Peacemaking Over the Long Haul --
Ten Tips for Christian Activists
By
James McGinnis
"You are the salt of the earth. But if salt becomes tasteless, what can
make it salty again?" (Matthew 5: 13)
"With so many witnesses in a great cloud on every side of us, we too, then,
should throw off everything that hinders us, especially the sin that clings
so easily, and keep running steadily in the race we have started." (Hebrews
12: 1)
At various times over the 34+ years that I have been involved in full-time
peace and justice ministry with my wife Kathy, I have experienced my salt
going tasteless and my desire to keep running grind to a halt. I have come
through those times with deeper insight, greater humility and gratitude, and
a desire to share with others those factors or graces that have been so
important in sustaining not only my own commitment, but that of other
peacemakers with whom I have been privilege to share the journey.
1. Prayerful union with Jesus.
Probably more than any other single factor, it is a deep sense of being
in this ministry with Jesus, of being called, blessed, and sent forth by him
that sustains me for the long haul. I know that the time that I felt really
burned out and the other times that I was approaching burn out were times
when I allowed myself to be overworked to the point of not having real
quality time for communion with Jesus. For me, this "quality time for
communion" means daily placing myself in silence before the Word of God in
Scripture and before the image of Jesus on the cross. I also find it
helpful to offer myself in service on my knees -- asking for his blessing as
he sends me into the day. Weekly Communion ("Eucharist") is a must for me,
and whenever I make time for a weekday reception of Jesus in Communion with
a small faith community near our home, I experience a special closeness to
my Lord. I also find prayerful walks, especially at sunrise and
occasionally under the night sky, to be opportunities for praise,
thanksgiving, intercession, listening, and renewal. My conversation with
Jesus and reflection on my ministry are also enhanced by journaling and a
yearly retreat of some kind. Finally, tapes of prayerful music for those
solitary rides in the car help to rekindle my vision, sense of purpose, and
prayer. I have found one chant in particular -- "Rainbow People" on a
cassette entitled RAINBOW PEOPLE -- to be especially reinforcing of the
vision and sense of purpose I have. "We are a rainbow people. We are beams
of golden light. We are the bridge to the dawning of a new day."
2. Realistic expectations.
Despite my perfectionist personality, I am coming to accept my
limitations and to set more realistic expectations for myself and for change
in others and in the world. As my "Rainbow People" chant proclaims, we are
at "the dawning of the new day", not the fullness of that day to come. Our
moment is perhaps at 7:15 AM in the dawning process. Having received the
vision and passion from previous generations at 7:14, I have to be faithful
to this moment of 7:15, and pass on the vision and passion to the next
generation who will take responsibility for 7:16. I am not the Messiah. I
don’t have to do it all. But I do have to do what I can. I have some time,
some talents, some energy, some contacts, some issues that really interest
me, some opportunities to use those talents and contacts to respond to those
issues or situations. I am also learning how to accept and forgive myself
when my memory or courage fails or my desire to control runs amok. Having a
spiritual director and access to the Sacrament of Reconciliation in my
Catholic tradition are truly graces for the long haul.
3. Having a faith community
In its broadest sense, I am sustained by a sense of being in the
struggle with so many other people of deep religious and moral conviction
across the globe. I am personally linked to them through solidarity
projects in Nicaragua, through networks like our Parenting for Peace and
Justice Network and the Families Against Violence Advocacy Network, through
membership in organizations to affect public policy on issues of global
economic injustice, hunger, racism, militarism, the death penalty, poverty,
and the environment; and through interfaith efforts locally and globally to
challenge racial and religious oppression and to foster a "Global Ethic", as
well as efforts to renew our own Church.
But it’s the more immediate experience of my local faith community that
sustains me even more. It’s the staff and boards of our Institute for Peace
and Justice, the Peace and Justice Committee at our church, and our family
support group and prayer group that have carried us daily through 3+ decades
of peace and justice ministry. And Sunday worship at St. Alphonsus "Rock"
Church in St. Louis is a incredible weekly grace -- linking us with the
struggle and faith of African American people then and now. Truly, as we
proclaim in our Gospel hymns, "I Know I’ve Been Changed", because now "I
Can’t Keep from Singing" and "We Keep on Movin’". I sense there a faith
that can sing with deep hope and courage that "Everything’s Gonna Be All
Right", "We Shall Overcome", and "Move, Mountain; Mountain, Get Outta My
Way!"
4. Models and mentors
From a distance I place myself in the presence of models of faithful
ministry and nurture my own commitment through reading and videos. I have
drawn deep inspiration from the lives of Gandhi, King, Dorothy Day, Oscar
Romero, Jean Donovan, Elie Weisel, Francis of Assisi, Robert Kennedy, Nelson
Mandela, Sr. Helen Prejean, Cesar Chavez, Malcolm X, Rigoberta Menchu, John
Muir, Thomas Merton, Desmond Tutu, Etty Hillesome, and others. What a
"great cloud of witnesses" to keep us faithful to running the race to the
end!
More recently, I have experienced the power of pilgrimage and focusing even
more intensely on the lives of Jesus and Francis. Going prayerfully into
the places and lives of these two models and mentors has drawn me further
into the power of their witness. What a grace it was to pray with Francis
in Assisi! What a grace it is to regularly "put on" Francis and model his
commitment to the poor, to peace, and to creation as "Francis the Clown"!
Finally, it is models and mentors up close and personal who can affect us
deeply. For me, Jim Douglass -- his personal witness as well as his
writings -- has long been an inspirational "thorn in my side". Placing
ourselves in relationship with people like Jim and Shelley keeps us humble,
hopeful, inspired, and moving. Especially when we are starting out in
social ministry, it is important to have a model or mentor we can turn to
for guidance and inspiration.
5. Personal relationships
This factor plays out on several different levels. At the deepest
level, without Kathy, I don’t know who I would be or what I would be doing.
Her love, example, collaboration, and support are priceless. Whether it is
a life-long partner or a close friend, unless our human need for intimacy is
being met, we aren’t likely to be joyful models, effective prophets for
others. At another level, I have found real satisfaction over the years in
maintaining friendships across the country and across the world. Greeting
cards, phone calls, annual letters and follow-up calls, and visits while
traveling have deepened and broadened my sense of communion, expanded my
vision, and provided sustenance, balance, and inspiration for the long
haul. The "Beloved Community" is something to be lived in the present, not
just worked for in the future
6. Inspiration from those who struggle against injustice
One of the most encouraging aspects of the life of Oscar Romero is how
clearly this conservative intellectual churchman was transformed and
emboldened by the personal relationships he began to develop with the poor
of El Salvador when he was named their archbishop. The more he came to love
them, the deeper and more enduring his commitment became. Friends in Peace
Brigades International who have accompanied peasant leaders targeted for
death in Central America offer the same witness. And I’ll never forget the
response of Nicaraguan friends during the Reagan-Bush years to the
discouragement we expressed about our inadequacy to change US policy -- "we
can’t afford your depression", they stated bluntly. In large measure, it is
our friendship with Noel and Gretel Montoya and others in the remote village
of Mulukuku that keeps us coming back to Nicaragua, raising funds, and
challenging US policy.
In my own life and in helping others deepen their own commitment, I have
discovered that most people sustain their commitment to an issue or cause to
the degree that they are developing personal and mutual relationships around
that issue. Kathy’s and my commitment and willingness to risk for racial
justice are directly affected by the extent and depth of our interracial
friendships. So too with our commitment to stand against violence, poverty,
AIDS, and the death penalty. If we were not making friends with people who
are experiencing these evils, I don’t think our involvement would
be
courageous
and enduring. This is also true of a long-term commitment to protect the
environment. I agree with John Muir, the great American naturalist, that
knowledge will not save the earth, that saving the earth begins with
savoring the earth. I have tasted some of what Francis of Assisi tasted in
his joyful experience of creation and found wonderful results from my own
experiments in developing a friendship with the earth. (2)
7. Beauty and gentleness
Part of sustaining a commitment over the long haul is precisely this
joyful communion with creation, providing a healthy dose of both beauty and
gentleness. Some of the best antidotes to burn out for me have been those
places of beauty I frequent -- the garden I cultivate, a little corner of
beauty I have arranged near my favorite living room chair, the Japanese
Garden in St. Louis, and some special place of beauty I search for as part
of most trips I take. Photography to enhance, preserve, and share these
places of beauty has been a life-giving addition to my spirit. So too have
been music, art and poetry. My meditative walks at sunrise and under the
night sky have been especially helpful in learning and practicing what Thigh
Nhat Hanh means by "being peace". (3) Working for peace needs to be
informed and sustained by "being peace". The more agitated, frustrated,
driven, overworked I have felt in my ministry, the less effective I have
been and the closer to burn out I have come. It took becoming a clown
eighteen years ago to finally learn how to smile. For Thigh Nhat Hanh,
smiling is the most basic of all peacemaking tasks. Smiling makes us
gentler, radiates compassion and peacefulness, comforts and affirms others,
and inspires others to act. It helps to make us those "beams of golden
light" from the "Rainbow People" chant and gives us a way of peacemaking
that can be practiced even when we get to the point where age and health
limit our activities. This powerful peacemaking tool can be exercised even
on our death bed.
8. Physical exhilaration
My encounters with natural beauty drew me outdoors more and more.
Hiking became a passion and I began to experience the anti-depressant
character of physical exhilaration and renewed joy and self- confidence. As
I age, I find even greater satisfaction and health in extending myself
physically, whether it’s gardening and chopping wood or (still a little)
tennis and hiking. I have more energy, more confidence, and a more peaceful
spirit, all critical factors in staying the course to the end.
9. Breaking new ground
It was a time of deep depression in 1986-87 that I recognized the need
to break new ground, if I was going to make it for the long haul. I was
joyless. My self-confidence was gone. I was running on empty and relying on
"old notes". My salt had truly lost its flavor and zest. During weeks of
struggling just to get out of bed in the morning, my prayers for light
intensified. The tunnel was dark and I saw no way through, until the
inspiration to try clowning was planted in my heart. With clowning came the
opportunity to experiment with a whole new persona -- to add the
playfulness, the creativity, the courage, the compassion, the music and
dancing I so sorely was missing. Each day as a clown, I got to improvise
and grow. A whole new ministry for compassion and peacemaking began to open
up, and it continues to open wider eighteen years later. Gandhi’s sense of
life as a series of "experiments with truth" became real again for me.
Daily "random acts of kindness and senseless acts of beauty" offer all of us
countless opportunities to keep from going stale. I am learning two other
important lessons for the long haul through all this -- (1) don’t stay in
any one spot beyond its life-givingness and (2) focus on what you can be
wholehearted about, whether it’s the issue(s) we are addressing, the
approach(es) we are taking, or the people with whom we are working.
10. Balance
This final factor is really a combination of the preceding nine. Some
great agents of social change bordered on fanaticism. Others didn’t have a
great personal life. But Jesus as our main model shows us a life of
integrity and balance. And all the prophets and peacemakers in my
experience who are still going strong are striving for a similar integrity
and balance. This balance is about many different things on many different
levels. It’s a balance of ministries -- involvement in social change
efforts, compassionate direct service, and life-style/environmental
concerns. It’s a balance of ways to be involved -- using my head, my heart,
and my hands. It’s a balance of commitments and issues -- longer term and
shorter term actions; local and global issues; peace, justice, and integrity
of creation issues. It’s a balance of personal life and ministry and a
recognition that the time and energy we pour into relationships are part of
the total package, maybe the most important part of the whole package,
especially when we consider the ripple effect of our life and actions on
generations to come. It’s a balance of continuity and change -- staying
with those aspects of ministry that correlate with our skills, passion, and
opportunities, but open to change the particulars of that ministry should
need or circumstances change. It’s a balance of prayer, study, and action;
of work, rest, and play; of being and doing.
To maintain such balances in my life, I have found two additional factors
helpful. First, besides good personal support from family, friends and
colleagues, I am blessed with good professional support, especially a good
internist and a good spiritual director. Secondly, I think we all need to
build a sabbatical into our lives. God gave us the Sabbath because God
knows what kind of beings we humans are. Besides making the Sabbath a day
of rest and renewal, I have found a need for sabbatical moments in each day,
a sabbatical day each week, a sabbatical weekend each month, a sabbatical
two weeks each year, as well as the traditional academic sabbatical every
seven or ten years. While this more extended sabbatical may not always be
possible, if we are faithful to these other mini-sabbaticals, we are more
likely to remain faithful to Jesus’ call to be his prophetic, peacemaking
disciples for life. Our salt will have zest. Our light will beam
brightly. We will finish the race.
Footnotes
(1) For a fuller unfolding of this article, see James McGinnis, JOURNEY
INTO COMPASSION: A SPIRITUALITY FOR THE LONG HAUL (Orbis Books, 1993; also
available from the Institute for Peace and Justice, 4144 Lindell Blvd.,
#408, St. Louis, MO 63119)
(2) See James McGinnis, EDUCATING FOR PEACE AND JUSTICE and FAMILIES CARING
(both available from the Institute for Peace and Justice), for a 12-step
process for becoming friends with the earth.
(3) Thigh Nhat Hanh, BEING PEACE