Take a Stand or Compromise? Heaven Help Us!
Watching Congress this last number of years has been like watching a streaming movie when you don’t have enough bandwidth. Just when you think it’s working and you’ll enjoy the show, everything comes to a halt. After some fits and starts, it all seems good again… until minutes later it freezes up. “Buffering” and “insufficient bandwidth” and what video gamers call “lag” can be infuriating.
The inability of Congress to take action on serious issues shouldn’t surprise us. Compromise is difficult, especially when the values at stake are deeply held. To compromise might seem like a betrayal, and it might not always be appropriate. We can’t be blown every which way by the cultural and political winds after all. We need to take a stand. Don’t we feel this kind of pressure in other aspects of our lives from time to time as well? It isn’t always easy to know when to take a strong stand and when to be willing to budge.
Contentious issues affect the Church too. In the reading from Acts, we hear the report from the Council of Jerusalem. St. Paul had inspired a heated debate about the Gentile converts. Did they have to follow Jewish dietary laws? Did the men have to be circumcised? In short, to become Christian, did one have to submit to Jewish law?
I imagine this council was not unlike other contentious meetings, especially because it dealt with religious values, which people hold most dear. This is what makes the reading from Acts so powerful. Despite the deeply held values and the religious nature of the laws, the apostles reached a compromise. We hear today one of the greatest lines in all of Scripture:
“It is the decision of the Holy Spirit and of us not to place on you any burden beyond these necessities…”
This may, at first, seem like the greatest blasphemy—to call the compromise that was reached after such a contentious meeting the decision of the Holy Spirit—but really, our faith tells us that this is exactly the way the Spirit works. Through the messiness of debate and the willingness to compromise that can only come from really hearing one another—really listening, praying, and discerning—the Spirit joins us in making our decisions. The Spirit gives us wisdom to know when to take a stand and when to budge.
In Jerusalem, the Spirit guided the apostles to embrace their Jewish identity while also welcoming the Gentile converts and becoming, for the first time, truly “catholic,” meaning open to everyone. True to this first council, Pope Francis reminds us to, “Let the Church always be a place of mercy and hope, where everyone is welcomed, loved and forgiven.”
The Spirit guides the Church in a very unique way, of course, and Church councils are not the same as political debates or personal dilemmas by any means. But, perhaps we can learn from the Council of Jerusalem to entrust our decisions to the guidance of the Spirit.
Whether in Church life, political life, or our personal lives, what is toxic is fear. In all these arenas, we must be the Home of the Brave. As we discern whether to take a strong stand or to be willing to compromise, a good indicator that we are open to the Spirit is that we are not motivated by fear. Scripture tells us,
“There is no fear in love, but perfect love drives out fear because fear has to do with punishment, and so one who fears is not yet perfect in love” (1 John 4:18, NABRE).
We act only out of love, without any animosity towards those who hold different viewpoints. When we are tempted to fear by the possibility of change and by things that are unfamiliar to us, we should remember Jesus’ words promising an Advocate who will “teach you everything.” Believing we can welcome the Spirit to join us in our debates and decisions, we begin to trust. We prayerfully discern, in the company of the Church, like the apostles did, when it is okay to compromise (without fearing that we are compromising ourselves and our faith) and, on the other hand, when we must stand our ground. Our hearts, no longer “troubled or afraid,” are open to be filled with the gift Jesus promised: “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you.” We can sit back and enjoy the movie again, instead of letting anger, fear, and suspicion create the gridlock and division that make everything into a dreaded “lag.”
Cheryl Smith
Posted at 19:16h, 05 MayThanks again for wonderful insight Kevin. Lately, I have been trying very hard to be open to possible change…but only if that ‘change’ is really necessary and what is best for all involved. It is so hard to ‘trust’ and not to ‘fear’. I like what you said about knowing when to compromise and when to ‘hold my ground’. Of course, that is not always easy and I know I must trust the Spirit to help with these difficult decisions. Once again…your reflection is very helpful and I will be sharing it with others.
Kevin Dowd
Posted at 11:23h, 06 MayThanks, Cheryl. The tension of living in the midst of the uncertainty is difficult, isn’t it? They say we preach to ourselves. I am sure this is the case here. I am trying to discern in so many arenas where to take a stand and when to budge. I hope I am not acting in fear, but in growing trust in the work of the Spirit. I hope! I’m glad you know what I mean and thank you for reading, commenting, and sharing. I appreciate it.