THEOLOGY AND SPIRITUALITY
With the approach of the year 2000, the theme of reconciliation appears to be one which is essential; not so much for the celebration of this jubilee event, but to make us understand how necessary our commitment is. Reconciliation is a gift given to us by God in Christ, and welcomed by us; it reconciles us with God, with ourselves and with our brethren, and entrusts us with a personal mission of apostolate, diaconia, and ministry.
1. The Meaning of the Term and its Domain
The term "reconciliation" indicates "the restoration of a good relationship among friends", "renewing a friendship" (Aurelian Dictionary), "reestablishing a normal, affective, religious, judicial relationship which has temporarily deteriorated" (Devoto Dictionary). In order for this to happen it is necessary to eliminate that which caused the break. Let us imagine that we are concerned here with an earlier, friendly relationship which was terminated and has now been reestablished.
In the relationships between God and man, according to the various religions, this reconciliation is obtained through "the expiation of sins". For the Jews this takes place on the feast of Yom Kippur (cf. Lv 23:27) which at one time included burnt offerings and victims of expiation. In the Christian tradition this was accomplished through the definitive redeeming sacrifice: the death of Jesus on the cross (cf. Heb 10:11-18).
For his part, Paul, in the New Testament, describes reconciliation as the transformation of a relationship from negative to positive. A transformation which is already happening now but will be completed only at the end of time as "apocatastasis".
2. Reconciliation in the Old Testament Tradition
In the Old Testament the problem of reconciliation is set mainly in the theological perspective of the relationship between God and man; very little is said regarding relationships between people. Only in Sirach (22:22) can one read: "Should you speak sharply to a friend, fear not, you can be reconciled".
What we apparently find here is a text open to brotherhood and pardon. However the second part of the above verse narrows the perspective: "But a contemptuous insult, a confidence broken, or a treacherous attack will drive away any friend".
In the Old Testament, apart from this case, there is no mention of reconciliation between friends but only of the possibility of alliance, and that mostly for political or personal interests. In this way the people of Israel will never be reconciled with the Samaritans or with the Egyptian or Babylonian oppressors. The most one could expect to attain is the acceptance of the other as different, as it is foreseen in the commandment of Leviticus: "You shall love your neighbor as yourself" (19:18).
But then here too we would have to widen the meaning of "neighbor" to also include the foreigner, for the preceding words of the verse have conditioned and limited the meaning of neighbor to include only a "fellow citizen": "Take no revenge and cherish no grudge against your fellow countrymen".
However, in the Old Testament we cam also read of gestures of reconciliation: Joseph with his brethren (cf. Gn 45), Absalom and David (cf. 2 Sm 14:33). However "the biblical idea of reconciliation is essentially theological insofar as it concerns the relationship between God and men",1 and emphasis is put either on man as a person, or on the people as a collectivity, moving away from God because of sin, personal or collective: sin against God the creator (with Adam) and sin against the God of the covenant because of the transgressions of the Law and, above all, because of idolatry. This sin of the people is described by the prophets in dark tones: "...you were unlike a prostitute, since you disdained payment. The adulterous wife receives, instead of her husband, payment" (Ez 16:31,32).
This is the context in which reconciliation takes place. God pardons the sin of the individual by accepting sacrifices of expiation (cf. Lv 1:7-16), and has mercy on His people: "For a brief moment I abandoned you, but with great tenderness I will take you back" (Is 54:7).
He demands, however, something in exchange (shûb): a conversion. This means precisely accepting the reconciliation offered by God. In this way the initial relationship is reestablished: "They shall be my people, and I will be their God, with faithfulness and justice" (Zek 8:8).
Therefore, one can say that in the Old Testament reconciliation dominates the entire context of the relationship between God and His people. In fact, if the Lord is a God who when faced with the sin of His people reacts with anger, He nevertheless remains a merciful God.
"You forgave the guilt of your people, pardoned all their sins. You withdrew all your wrath, turned back your burning anger" (Ps 85:3,4).
And again: "Though our living Lord treats us harshly for a little while to correct us with chastisements, he will again be reconciled with his servants" (1 Mc 7:33).2
An evolution in the way of understanding reconciliation can be found in the New Testament, above all in Paul's reflections: reconciliation only between God and His creatures through the reconciliation of men among each other and with creation.
3. Reconciliation in the Pauline Tradition
Paul's theology owes much to the Pharisee tradition; however, because of the influence of Hellenistic culture, he was able to advance the concept of reconciliation. In addition to the relationship between God and His creation (the cosmos), his apostolic work had a precise aim of proclaiming reconciliation:
"Consequently, from now on we regard no one according to the flesh; even if we once knew Christ according to the flesh, yet now we know him so no longer. So whoever is in Christ is a new creation: the old things have passed away; behold, new things have come. And all this is from God, who has reconciled us to himself through Christ and given us the ministry of reconciliation, namely, God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting their trespasses against them and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. So we are ambassadors for Christ, as if God were appealing through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God" (2 Cor 5:16-20).
* "All this is from God, who has reconciled us to himself..."
The vocabulary of reconciliation is almost exclusive to Paul; only Matthew (cf. 5:24) uses a similar expression in order to remind us of the necessity to reconcile ourself with our brethren before presenting our gift at the altar.
It is important to remember that for Paul reconciliation is a freely-given gift, for "while being a reciprocal fact, like every reconciliation, it is not, however, nor can it be, the meeting of two wills or two equal initiatives. It is above all the initiative of God who thus reaffirms His superiority in relation to man".3
So reconciliation is the effect of God's transforming action in man and not the fruit of our sufferings or prayers. It is a freely-given act on the part of God, who loved us from the start (cf. 1 Jn 4:19).
* "...through Christ..."
This verse tells us that "the true innovation, now, is seen not so much as the repentance of the sinner and therefore as obedience to the law, but in the freely-given gift of a condition of justice which is linked with the historic date of the death of Christ and with the personal element of faith in the Crucified".4 The death of Christ on the cross therefore explains the way in which reconciliation is accomplished, being the highest expression of the love of God who gives us His Son.
Reconciliation is linked to the event of the death and resurrection of a real person, Jesus Christ, with whom the human person establishes a personal relationship of trust and hope. Jesus Christ is the personal cause of our reconciliation.
* He has "...given us the ministry of reconciliation... So we are ambassadors for Christ".
"The precise mission of the Apostle is to encourage this human response, to provoke it; he is called 'the minister of reconciliation'5 and his proclamation is that of "the message of reconciliation' (2 Cor 5:19). In announcing that God has reconciled the world to Himself, St. Paul hopes that mankind will reconcile themselves with God. What we have here is a definition of the apostolate by using the word reconciliation";6 and from this one can precisely deduce which apostolate Paul dedicated himself to for his entire life.
Man will feel the effects of redemption, achieved exclusively through the work of Christ, only if he adheres to it by receiving it with and through faith. In reality man has an active task in reconciliation, in that 'diakonia tès katallagès' (the ministry of reconciliation) gives him the capacity to be reconciled with God and gives him the right to proclaim it.
In Romans 5:10ff reconciliation is presented as passive, in that it is the exclusive action of God in us; however it is also clear that God does not impose His action but insists, through His messengers, that man accept it (2 Cor 5:20: "We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God"), entirely respecting, therefore, our active and free personality.7 "The divine action is directed to provoking a human reaction. Without this response the reconciliation achieved by Christ would not obtain any concrete result in the individual".8 It is a question of accepting a reconciliation which has already been achieved and not one which is simply a promise.
The acceptance of this apostolic announcement brings about a result which has an ontological effect, and not only a psychological or moral one; for, at the same time, this acceptance achieves peace between man and God (cf. Rom 5:1; Eph 2:18), peace between all men amongst themselves (cf. Eph 2:14-16) and peace in the whole universe (cf. Col 1:20). In other words, man will be justified because "justification and reconciliation are synonyms".9 This acceptance will make a new creature of the believer (cf. 2 Cor 5:18), one which has the love of God in his heart (cf. Rom 5:5). This manifestation of the supreme love of God will transform our very way of being: it will allow us to walk according to the Spirit (cf. Rom 8:4). Reconciliation rises above our sinful egocentricity and unites us to God, making us live through Christ.10
4. Reconciliation With the Cosmos, With Men and With Ourselves
In 2 Cor 5:19ff Paul speaks of "reconciling the world" not as something different from us but as the totality of mankind and as the totality of creation (cf. also Col 1:10). It is always God who takes the initiative and reconciles mankind and the cosmos through the sufferings (cross and blood) of Christ. In the letter to the Ephesians (2:14-16) he states:
"For he is our peace, he who made both one and broke down the dividing wall of enmity, through his flesh, abolishing the law with its commandments and legal claims, that he might create in himself one new person in place of the two, thus establishing peace, and might reconcile both with God, in one body, through the cross, putting that enmity to death by it".
It is clear that this Pauline text mostly refers to Jews and Pagans; but what is said of them is valid for all mankind, for all times and for all cultures. From being enemies, they become reconciled; the possibility of a new friendship is open to them in a newly established peace.
The reconciliation of peoples is possible in Christ, through His cross. But, in order for this truly to reach everyone, it is necessary for it to be preached to the ends of the earth (cf. Mt 28:19: Mk 16:15: Lk 24:47). It is necessary that the "Shalom YAWEH" be accepted not as a mere possibility but as a reality to be built. To the Hebrew Asha Shalom corresponds the Eirenopoièsas of Colossians 1:20: make peace, establish concord and peace. It is what the Italians say so well with the word Rappacificare: reestablish the peace which existed in the past. This is a new and difficult reality to achieve, for it includes forgiveness.
It is understood that when mankind is reconciled creation will also be reconciled, for "the universe is associated with the fate of the human person, even matter enters this personal sphere".11 In this way "the ministry of reconciliation" will finish when it has reached all mankind and, through them, the whole material universe. "The transcendent finality of the world in God passes through man. The world receives its final objective from man... Creation was made for man and the fate of creation depends on man's relationship with God... Creation is directed to participate in the spirituality of man and to achieve it.12 In brief, Christ is the Omega point not only for mankind but for the whole of creation.
Lastly, but no less important, it is opportune to remember that reconciliation with God "necessarily leads to the reconciliation of all men amongst themselves, meaning when man rebuilds the image of God in himself".13 And this happens not by obeying a law but through faith in Christ, crucified and resurrected. Man returns to the situation of justice which existed before sin, to his friendship with God, which had been lost. He has a new birth, now from above, through the power of the Spirit (cf. Jn 3:5). Reconciliation reestablishes original harmony in man.
This new attitude of mankind includes a mystic progress, for since he is at peace with God he finds himself at peace also with himself. The individual ceases to be alienated, he enters into God's plan and fulfills himself as a person. By accepting the will of God he finds interior peace, as Christ did in Gethsemane after saying: "your will be done!" (Mt. 26:42).
Conclusion
This means that the redemption worked by Christ, although complete in itself, does not release any of us from the ministry (or service) which we have received with our baptismal gift of faith. We are a priestly people (cf. 1 Pt 2:5-9) and therefore we have a mission to perform.
The mission of the Church is none other than continuing that of Christ (cf. 2 Cor 5:18ff; Jn 20:21); and even if we could speak of a world in which mankind is totally reconciled, it would be "only an anticipation of the final accomplishment of that which is virtually present in the divine plan and in the foundation of reconciliation, that is, in the sacrifice of Christ".14
Paul worked for the Church (cf. Col 1:20) to the extent that he fulfilled his mission of being a "minister of reconciliation". Now it is up to us. With our apostolate (baptismal or ministerial) we must act so that we will give all mankind the possibility of personally accepting the reconciliation which has been achieved by God, through the death and resurrection of Christ, and offered to us.
NOTES
1. Penna, R., Reconciliation, in "Dizionario di Teologia della Pace" (Dictionary of the Theology of Peace) Bologna, EDB, p. 763.
2. Cf. also (2 Mc 1:5; 8:29).
3. Buechsel, F., Katallaso; GLNT, Brescia, 1965, vol. I, col. 694.
4. Penna, R., Op. Cit., p. 764.
5. I prefer to speak of "minister" rather than "servant" of reconciliation (cf. Rule of Life 7) because "servant" makes "reconciliation" appear almost as if it born on the shoulders of the person who proclaims it, while the term "minister" is more dynamic and emphasizes the person only insomuch as he has a mission to perform: to proclaim, to be the 'ambassador of Christ'. The source is Christ, I, as a Christian, am a minister; reconciliation is the objective, the value to be proclaimed and to be reached.
6. Galot, J., Le Rédemption Mystère d'Alliance (Redemption, Mystery of the Covenant), Paris/Bruges, 1965, p. 53.
7. cf. Buechsel, F., Op. Cit., col.686-687 and Galot, J., Op. Cit., p. 52.
8. Galot, J., Op. Cit., p. 53.
9. Cf. Lyonnet, S., La Historia de la Salvacion en la Carta a los Romanos (The History of Salvation in the Letter to the Romans), Salamanca, 1967, p. 163, and note 26; p. 164, and note 28.
10. Cf. Buechsel, F., Op. Cit., col. 685-686.
11. Galot, J., Op. Cit., p. 56.
12. Alfaro, J., Teologia del progresso umano (Theology of Human Progress), Assisi, 1969, p. 42-43.
13. Borriello, L., Riconciliazione con se stessi, in "Dizionario di Telogia della Pace" (Reconciliation With Oneself, in the Dictionary of the Theology of Peace), EDB, p. 765.
14. Buechsel, F., Op. Cit., col. 689, and note 41.