Lesson 6: The Big Question

A week ago, I intended to answer the question “How do we overcome our conflicts and recover our decency?” in my study. I found myself casting aside one draft after another, feeling my answers might be correct, but they surely came across as trite.

None captured the emotional despair of my friends who were really asking,“ What do you do when those you think are dead wrong have no interest in working together for a common good?”

Many find the divisions in our society are exactly what they want. The conflicts enable them to wield great power. They create a standoff that promotes havoc in every area of our lives. Some families cannot talk about politics. School boards and teachers clash. Books are removed from libraries. Conspiracy theories abound on social media. Leaders introduce foul language into public conversation.

Perhaps we should begin trying to answer the question with last Sunday’s Gospel. Jesus warns that his message might create divisions even in families. It certainly is doing that in our time.

Second, it is naïve to think we will be able to restore civility if we simply vote out the current political administration. The situation has revealed problems in our modern world that neither political party has addressed well.

Third, we should hear a caution Pope Leo made in his encyclical. My friends agree with him that the answer to the big question lies in recognizing the dignity of all other persons, appreciating the diversity of views, engaging in dialogue, and working together for the common good. However, he also warns there is no quick fix. It’s going to take a long time, working together slowly.

Patience is a quality extolled in early church writings. Christians remain faithful while waiting for the resurrection.

I find the Road to Emmaus story captures the answer to our question. Two friends are walking down the road, conversing about the death of their leader and the failure of their work. As they share their thoughts, a stranger with a better perspective joins them. His words cause their hearts to burn within them…so much that when they reach their destination, they ask him to continue the conversation while sharing a meal. During that meal, they understand they are truly hearing the voice of Jesus and regain hope.

We, too, must share our thoughts in conversation, and especially in the intimacy of meals, confident that as we do, we shall hear the voice of Jesus among us.

Tags: Civility and Christianity, Jesus’ Way to Restore Civility, Loss of Decency, Patience as Christian Quality, Social Conflicts and Civility, The Present Need for Civility, The Road to Emmaus om Conversation, Washington’s Rules of Civility