January 18, 2007
Dear Friend,
Spending some time at Borders Bookstore earlier this week browsing, I saw a new book out by Doris Kearns Goodwin entitled “Team of Rivals.” The jacket intrigued me.
Running a family, a work group, or a parish has something in common: you are usually confronted with the challenge of changing rivals into teammates. In the Church we call it the Sacrament of Reconciliation.
In 1862 in the midst of the Civil War, Abraham Lincoln faced a complicated crisis within his administration. His Secretary of State, William Seward, was the target of rumors blaming him for being a paralyzing influence on the military and the President. Actually, it was from within the Cabinet that the rumors originated in the person of Salmon Chase who was Secretary of the Treasury at the time. There were calls for Seward’s removal and a group of Senators demanded to meet with Lincoln. The heat was intense and Seward tendered his resignation.
Most individuals would find such a predicament paralyzing, but Goodwin notes in her book that Lincoln was a master of conciliation. He gathered together his cabinet, who pledged him their support. Then, in the presence of Chase, he met with the Committee of Senators and presented a united front. Chase, humbled to the core, offered to resign. Interestingly, in the end Lincoln kept two men on whom he relied: the newly secure Seward and the defanged Chase.
Conciliation and reconciliation have become somewhat of a lost art, yet they are at the core of who we are as Christians.
With several new books in tow – that’s why I happened to be at Borders – I will be away on “Christmas Break” this coming week. My next weekly message to you will be on Saturday, January 27, 2007. Have a good week.
Fondly,
Father Nick Amato
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