Editorial Joe Towalski

“Blessed are the peacemakers” is the theme Pope Benedict XVI has chosen for next January’s World Day of Peace observance, the Vatican announced this week.

Peacemakers are certainly needed on the global level. Point to any region on the planet, and you’ll find a place where violence is capturing headlines — places like Syria and Afghanistan, where war and political instability continue to claim innocent lives; Nigeria, which saw another round of church bombings last month; and, closer to home, Mexico, where drug cartels and organized crime have claimed thousands of lives.

For sure, much needs to be done on the national and international scenes to secure the kind of peace the pope and others of good will envision for the world. Here in Minnesota, we support these efforts with petitions at Mass and our own prayer intentions.

Closer to home

But being a peacemaker involves more than only concern for distant challenges. As Pope Benedict and other church leaders have pointed out, peacemaking is not only about changing the world — it also requires changing ourselves, by more fully embracing Jesus as a real-life role model and working to bring the peace of Christ into our families, schools, workplaces and local communities.

Peacemaking, in many ways, begins at home. I am a peacemaker:

* when I listen — patiently and without interrupting — to someone with whom I disagree and try to understand their viewpoint;

* when I refuse to spread gossip, rumors and other mean-spirited remarks about co-workers and classmates;

* when I wait until the next morning before replying to an email or voice mail that makes my blood boil, so that I can be more civil and charitable in my response;

* when I forgive someone who has wronged me;

* when I accept someone’s apology;

* when I refuse to let bullies demean the dignity of classmates and seek help from a parent or trusted teacher;

* when I volunteer for charitable activities that bring hope and healing to both people and neighborhoods in need;

* when I stop judging others and realize we are all sinners in need of God’s grace and love.

Setting an example

By being a peacemaker in these ways, each of us makes a small contribution toward a world in which violence is rejected and every person is valued and respected as a child of God. It’s a way of building up relationships instead of tearing them down, of preaching the Good News by our actions and setting a good example for others.

If we can’t be peacemakers in our own day-to-day lives, how can we expect others to fill that role on a global scale?

“Blessed are the peacemakers” certainly holds for those in positions to broker peace between, and within, nations. But we, too, can contribute toward peace on earth if, as the popular hymn goes, we “let it begin with me.”

EditorialJoe Towalski

For some people, family vacations conjure up images reminiscent of the popular 1980s movie starring Chevy Chase — Mom, Dad and kids riding less than comfortably in a car packed with bags and other belongings headed down the road toward one misadventure after another. 

These experiences come with the territory — like the time I had to pull off the highway and rush into the back seat to free the head of one of our children from a plastic kids’ meal bucket lodged firmly in place after her failed attempt at making a fast food fashion statement.

We still laugh about that one. But ultimately more memorable for me are the “less panicked” times we spend together each year on summer vacations: talking in the car, seeing new sights and visiting with relatives and friends. They are an opportunity for our family to reconnect by disconnecting for a short time from work, school and the routines that keep us busy from the time we get up to the time we go to bed. 

Time for rest

Pope Benedict XVI has spoken about the importance of summer vacations as a time to “rest from our daily labors” Done right, he said, they can refresh everyone in body, mind and spirit.

We Minnesotans live in a state with a lot of natural beauty, but we still need an occasional reminder to take a break and recharge our batteries. Those of us who are not part of the boat-and-cabin culture have other opportunities available, especially in light of high gas prices and tight family budgets.

State parks, for example, offer affordable camping and hiking options. The Twin Cities are home to myriad museums, sights and cultural events that cater to parents and children. And, the summer Calendar section of The Visitor features parish festivals and other family friendly activities.

The pope reminds us that summer is also a time to be refreshed spiritually. Maybe that involves reading a faith-enriching book you haven’t had time to get to. Or an excursion to a rural church. Or even a mini-pilgrimage to the St. Mary’s Cathedral in St. Cloud or the Cathedral of St. Paul, which a few years ago was designated as the National Shrine of the Apostle Paul by the Vatican and the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.

Unplugging ourselves

Spending extra time together as a family this summer doesn’t require a trip to an expensive amusement park or distant car rides to far-flung tourist attractions. It does require us, however, to unplug as much as possible from our daily stresses, work schedules and smartphones. 

Summertime is a good time to plan some downtime and create memories — some funny, like the bucket incident; others more heartwarming — that you and your family will appreciate for a long time to come.

EditorialJoe Towalski

The growing popularity of farmers markets and organic food options are a small sign that more Americans are taking an interest in where their food comes from and how it is produced.

But more education is needed. Too many people still don’t know how the food they eat gets to their table and why they should care — a situation pointed out several years ago by the U.S. bishops in their pastoral reflection on agriculture, “For I Was Hungry & You Gave Me Food.”

The church takes an interest in farming and food production because food — more than being just another product on a store shelf — sustains life itself, provides a livelihood for farmers, supports rural communities, and challenges us to be good stewards of the land. For these reasons, agriculture has a moral dimension we can’t ignore.

That’s why the Diocese of St. Cloud sponsors an annual Rural Life Celebration. This year, the event will be held Aug. 19 on a Wadena farm and feature an outdoor Mass, picnic dinner and family entertainment (Watch for more information in an upcoming issue of The Visitor). The celebration is one way to help people better understand the life of farmers and their relationship to the land.

There are other ways as well to learn more about farming and how to support rural communities. Jim Ennis, executive director of the National Catholic Rural Life Conference, offered the following suggestions in a past interview:

* Think about where your food comes from. Purchase locally grown food whenever possible. Support local farmers markets or ask where produce comes from at the grocery store.

* Be engaged in issues that impact rural communities. Sign up to receive the National Catholic Rural Life Conference’s electronic newsletter at www.ncrlc.com. The newsletter provides information about rural life programs, agriculture and food issues, environmental justice concerns, and pastoral and spiritual issues affecting rural communities. You can also follow the conference on Twitter @NCRLC and friend them on Facebook.

* Pray for farmers and for people who don’t have enough to eat.

* Visit a farm. The Minnesota Department of Agriculture publishes the “Minnesota Grown Directory,” which lists 945 farmers markets, berry farms, garden centers, orchards, community-supported agriculture farms, Christmas tree farms, etc. The printed directory can be ordered free from Explore Minnesota Tourism at (888) 868-7476. The directory is also searchable online at www.minnesotagrown.com.

* Encourage your parish, school or workplace to purchase locally grown food.

The NCRLC website is also a good place to learn more about the farm bill — federal legislation that needs to be renewed about every five years and that addresses programs related to farming, conservation and domestic and international food assistance.

The 2012 bill is a priority of U.S. Catholic leaders. The NCRLC’s Ennis was among the signers of a letter sent last March to the leaders of the U.S. Senate’s Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry, asking them to “support a Farm Bill that provides for poor and hungry people both at home and abroad, offers effective support for those who grow our food, ensures fairness to family farmers and ranchers, and promotes stewardship of the land.”

The farm bill is slated to get renewed attention as the Senate returns from its Memorial Day recess. The House may also debate it later this summer, according to the NCRLC.

The Rural Life Celebration, the work of the NCRLC and the farm bill discussion give us opportunities to learn about the vital role played by farmers and rural communities, offer our support, and advocate for Catholic values that benefit the common good. We shouldn’t let the opportunities pass us by.

EditorialJoe Towalski

Catholics of the diocese should use the opportunity to help those in need by contributing to the annual collection taken on Good Friday in parishes on behalf of Christians in the Holy Land.

One way to show our solidarity with Christians there who are suffering because of their faith is to support the collection.

The funds are used for pastoral work and social services — including education, medical assistance and housing — in Israel, the Palestinian territories, Jordan, Lebanon, Cyprus, Egypt and Syria.

Suffering continues

The Christians of Syria — where St. Paul evangelized and the church dates back to the first century of Christianity — have been among those suffering the greatest in recent months. Hundreds of Syrian Christians were among a wave of refugees entering Jordan to escape the ongoing violence between government and rebel forces, according to a Catholic News Service report earlier this month. About 200 more Christians had been killed in the Syrian city of Homs.

Those who remain in the country face an uncertain future and risk religious persecution. In many ways, Syria would be a better place without President Bashar al-Assad, a tyrant willing to kill his own people to stay in power. But, up to now, minorities like Christians have enjoyed a degree of religious freedom that could disappear under a new government, particularly if it is influenced by extremist Islamic elements.

Such threats are apparent in other parts of the Middle East. Attacks on Coptic Christians in Egypt and the potential loss of religious freedoms for them and other minorities continue to be a concern in the wake of the Arab Spring movement that swept President Hosni Mubarak from power. And the world saw what happened to Christians in Iraq after years of sectarian conflict and economic troubles: Once home to more than a million Christians, fewer than half that number now live there.

A similar exodus has been happening for decades in the Palestinian territories, and the concern about Christians disappearing from the Holy Land was one of the main themes of a 2010 synod of bishops held at the Vatican.

Preserving ‘living stones’

Christians in the Holy Land are sometimes referred to as “living stones” because they worship, work and raise their families — despite the ongoing conflicts and other struggles — in the place where the apostles laid the foundations of the church. They connect us to our spiritual heritage in a special way.

We can help solidify the foundation for these “living stones” by contributing to the annual Good Friday collection. And we can also foster solidarity with our brothers and sisters in the Holy Land by learning more about the social and religious challenges they face.

This Holy Week — when we hear the places associated with Jesus’ Passion and resurrection proclaimed at liturgies — is an opportune time to educate ourselves about the situation and lend a small, but important, helping hand.