by Rita Simon
“Any effort to remove this concept (“people”) from common parlance could lead to the elimination of the very notion of democracy as government by the people. If we wish to maintain that society is more than a mere aggregate of individuals, the term “people “ proves necessary. It is extremely difficult to carry out a long-term project unless it becomes a collective aspiration.” – Fratelli Tutti: On Fraternity and Social Friendship by Pope Francis (2020).
Several days ago I took up my copy of Fratelli Tutti to prepare for an upcoming prayer group meeting. I had previously bookmarked a page in the chapter, “A Better Kind of Politics,” and found the statements above by Pope Francis. They really resonated with me, especially as we were approaching July 4th and the 250th celebration of the establishment of our American democracy. Pope Francis’ comments brought to mind something we all learned somewhere in our basic American history- that a democracy is a government “of the people, by the people, for the people.”
I was reminded that this statement came from Abraham Lincoln’s Gettysburg address, a very short 2–3-minute speech that he presented on November 19, 1863, at the dedication of the Union Cemetery on the site where the horrific Civil War battle of Gettysburg occurred from July 1-3, 1863. That speech of only 10 lines and 272 words began with a quote from our Declaration of Independence; “that all ‘men’ are created equal” and it closed affirming that a true democracy is a government “of the people, by the people, for the people.”
“If we wish to maintain that society is more than a mere aggregate of individuals, the term “people “ proves necessary.”
I think most of us sometimes feel smug and self-righteous when we hear all the news stories about people who are deemed to be biased, bigoted, violent, selfish, etc. We feel justified in patting ourselves on our backs and going on our merry way without further thought. But, looking deeper, we all at times see other people as strangers or as less than ourselves. And when we do that, we can justify almost any behavior toward the other even to the point of totally dehumanizing them. It is only by such dehumanization of individuals or groups of people that we humans can possibly abuse, intentionally neglect, torture, or kill other human beings.
“It is extremely difficult to carry out a long-term project unless it becomes a collective aspiration.”
St. Paul said that we are no longer gentile or Jew, servant or free, woman or man, but rather, we are one body in Christ. As individuals, and as one country in this big world, we should commit to the collective aspiration as a nation to create and strengthen our democracy “Of the People, By the People, For the People,” or it, and we, shall perish.
A Prayer to the Creator
Lord, Father of our human family, you created all human beings equal in dignity; pour forth into our hearts a loving spirit and inspire in us a dream of renewed encounter, dialogue, justice, and peace. Move us to create healthier societies and a more dignified world, a world without hunger, poverty, violence, and war. May our hearts be open to all the peoples and nations of the earth. May we recognize the goodness and beauty that you have sown in each of us, and thus forge bonds of unity, common projects, and shared dreams. Amen
(Given in Assisi, at the tomb of St. Francis, on October 3, vigil of the saint, in the year 2020, the eighth of my pontificate. –Pope Francis)
I encourage you to read and digest Pope Francis’ encyclical, Fratelli Tutti: On Fraternity and Social Friendship. The version by OSV, Our Sunday Visitor Publishing Division, www.osv.com, is very readable and includes questions for pondering or for discussion with others. We should take this to heart if we are truly serious about professing and living in Christ “by the people, of the people, for the people.”