Reconciliation

Our roommate Katie is the new MCC Kenya peace worker. An avid reader like us, she brought a large collection of books and resources on peace-making. One such book, is written by a world leader in conflict resolution, also Katie's mentor, John Paul Lederach. The book is titled "Building Peace: Sustainable Reconciliation in Divided Societies."

I wanted to share a small piece of the book that struck me. I cannot claim any of these ideas to be my own.
Back in 1985 the author served as an advisor in mediating conflict between Nicaraguan Sandinistas (the government) and the Yatama (the indigenous resistance group). At the beginning of each village meeting, the conciliators would read Psalm 85. Later on a group of them were able to study this section more deeply:

"Truth and mercy have met together; peace and justice have kissed."

The group discussed the significance/imagery of each of those 4 words:
Truth: honesty, accountability, clarity, revelation, vulnerability
Mercy: compassion, forgiveness, acceptance, new start.
Justice: making things right, rectifying wrongs, creating equal opportunity, restitution.
Peace: harmony, unity, well-being- but only when it is for everyone, if just for a few, it is false.

When asked what is the place where all 4 of these meet, the group said: reconciliation.

Yet, these represent dichotomies. Truth and forgiveness must be validated. Wrongs must be righted, while visioning a harmonious and unified future. To balance truth and mercy, justice and peace is a paradox. And yet, as Christ's people, we are called to be peacemakers. We must find this balance between all 4, creating the space for reconciliation.