"LET'S BE PEACEMAKERS" - SEPTEMBER 2024

Let's walk together - Letter September 2024

Dear readers,

here's the 2nd letter of the year, still on the theme of

"Let's be Peacemakers!"

"Being at peace with yourself is the surest way to start being at peace with others." (Luis de León)

Let's begin with a text by Fray Luis de León, a 16th-century Spanish Augustinian monk, poet, philosopher and teacher who was imprisoned by the Inquisition for 4 years. Anecdotally, when he met his students on his release from prison, he began his lecture by saying: "We were saying yesterday..."

We owe him the famous lines:

Here envy and lies
have kept me locked up.
Happy is the humble state
of the wise man who withdraws
from this evil world,
and with poor house and table,
in the delightful countryside,
with God alone he stands
and in solitude his life is spent,
neither envied nor envious!

His idea of peace through this "parable".

Once upon a time, there was a king who wanted to offer a prize to the artist who painted the most beautiful picture of peace... Several artists tried. The king looked at the paintings, but he liked only two, and he had to choose between them.

The first picture was of a calm lake. The lake was a perfect mirror for the majestic mountains around it. Above it was a blue sky with a few white clouds. Everyone who saw this painting thought it was the perfect image of peace.

The other painting also had mountains. But they were steep, rocky and treeless at the top. Above, there was a stormy sky with rain and lightning. Next to the mountain was a large waterfall. It looked nothing like peace.

But after the king had taken a good look at it, he saw behind the waterfall a small bush that had grown on the rock. In the bush, a mother bird had built her nest. There, in the middle of all the swirling water, the mother bird sat on her nest... in perfect peace.

The king chose the second, and explained: "Peace does not mean being in a place where there is no noise or disturbance. No... Peace means being in the midst of all these disturbing things, but always being calm in your heart".

"Our way is to exhaust all means of peace and gentleness

before coming to extremes." (L.E. Cestac)

Father Cestac, too, had to face many trials throughout his life, like Fray Luis de León with determination, driven by confidence and hope.

What was his attitude in response to his many critics? Let's look at how he himself lived this attitude in two circumstances of his life.

1. The persecution of Chaho

Augustin Chaho was a politician from Bayonne, a journalist and the owner of a newspaper called L'Ariel, known for his hostility to the Church and the monarchy.

On 20 July 1846, on his return from a pilgrimage to Notre-Dame de Buglose, Father Cestac read the first article about him in the newspaper L'Ariel in a Bayonne bookshop. At first, this disturbed him; perhaps he thought of defending himself, as he had done in October 1839, when he was attacked in the local press for welcoming prostitutes who wanted to change their lives at Notre Dame du Refuge? But he soon felt himself called to respond in silence.

From then on, in almost every issue of the newspaper, one could read biting attacks on the founder of Notre-Dame du Refuge. He was portrayed in grotesque caricatures. He was given ridiculous names: "Orphanophile" or "Prostitutophile".

L’Ariel of 6 December 1846 mocked all forms of his activity: "L'Abbé Cestac, general laundry and washing contractor, large straw mat maker for the Bayonne garrison, manufacturer and shipper abroad of artificial flowers; fine linen, wholesale dressmaking, large ironing; horse dealer, farmer, horticulturist, rabbit, vegetable, poultry and pig merchant; manufacturer of statuettes and magots that are more Chinese than religious; merchant of marvelous water for the eyes, ointments, rosaries, etc.".

The articles were full of accusations, slander and derision. Abbé Cestac was accused of locking up young girls in unhealthy huts, without clothes or food, and forcing them to do galley labor. The people of Bayonne were divided. Some wanted to defend the priest: the opposing newspapers would be happy to offer their columns, and the courts said they were ready to open a trial. But the priest remained silent. Others showered him with contempt and anger. As soon as he appeared in the streets, he saw himself - as he confessed - "the disgrace of men and the people's shame".

On 28 December 1846, he wrote to a sister: "Passing through the rue Poissonnerie, on my way back from the Cathedral, I was insulted, outraged by poor young people who thought they were causing me pain and who were, on the contrary, filling me with sweet joy".

The persecution lasted a long time, until May 1849. Augustin Chaho was on his way to an election meeting for the legislative elections when he was involved in a serious accident on the outskirts of Pau. The next day, as he was passing through the town, Fr Cestac learned of the event and sent to tell the injured man "how deeply I share his misfortune; that the community will pray for him and that the past has been forgotten".

From that moment on, writes Fr Cestac, "all attacks ceased and peace returned... After those long days of insults, I found myself in profound peace and as if unaffected by any human judgement!"

2. The audacity of a neighbor

Arnaud Larrieu, owner of a hut and a few acres of sand, died in August 1846 at Notre Dame du Refuge. Before he died, he dictated his will, which made Father Cestac the heir to his small property, which was to become the "Solitude of Saint Bernard".

Around 1849, a close relative of Arnaud's violently disputed Fr Cestac's ownership of a parcel of sand (on which the Chapel of Saint Bernard would be built). To avoid a court case and for the sake of peace, the father gave him the sum claimed for the price of the land, i.e., 300 francs.

Sometime later, this gentleman's wife told Mother M. François de Paule that she had two daughters old enough to be apprentices. But she found that Bayonne was too far to send them. So, she asked if the Community could send her a Sister to teach them to sew. She would then build a hut for them to live in.

Shocked by such an audacity after what had happened between her husband and the father Cestac, the sister replied very vaguely. However, she spoke to the father Cestac at the first opportunity. He meditated for a moment and said: "My child, these people have caused us too much pain for us not to do them some good". And so, the lady built a hut and formed the Workhouse of Notre Dame.

And if we allow ourselves to be challenged by this testimony from Father Cestac?

Throughout his pontificate, Pope Francis has worked hard for peace. Several publications attest to this, from the Abu Dhabi speech to the text published on 12 December 2019, translated into eight languages: "Peace, a path of hope, dialogue, reconciliation and ecological conversion".

For Pope Francis, "peace is a path of hope in the face of obstacles and trials... a path of listening based on memory, solidarity and fraternity". The road to reconciliation requires patience and trust. Peace cannot be achieved if it is not hoped for...

In this way, hope is the virtue that gives us wings to go forward, even when the obstacles seem insurmountable.

The world does not need empty words, but convinced witnesses, peacemakers open to dialogue without exclusion or manipulation. Peace is an edifice "constantly under construction", a journey that we make together, always seeking the common good and committing ourselves to keeping our word and respecting the law. By listening to one another, we can develop our knowledge and esteem for one another to the point of recognizing the face of a brother in the enemy...

It is only by choosing the path of respect that we can break the spiral of revenge and embark on the path of hope. The Gospel passage that recounts the exchange between Peter and Jesus is a guide for us: "Lord, when my brother does wrong against me, how often must I forgive him? Up to seven times? Jesus replied: I do not say seven times, but seventy times seven." (Mt 18:21-22). This journey of reconciliation calls us to find in the depths of our hearts the strength to forgive and the ability to recognize that we are brothers and sisters.

Peace, a path of ecological conversion: if a misunderstanding of our own principles has sometimes led us to justify the mistreatment of nature, the domination of human beings over creation, or wars, injustice and violence, we believers can recognize that we have then been unfaithful to the treasure of wisdom we were meant to guard...

This journey of reconciliation also involves listening to and contemplating the world that God has given us to make our common home. Indeed, the natural resources, the many forms of life and the earth itself are entrusted to us to be "cultivated and cared for" (cf. Gen 2:15) also for generations to come, with the responsible and active participation of everyone...

"May the God of peace bless us and come to our aid.

May Mary, Mother of the Prince of Peace and Mother of all the peoples of the earth,

accompany us and support us, step by step, on our journey towards reconciliation. A

nd may every person who comes into this world experience a peaceful existence

and fully develop the promise of love and life that they carry within them."

Mary, Queen of Peace,

Your smile comforts us.

Put your motherly hands on us.

Pray to your son to save us.

We have come, O good Mother,

from all over the world,

to bring you our joys and our sorrows,

Our worries, our hopes.

In you we place our trust,

Holy Star of Salvation.

Watch over the Holy Church

Come and change the heart of the world.

Mother, your love shapes us,

Lead us to God the Father.

Through your only Divine Son,

May God's Spirit guide us.

We will all return to you Mary.

You are our hope, after God.

Preserve our souls from evil.

Keep divine peace within us.