily prayer and reflection.

Even though Pierre Claverie is a contemporary, he lived in a very different world.  His experience, however, of original sin - of his indifference and exclusion of the other - is perhaps something with which many of us can identify.  Who is the other for us?  Who is the one whose presence in our midst we have ignored or chosen not to notice?   Pierre says nothing is more “foreign to holiness than the small-minded legalism of those who seek to… assure their salvation, by observing the laws…”  Are there people whom we dismiss because of their religious beliefs?  Are there people or groups of people against whom we are prejudiced? 

The life of Pierre Claverie is a hopeful story, but it is more than that.  It is also a story that helps us visualize and remember a nation, Algeria, that went through a dramatic violent change.  It emphasizes the importance of being well informed and educated, not by popular opinion, but by seeking out the truth of the situation.  In Pierre’s opinion much of the violence came from people who were uneducated and therefore easily manipulated.  Pierre’s life also helps us see where we need to build bridges of conversation and compassion, bridges of hope and possible pathways to peace.  We might not be official political or religious leaders, but each of us has a tremendous influence in both our private and public lives. 

Pierre considered intolerance as one of the major causes of violence.  Intolerance of others leads to nationalism and fundamentalism. When we don’t make room for the other, respect them and their opinions, when we are incapable of actively accepting a pluralistic society, violence will increase and eventually erupt.  As our families, neighborhoods and nation continue to become more diverse, how welcoming are we?  How respectfully curious are we about other nationalities and cultures?  Do we truly want to get to know the other among us?

Pierre uses a multi-facet image to express the divide between peoples, religions and cultures.  He talks about a fault line.  We especially in the San Francisco Bay Area are used to this term.  Many fault lines network our region. The pun is obvious and intended, but is neither limited to us Californians nor to Pierre’s compatriots. The fault line becomes for Pierre an abiding symbol that extends to all of us.  “In Algeria, we find ourselves on a seismic division that extends throughout the entire world: Islam/West, North/South, rich/poor, etc.  We are indeed where we belong (on the fault line) because it is only in this way that one can see the light of Resurrection, and together with it the hope for the renewal of our world.” (p. 201)

For Pierre, the fault line has profound meaning.  Pierre uses it as an image of Jesus who placed himself on the fault lines created by sin in order to bring about healing and reconciliation.  Pierre also invites each of us to see ourselves along this fault line.  He encourages us to stand on the edge, explore what that means for us both individually and collectively and to ask for forgiveness when appropriate and necessary.   He invites us to reach out to others with compassion and mercy.  He calls us to be a reconciling presence “wherever humanity is torn, crucified and fragmented.” (p. 200) 

There is so much more to Jean-Jacques Perennes' book on Pierre Claverie, O.P.   He not only refreshes our memories concerning the Algerian - French war and its relationship to our present world situation, but also enables us to see, in slow motion, the spiritual, psychological and intellectual development of a true follower of Dominic.  Pierre’s personal and spiritual journey is straight forward.  He clearly articulates moments and experiences that expose him to new insights and lead him to yet another conversion.  In reading his story many of us will be able to identify times in our own lives when we, too, have noticed shifts in our thoughts and beliefs: times of personal conversion. 

Happy reading and….”Blest too the peacemakers; for they shall be called daughters and sons of God.”  (MT 5:9)

1.  “The Power of Forgiveness”, by Journey Films, 1413 King Street, Alexandria, VA  22314, (1-800-486-1070)

2.  A Life Poured out: Pierre Claverie, of Algeria, Jean-Jacques Perennes, Orbis Books, Maryknoll, New York, 10545, 2007.

Special thanks to Sharon Grant, Mary Ellen Green and Jeanne Keating  who have helped in editing this article.

"Stories Seldom Heard" is a monthly article written by Sister Patricia Bruno, O.P.  Sister is a Dominican Sister of San Rafael, California.  This service is offered to the Christian community to enrich one's personal and spiritual life.  The articles can be used for individual or group reflection.  If you would like "Stories Seldom Heard" sent to a friend, please send a note to "purple115@juno.com".  If you would like to support this ministry, please send tax deductible contributions to Dominican Sisters of San Rafael, c/o Sister Patricia Bruno, O.P., 1520 Grand Avenue, San Rafael, CA,   94901

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