John J. DeGioia

President, Georgetown University

Catholic Universities:  How do we live the Heritage of the Epiphany?

 Thank you all for joining us today to mark the feast of the Epiphany in such a special way.  As we know, the Epiphany celebrates the revelation of God to humankind in human form, so today very much marks the culmination—the ultimate fulfillment—of the hope of Advent and the promise of Christmas.  And it is truly a privilege to have with us today his Excellency, The Most Rev. Pietro Sambi, Apostolic Nuncio to the United States, as we celebrate and commemorate the arrival of the Magi in Bethlehem.

 T.S. Eliot—whose correspondence with various writers is included in the special collections in Georgetown’s main library—wrote in his well known poem, The Journey of the Magi, “A cold coming we had of it…just the worst time of the year…[later]…we returned to our places, these Kingdoms, but no longer at ease here, in the old dispensation,”

 The crux of Eliot’s poem—a poem about his own conversion from agnosticism to faith—speaks of transformation…not simply of the Magi’s external journey to Bethlehem…but their internal one:  Their journey of embracing God’s presence in the world in a very new way…and responding to that presence.  

 Each of us is also called to respond to that presence.  We are called to remember that the Magi were among the very first people to recognize that Jesus was the Savior of all people—without distinction.  And—in that spirit—we are called to focus on fellowship and brotherhood…to heal divisions of bigotry and prejudice.

 All of this is very much in keeping with our Catholic faith…with our tradition. And if we truly want to respond to God’s presence, then we must first take a deep and penetrating look within our hearts and minds to seek out— and acknowledge—the dark roots of injustice, hatred, conflict, fragmentation and marginalization that grow there in the shadows.  We must then actively engage in a world where hatred, conflict, fragmentation and marginalization demand our response.  Ultimately, we must be willing to give of ourselves, and in the words of another poet, Khalil Gibran—whose birthday we celebrate today—“It is only when you give of yourself that you truly give.”

             Responding to God’s presence is the ultimate lesson…gift…and heritage of the Epiphany for each of us.  But—as Catholic institutions—it is also a heritage shared by our universities.  And it raises a question:  As Catholic Universities, how do we live the heritage of the Epiphany?     I believe it requires that we work for three things:  Peace, justice and solidarity.  Allow me to elaborate.

 PEACE

To fully live—to fully embrace the heritage of the Epiphany—and its inherent message of universal brotherhood—our institutions must first work for peace.  We know that our world is growing smaller.  Nations are more interdependent, individuals more interconnected, and the global community less divided by narrow domestic walls. Unfortunately, as our world has grown closer, it has become more polarized and prone to conflict.   At the international level, we’ve certainly seen this to be true in acts of terrorism across the globe; in “ethnic cleansing” in the Balkans and Rwanda; and in conflicts in the Middle East, the Sudan, Sri Lanka, Chechnya, and East Timor.

 In such an environment, we must all work to build bridges between communities, cultures, nations, faiths, and religions. This common good must be our common goal.  But universities have a very special role in this process.  A university provides a unique home for multiple traditions, cultures, disciplines, methodologies and modes of inquiries—what we can call “communities of interpretation.”  What distinguishes different communities of interpretation is the “horizon of significance,” the background of social practices, morals, laws, customs and institutions that provide meaning for individual members of that community.

             Nowhere is the engagement between conflicting and competing communities of interpretation…between different horizons of significance…so constant and so part of daily life as in the Academy. This engagement is embedded in our mission.  Providing the context where horizons of significance can be fused—where bridges can be built between communities of interpretation—including communities of culture and faith and religious tradition—is one of our continuing challenges…and one of our greatest opportunities for achievement.

 Those of us in the Academy must work to ensure that global understanding—including interfaith and interreligious understanding—always remains one of the central themes of academic and campus life…that it remains at the core of the education we provide.  Education can increase knowledge...teach us that what we share is much greater than what separates us…and build bridges of understanding. 

 Building bridges in one of the reasons why Georgetown University has continually worked to expand our vibrant network of global relationships, from Europe…to China…to the Middle East…to Latin America…and to Africa…

 …It’s why we’ve established our Prince Alwaleed Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding; our Berkeley Center for Religion, Peace and World Affairs; and our Program for Jewish Civilization in our School of Foreign Service…

 …It’s why we’ve signed agreements with a number of institutions in China—including the Chinese Scholarship Council; Fudan and Renmin Universities; and the Central Party School…

 …It’s why we participate in projects to foster co-existence in the Middle East… 

…And it’s why we’ve opened our School of Foreign Service campus in Doha, Qatar.  We’ve recently enrolled our third class of 49 undergraduate students. And 23 countries are now represented on campus; they include: Afghanistan, Algeria, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Lebanon, Libya, Oman, the Palestinian Territories, Russia, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Syria, and the U.S.  Without this campus, we probably never would have had an opportunity to play a role in these students’ formation here on the Hilltop in Georgetown.

 JUSTICE

            But as our institutions work to promote peace, we must remember that there is still more to do.  To truly live the heritage of the Epiphany—and its message of equality—our institutions must also work to promote justice. 

             We all know that global interconnectivity has created enormous promise and possibility.  But the forces of globalization have also produced staggering differences in wealth and well being.  Just look at the current state of the global community:  Three billion people—half of the world’s population—live on two U.S. dollars a day…one billion on less than a dollar a day.  Sixty percent of the world’s population exists on only six percent of the world’s income. Entire communities are exploited, marginalized and neglected.  Too many of the world’s people are not sharing in the wealth and benefits of globalization.   Many nations, because of this growing inequality, are finding it difficult to meet even the basic needs of their citizens.

 The heritage of the Epiphany—of its spirit that all people are equal in the eyes of God—requires that we accept responsibility for the most vulnerable…the most needy…the most wounded in our midst.  We need to champion a stronger global framework for the allocation of resources that can effectively respond to the challenge of the exploited and neglected.  We must support global structures and institutions that promote equality.  And we must advocate for a global economy that benefits not the few, but the many.

Our universities must also use our resources to promote social justice.  One example is in the area of global health. It’s why Georgetown is engaging with the Catholic Bishops conferences in Africa and India—later this week we will host a delegation from the Catholic Bishops Conference of India—with whom we’re exploring ways to support their efforts to combat the HIV/AIDS pandemic.

             And it is in seeking to respond to the challenges of social justice that we have convened a number of events—events that brought together members of the US government, and leaders of international faith-based organizations—to determine how faith communities can most effectively deploy resources in the global fight against HIV/AIDS.

 SOLIDARITY

The heritage of the Epiphany…our universities’ tradition of service…and our Catholic faith demand that we work for justice.  But to truly live the heritage of the Epiphany—which calls us to see each person as our brother or sister—we are also compelled to do one more thing:  We must promote solidarity.

 Solidarity demands that we recognize the innate human dignity of every individual.  And it demands more than simply service to the poor…to those in need…to the marginalized.  It demands a true love of others that seeks to express itself in works of justice.

 As Pope John Paul II observed, “Solidarity helps us to see the ‘other’—whether a person, people or nation—not just as some kind of instrument, with a work capacity and physical strength to be exploited at low cost and then discarded when no longer useful—but as our ‘neighbor,’ a ‘helper,’ to be made a sharer, on a par with ourselves…in the banquet of life to which all are equally invited by God.” (Encyclical letter Sollicitudo Rei Socialis, n. 39)

 To help promote solidarity, our universities must work to instill in the generations of young people who come to us a single ideal.  It was an ideal beautifully expressed by former Jesuit Superior-General Pedro Arrupe:  The ideal that they must be women and men for others.

These are women and men who will not be deaf to the needs of others…who will resist the call to selfishness and self-gratification…and who will—like St. Joan of Arc, whose birthday we also celebrate today—always listen to the authentic voice of God…

…Women and men who will accept responsibility not only for their own development—but for the collective development of the human family…

…And women and men who will live the heritage of the Epiphany—and help our universities to do so—by working for peace, justice and solidarity.

 CONCLUSION

Today—the Epiphany—the twelfth day of Christmas—marks the traditional end of the Christmas season.   We know that it is a season when we are called to mirror the light of Christ in kindness, caring, service, and love. It is a season of transformation and celebration.  But above all, it is a season of hope.  What is uncertain is not the coming of Christ…but our own reception of him…our readiness to prepare for him…our response to him…

 … Will it be like the Magi who sought him out and embraced him?  Or like the innkeeper who found no room for him?... 

 …Our answer will very much depend on whether we promote peace, justice and solidarity…on whether we work to ensure that our universities advance these ideals…and on whether we strive to always live the extraordinary heritage of the Epiphany—the extraordinary message of love.

 Thank you.