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THE SOCIAL EDGE INTERVIEW: JESUIT PRIEST WALTER BURGHARDT

by Gerry McCarthy

Jesuit Fr. Walter Burghardt is the founder and past co-director of "Preaching the Just Word," the pioneering program at Woodstock Theological Center, Georgetown University. The program encourages and assists ministers throughout the United States and internationally to become effective preachers of biblical justice. He is also professor emeritus of patristic theology at Catholic University of America, former editor-in-chief of Theological Studies, and past president of the North American Academy of Ecumenists.

     A prolific author, Fr. Burghardt has written 23 books including his award-winning memoir Long Have I Loved You: A Theologian Reflects on his Church. His most recent book Justice: A Global Adventure was published earlier this year by Orbis Books.

Gerry McCarthy: In Justice: A Global Adventure you write that: "Several years ago I declared that the liturgy does not supply us with practical wisdom in the social, political, and economic arenas. That broad statement must be modified. If the homily is liturgy, if, as Vatican II insisted, the homily is 'part of the liturgical action,' then a well-prepared homilist can, indeed should, link the liturgical readings, the prayers, and the symbols to what is going on in politics in the richest nation on the earth, and in the moral climate of society and the cultures we inhabit." Do you think this is occurring more frequently in the Church today? Or are we seeing more of a privatized faith today --a faith removed from systemic injustices and issues of poverty?

Walter Burghardt: I should like to divide your first question into two; One on liturgical preaching, the other on what your call "privatized faith." On the first issue, my impression is that there is now far more linkage of the liturgical homily with social and political problems than there was in my early days as a priest. My impression stems in large measure from the retreat/workshop project I founded in 1992 entitled "Preaching the Just Word." Before I left it in mid-2003, this project (usually 5 days in length) had been presented to 106 groups of priests, permanent deacons, and some laity across the country, as well as in Jamaica, Canada, Germany, and Australia. Many of these retreatants (over 3,500 in all) were already linking their homilies to justice issues within their congregations. Others --perhaps the larger number-- seem to have been attracted to and influenced by our program.

     A concrete example: On the first full day of each retreat/workshop, the participants (in small groups) spent several hours recording issues of injustice of which they were aware and which troubled them. These injustices covered the walls of the conference room for the rest of the week; they were impossible to avoid, and many requested copies to take home.

     Although we did not have the mechanism or staff for follow-ups, our contacts with individuals gave us reason to believe that these sessions carried over into the pulpit on many occasions.

     On the other issue, I do not doubt that "privatized faith," continues to exist within American Catholicism. All too many Catholics are still one-issue Catholics where justice is concerned. One example: the rights of the unborn. On the other hand, my experience tells me that an ever-increasing number of the faithful are also concerned with other vital issues, including: the poverty of children, unemployment, the environment, public health, illiteracy, the uninsured and the underinsured, human rights, capital punishment, and the debate over a just or unjust war.

GM: In the chapter "Justice Sacramentalized" you explain that: "More and more laypersons, newly aware of their stature and power within the Church, are striving to live the second commandment of God's justice: Love every man, woman, and child as Jesus loves us, each an image of God whether friend or enemy, of whatever culture or color." Do you think the hierarchy is welcoming lay people's new power and stature within the Church? Do you think more Catholic laypeople should be able to preach at Mass?

WB: There is good reason for maintaining that in recent decades the laity have assumed unprecedented influence within the Catholic Church. We have come a long way since Msgr. George Talbot was English affairs adviser to Pope Pius X. When asked in 1867 what is the province of the laity, Talbot responded: "To hunt, to shoot, to entertain. These matters [the laity] understand, but to meddle with ecclesiastical affairs they have no right at all." (For my source on this see my book Long Have I Loved You). Incidentally, I have long been impressed and amused by Cardinal John Henry Newman's reported response to a disparaging question about "all this nonsense" over laity in the Church: "All I can say is, the Church would look awfully strange without them."

     In Catholic education from parochial grade school through high school to college and university, the laity --men and women-- have increasingly replaced religious and clergy in important positions including administration and teaching, especially religion and theology.

     In some dioceses, laypersons have been appointed to positions formerly held only by clergy, for instance, chancellor. A fair number of Catholics are concerned about the lack of respect the hierarchy has for laypersons' ability and right to judge the authenticity and proper use of lay charisms. All too many priests and bishops inaccurately interpret "you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood" as a reality guarded preciously in the pulpit, rather than a mandate extending to persons in the pews.

     Although Vatican II clearly stated that because of their familiarity and expertise, the laity are best suited to mind the world and its affairs (Lumen gentium 31, 36), the conflict between lay "expertise" and clerical "discernment" reveals itself in disputed areas such as attitudes towards the arms race and the Catholic responsibilities of elected officials (For further discussion of this insight by Georgia Keightley, see my book Long Have I Loved You). Paraphrasing William Bausch's The Parish of the Next Millenium, I am convinced that the parish of the future will be lay-oriented and will move closer to a real male-female partnership in which a working balance of male-female co-operation and ministry will complete the process of moving from pyramid to koinonia Church, and will unite persons with one another across the earth.

     In that Church, do I think more laypeople should be preaching at Mass? There are indeed many laymen and laywomen whose abilities, ideas, and inspiration could add much to the life of the liturgy. Moreover, opening the homily to the laity would lessen the contemporary strain on parish priests. One example: the one-priest parish and the "circuit rider" priest with several parishes. Perhaps --for the present-- a situation in which the parish priest and some of his parishioners share the pulpit might well be acceptable, might well solve some of the problems.

GM: You write that biblical justice is a richer descriptive term than social justice. Can you talk to me about this?

WB: Social justice, as I see it includes one: ethical or philosophical justice, what the unaided human mind has discovered and can discover about relationships. Two: legal justice, what is due to each person because it has been written into law. Biblical justice is a richer concept than social justice, because of its origin and because it is more inclusive. Its origin. Social justice stems from the reflections of the human mind; biblical justice stems from a covenant with God. More inclusive. Social justice looks to the full participation of all segments of an equitable society in which all members are physically and psychologically safe; biblical justice is fidelity to the three relationships that comprise human life --to God, to God's people, and to God's material creation. A further distinction: No justice of purely human origin can command love; God's justice does.

GM: In the book you write that: "In season and out of season, I shall continue to insist that liturgists and worshipers at God's liturgy on the one hand, and social activists and practitioners of God's justice on the other hand, dare not constitute two utterly separate organizations, much less two constituencies in conflict." Do you see signs that this is occurring less frequently in the Church?

WB: In one section of Justice: A Global Adventure, there is a significant difference of opinion expressed by Bryan Hehir and Margaret Kelleher. I tend to agree with Kelleher who, paraphrasing John Egan, suggests, "there were too few people who had really seen the liturgy as a source and paradigm for social reform and that the impact made by those who did was minimal. His reading of the situation in the United States was that co-operation between the liturgical apostolate and the social apostolate had virtually disappeared by the late 1950s. Thus it was not part of the planning before the council and 'liturgy and justice went their own ways during and after the council.'"

GM: The Bush administration has been elected to a second term. They insist they're bringing democracy to Iraq --and that this is the morally right thing to do. What is your response? And were you surprised by the election results?

WB: I do not believe that President George W. Bush had adequate moral reasons for launching an attack on Iraq. The infamous weapons of mass destruction have never been discovered, much less actually used in retaliation against us. If Iraq had such weapons, would not its military have used them when foreign troops invaded their country?

     This is not a war of self-defense, and it has yet to be proved that one country may use war as a means of bringing democracy to another country. Frankly, there is something strange about one nation forcing democracy on another nation.

     I see a further element that may not be disregarded: Even if we succeed in "democratizing" Iraq, we have already alienated much of the world. This is not an unsubstantial regret; for if we are to work together with other nations on moral issues such as elimination of poverty, improving the environment, enhancing public health, decreasing illiteracy, and clearing the world of land minds, then such alienation bears serious consequences far beyond the boundaries of Iraq.

     I wasn't surprised by the Presidential election results. All too many U.S. citizens have focused on the threat of external terrorism to the exclusion of other areas of vital concern. Several examples: diminishment of cherished civil rights, the greatest deficit in the history of the country, the largest number of job losses since the Depression, increased profits for pharmaceutical companies while more and more people lose health insurance.

GM: The gap between the rich and poor in North America continues to grow. Poverty among children remains high. Is the Church speaking out enough about this? Is this an issue that's receiving the kind of attention it deserves at the parish level?

WB: The crucial word here is "Church." In a very true sense, the Church is not simply or even primarily the hierarchy. The Church is the "people of God." The Church is Dorothy Day working and living with social outcasts in the Bowery, Marian Wright Edelman fighting for justice for 13 million children growing up poor, Sr. Helen Prejean struggling to abolish capital punishment, Bill Wilson starting Alcoholics Anonymous to help himself and others striving to stay sober, and Cesar Chevaz uniting Farm Workers. Included in the Church are groups with official ties to it that work for justice in many arenas. Examples include: Catholic Charities, soup kitchens, food banks, hospitals, orphanages, and prison chaplaincy programs.

     When is enough "enough"? In most parishes people are struggling to live decent human lives. But parishes, like families, differ. Some are actively involved in addressing a variety of injustices. Example: St. Aloysius Gonzaga and Holy Trinity, both in Washington, D.C. Others simply do not have the time, the staff, the funds, or the inclination to do so (Particularly where one priest's time is divided among two or three parishes and lay leadership is slow in developing).

     Part of the problem in addressing these needs is that the needs themselves change and it is difficult, if not impossible, to plan with certainty what is required to meet the needs of an area. For instance, who could have possibly imagined Florida being hit with three major hurricanes in less than two months? How could any parish have planned to have enough resources to meet the needs of people who found themselves in the dark not once or twice --but three times? How can a parish expect even the pledged monies to continue to come into the Church when families' savings are flooded away by forces beyond anyone's control?

     Nonetheless, there is incredible potential in many parishes. For those wanting to explore ways to expand their parish's influence, I suggest Paul Wilkes' book Excellent Catholic Parishes: The Guide to Best Places and Practices which gives an in-depth look at eight parishes that are not only models of excellence, but also prove that all kinds of parishes can be successful. Wilkes' emphasis on vision, energy, and hope is precisely the focus most often needed to sustain a parish in its search for justice at every level.

GM: In terms of social justice and peace --where do you see signs of hope today?

WB: I would like to begin by moving your question from social justice to biblical justice. Why? Because as indicated in my response to question three, biblical justice --while including the essential elements of social justice-- is a richer and more inclusive concept. In that context, where do I see signs of hope today for peace and justice?

• I would start by looking at the parishes in Wilkes' book which I mentioned in my response to the last question.
• The continuing increase in the number of laity, women and men, in positions of moral, spiritual, religious, and intellectual influence in the Church.
  
  
• The expanding number of Catholic high schools and colleges where students are involved in justice activity, sometimes a requirement for graduation, other times strictly volunteer. A good example is Loyola College in Maryland where 80 percent of the students are involved at some time in justice activity with encouragement and cooperation from administration and faculty. Another example is Creighton [University] Center for Service and Justice in Omaha, Nebraska.
  
  
• Parishes across the country are increasingly aware of the need of an Office of Peace and Justice, complementing the usual offices that deal with education, finances, and music (and others).
  
  
• The newly resurrected Catholic Peace Fellowship headquartered at Notre Dame University provides counseling and legal advice to military conscientious objectors, and reminds military chaplains of their obligation to inform Catholics and others in the armed forces about their right to conscientious objection as set forth in military regulations.
  
  
• Organizations such as the Children's Defense Fund striving to rid the injustice of 13 million children living in poverty in the richest nation on earth; Doctors Without Borders delivering emergency aid to victims of armed conflict, epidemics, and natural and man-made disasters; the Carter Center waging peace, fighting disease, and building hope; and Habitat for Humanity which is providing homes to people who otherwise might never know the comfort of a roof over their heads.

Gerry McCarthy is Editor of The Social Edge.