Dear Saints,

As you probably know, we’re in the midst of the UN General Assembly’s High Level week, when nearly 130 Heads of State come to New York to lay out their countries’ concerns and priorities. Presidents and prime ministers encounter dozens of counterparts as they negotiate, form coalitions, discuss conflicts, and seek to influence one another on matters of national and international importance. By contrast, Trollope’s line about “giving way” is simply a little marital advice for two stubborn, seemingly mismatched spouses. In many ways the situations couldn’t be more unalike, and the stakes couldn’t be more different.

And yet the common thread can’t be overlooked: whether it’s global diplomacy or personal relationships, there can be real danger in unilateral domination, and real peace in mutual deference.

That’s in no way to suggest that “to give way” means to surrender what is right. It is instead an invitation to reflect on the demands of charity, humility, and the common good (whether “common” means two people, the entire human race, or anything in between).

As the United Nations General Assembly gathers in New York to seek a way forward amid the complexities facing our world, here in Boonton our task is simpler but no less important: to serve one another. In the daily rhythm of ordinary life, peace is rarely forged by insisting on our own way; rather, it is found in the generous and humble love by which each makes room for the other.

Christ’s Peace,

Father Daniel

δοῦλος Χριστοῦ Ἰησοῦ