It is customary to abstain from something in Lent. Instead, this Lent I’ve decided that I’d like to grow in awareness of how my inclusion in the two percent is an invitation for me to act differently in the world. Over the past few months, I've taken to thinking of myself as being in the two percent club. I'm clearly not part of the infamous one percent who are the world's elite and powerful. But, I am among the two percent who have a fairly easy life.
Some weeks ago, I was writing an annual letter to the General Superior of the Jesuits. Since the time of St. Ignatius, Generals have relied on annual letters from Jesuits around the world to get a global picture of what is happening. In recent years, the requests for letters usually have a common theme, so that Father General gets an in-depth sense of how we are doing with a certain matter. This year's request deals with reconciliation.
Fr. Adolfo Nicolás asks Jesuits to offer their reflections on several questions that deal with reconciliation. He says, “Reconciliation, and the work of peace, is an essential aspect of our apostolic task, especially when we are sent to the frontiers where conflicts, division, and the suffering of our world are more evident.” His first question deals with major conflicts. He asks, “What are two or three major conflicts in the societies in which you live? These could be social, national, ethnic, economic, political, or centered on violence. Please mention those which seem to generate the greater pain and suffering.” He goes on to ask about matters such as the impact on our lives and the institutional response. I was, and still am, stuck on his first question about the major conflicts where I live – even to the point of being bothered by it.
Here's the opening of my response to Fr. Nicolás. “I feel humbled and almost ashamed writing about reconciliation in my personal context. I live in one of the wealthiest, healthiest, safest and most peaceful nations in the world.” I eventually wrote of several issues in Canada, particularly our treatment of aboriginals and the growing gap between the richest and the poorest.
But, I really did feel humbled. I have a family, friends, a Jesuit community, meaningful work/ministry, access to money, and so on. I walk the streets and take public transport without thinking twice. I can sit in a cafe, walk through a shopping centre, I do not live in fear and I never wonder where my next meal will come from or where I'll sleep tonight. I enjoy good health and have the intelligence and wealth to take care of myself. I rely so much on electricity working that I panic if it goes for a few hours. As a Jesuit, I have access to communities throughout the world.
As I wrote my letter to Fr. Nicolás, I found myself thinking of images from places such as Syria, Sudan, Haiti, Egypt, Ukraine, the Philippines, and countless other nations throughout the world. I tried to imagine refugee camps. I'm sure that Jesuits writing from those parts of the globe offered a very different response to Fr. Nicolás than people living in well-off nations.I'm not part of the population that can be seen as the one percent. But I have it fairly easy, especially when I ponder the rest of the world and many people even in this country. Since I wrote my letter to the General, I’ve grown in awareness of being part of a class of people who have no worries. Call it the two percent or whatever you want. But it’s a fairly easy life. As I go through Lent, I’m trying to treat others, especially the marginalized, a little differently than I would have before.