Christ the Cornerstone

Independence Day and a renewed call to civility

As we prepare to celebrate Independence Day, I would like to renew the Call to Civility that I first offered in November 2020. The violence and social unrest we have witnessed during the past year underscore what Pope Francis wrote in “Fratelli Tutti: On Fraternity and Social Friendship,” concerning our interconnectedness as a human family and the need for hope that lies at the heart of our capacity to attract believers and transform society.

The ability of any community to survive, even thrive, amid adversity is the measure of civility. This is especially true during times of chaos, division and transitioning of authority. Unfortunately today, the misuse of social media includes the proliferation of shaming, abusing and scapegoating.

Far from agreeing to disagree, persons of differing opinions are quick to demonize one another. With little ground for compromise, there is little possibility for authentic dialogue. Relating to everything as “black and white,” we perceive each other as “for me” or “against me.” Such are the effects of extreme polarization.

The lack of civility is what we have experienced in our country recently with the pandemic, social unrest and the political election process. The freedom to protest, march, advocate, hold up signs and make one’s voice heard is a right that we all share. Such freedom gives none of us the right to violence, rioting, looting, abusing, slandering or defamation. It is in the absence of civility, of course, that the line between what is acceptable and unacceptable becomes blurred.

While everyone has a right to an opinion, there are some who seem to be unaware that not every opinion needs to be spoken. Still others seem unable to distinguish between opinions that are based on knowledge and experience from those that are based on mere emotion or speculation. While conscience and intuition are to be respected, these should not be confused with pride and vanity. 

Within any dialogue, there must be an ability to listen and learn from one another. This can be difficult, of course, especially when there is need for change. No one likes to cause hurt and pain any more than they like being the victims of hurt and pain. The demands of justice, however, involve the recognition of wrongdoing for the sake of both perpetrators and victims.

Three things, in particular, must be avoided if we are to preserve authentic dialogue: name-calling, making threats and raising voices in hostility. Any one of these can readily erode the trust and openness needed to maintain mutual relationships.

Any authentic conviction of a true Christian is rooted in the person of Jesus Christ. Such conviction does not guarantee always being right, but it does provide the pathway to seeking what is right, just and true. Remaining Christ-centered, one is able to respond rather than to react to a perceived challenge, disagreement or threat. Rather than seeking to win against one another, we should be seeking what is best for humanity as a whole.

As Pope Francis teaches, the ability to accompany, dialogue and encounter one another is essential to the preservation of civility. Apart from civility, human beings are apt to engage in behavior that is detrimental to healthy relationships and personal well-being, such as gossip and bullying.

Accompaniment, dialogue and encounter enable us to relate in ways that honor and respect human dignity rather than speaking and acting in destructive ways. Contrary to what many believe, words can be as destructive and divisive as actions or objects. What else might we call shaming, ridiculing and scapegoating if not the weaponizing of words or behavior?

To be Christ-centered is to draw a line in the sand and refuse to perpetuate the hostility of man’s inhumanity toward man. The cross stands as a paradoxical symbol of Christian civility. In and through the cross, Jesus Christ took upon himself the weight of the world’s sins. As Jesus showed, it involves the courage to let down our guard of defensiveness, a willingness to be vulnerable and seeking reconciliation rather than vengeance.

Civility is not the absence of differences and disagreements, though it does involve a refusal to allow polarization to divide and destroy the very soul of humanity. Rather than pulling away, civility demands that we pull together. Rather than succumb to despair, we must dare to trust in the Holy Spirit. It requires of us the capacity to seek forgiveness, understanding and justice tempered with the sweetness of mercy.

As we celebrate our nation’s freedom this weekend, may we rise above our differences and disagreements in order to restore hope for a new tomorrow in reaching new horizons of our humanity as both individuals and communities.

With Jesus Christ as our cornerstone, all is possible. †