Portrait of a Local Peacemaker: Sister Mary Evelyn Jegen

A Leader
A Giant
A Peacemaker
A Minister to the World
A Towering Example
A Wise Woman
A Mentor
A Humble Queen
A Stewardess
“The Godmother of Pax Christi”
“An authentic, caring and loving human being”
“Her name is synonymous with justice.”

These are the words used to describe Sister Mary Evelyn Jegen on the Pax Christi website remembering her. To me she was pure joy. I can still remember her waiting at the entrance of Mt. Notre Dame de Namur as we arrived to meet her to discuss one of her books. Seeing her standing in the entryway, her silhouette easily recognizable by those who knew her, brought a smile to my face. She stood with dignity and grace in solidarity with so many others. She stood with purpose and determination against violence. With her hands clasped behind her back, she awaited another engaging conversation about being peacemakers in a warring world.

Benevolent glancing, is what she would have called it, “looking at others with love.” It is an art of attentiveness. In an article by Jim Forest, she describes hearing about “exchanging benevolent glances” describing the instance when Pope John Paul met the Supreme Patriarch of the Buddhists of Thailand. She goes on to describe her own experience on a bus watching those around her, practicing benevolent glancing with strangers. She found herself present in prayer, feeling at a deep level the experience of each person. She found herself seeing people, even those irritating her or embarrassing her, as beautiful. Similar to the Buddhists perspective “to be present, to allow reality to present itself, to wait for it to come forward to meet the eye,” benevolent glancing is receiving what you are seeing before you. 2

Sister Mary Evelyn would ask us, “Now if soldiers standing across from each other in the battlefield could exchange benevolent glances with each other, could they bring themselves to kill each other? If those sending the bombs across the seas could exchange benevolent glances with those in the targeted area, or even those immediately close to them, would they be able to order the bombs?”

When talking about peace and justice, Sister Mary Evelyn often told a story of a young French woman during the World Wars who was deeply troubled that in times of war, people choose to kill other people whom receive the same Eucharist, attend the same church and believe in the same God. It is because of this story and others that made Sr. Mary Evelyn choose a life of nonviolence, of Satiagraha or “Firmly holding to the truth” per Gandhi.

Even though I only knew her for a little over a year, I can confidently say that Sister Mary Evelyn lived each day benevolently receiving what life presented to her.

Will you try “benevolent glancing”? Will you take a moment to be present and take in everything that you see?

To read more about Mary Evelyn Jegen, see 1http://paxchristiusa.org/about/teachers-of-peace/remembering-sr-mary-evelyn-jegen-snd/

2Forest, Jim. http://jimandnancyforest.com/2014/07/benevolent-glancing/