Exercising All Graciousness toward Everyone

November 12, 2008

Memorial of Saint Josaphat, bishop and martyr

By Melanie Rigney

Beloved: Remind them to be under the control of magistrates and authorities, to be obedient, to be open to every good enterprise. They are to slander no one, to be peaceable, considerate, exercising all graciousness toward everyone. (Titus 3:1-2)

(As Jesus was entering a village, ten lepers stood at a distance and asked him to heal them. But only one, a Samaritan, returned to thank Jesus.) Jesus said in reply, “Ten were cleansed, were they not? Where are the other nine? Has none but this foreigner returned to give thanks to God?” Then he said to him, “Stand up and go; your faith has saved you.” (Luke 17:17-19)

Piety

O my God, I love you above all things, with my whole heart and soul, because you are all good and worthy of all my love. I love my neighbor as myself for the love of you. I forgive all who have injured me and I ask pardon of all whom I have injured. (The Act of Love prayer from CatholicOnline.)

Study

Topkapi Palace

It’s so simplistic that sometimes we laugh when we hear it:

• “We are not enemies, but friends. We must not be enemies. Though passion may have strained it must not break our bonds of affection.” Abraham Lincoln in his first inaugural address, March 4, 1861
• “People, I just want to say, you know, can we all get along?” Rodney King on the third day of the 1992 riots precipitated by the acquittal of police officers who had beaten him
• “To those Americans whose support I have yet to earn—I may not have won your vote, but I hear your voices, I need your help, and I will be your president too.” Barack Obama in his election night speech, November 4, 2008

Us? Get along with:

• An African-American?
• A Latino?
• A Caucasian?
• A Southerner?
• A Yankee?
• A conservative?
• A liberal?
• A Muslim?
• An evangelical?
• A Jew?

Fill in your own prejudice or blind spot. We all have them. And sometimes, we find ourselves in someone else’s blind spot.

Consider the city of Istanbul, whose 14 million residents straddle two continents and are almost universally Muslim. Yet, at Topkapi Palace, constructed just twenty-five years after the Ottomans conquered Constantinople in 1453, where do you see the largest gatherings of Muslims, Jews, and Christians alike? Not at the portraits of the sultans or the mysteries of the harem, but at the Chamber of Sacred Relics. Men, women, and children of all ages and ethnicities press their noses against the glass as hard as they can just to get a little closer to Abraham’s pot, Joseph’s turban, and Moses’ staff. The stories of these great men resonate with followers of all three faiths. At our core, are we really so different?

In today’s first reading, Paul instructs that we “are to slander no one, to be peaceable, considerate, exercising all graciousness toward everyone.” In the Gospel reading, it took so little to please Jesus. All he hoped for was for the cleansed lepers to take a moment to give God thanks.

Today we honor Josaphat, the first Eastern Church saint to be canonized by Rome. The Roman Empire had been divided into East and West in the fourth century, followed by a further split of the Ruthenian Church in 1596. According to AmericanCatholic.org, He worked tirelessly to facilitate a successful (at the time) reunion with Rome, and for his trouble was struck with an ax, shot, and his body thrown into a river. While his death led to a unity movement, most Ruthenians ultimately were forced to join the Russian Orthodox Church. What mattered wasn’t what they believed in their hearts and souls, but what those in charge wanted to see on the outside, as if that mattered to the Almighty.

Maybe it’s part of our nature as flawed humans to find it difficult to exercise graciousness and accept others for who they are and what they believe. Maybe with God’s help, we can do better. Maybe we can all get along.

Actions

Spend fifteen minutes reading about the principles of a faith that is alien to you. One place to start is www.religioustolerance.org.