European unity: What is the real need?

For many Europeans, it seems like a miracle that the continent has come so far since the end of World War II. Instead of fearful and hostile relations, members of the European Union (EU), some of whom were bitter enemies during the war, have been engaged in trade and peaceful collaboration for many years. In 1999, several EU countries formed a monetary union, and, since then, 17 countries have adopted the euro. Continuing financial difficulties within some of the eurozone nations pose serious challenges to the collective whole and could impact the world economy. In this article, writers from Europe share spiritual insights from their prayers and also describe some of the conditions in Europe that need prayer. 

Michaela von Burski, writing from Germany, observes: People and organizations with visions for world peace advanced the concept of a united Europe after World War II. Among them was Moral Rearmament (MRA), which helped to build bridges of friendship between two adversaries, Germany and France, and which promoted the idea that there had to be a moral and ethical foundation for stable peace and cooperation among nations. 

Today, Europe faces many economic and political challenges, and a larger role for morality and ethics can help us. Instead of accepting corruption, limited thinking, and unwillingness to change as realities, our prayers can reject these traits as impositions and insist that God’s government prevail. Even under the dire economic circumstances that are affecting some eurozone countries, peaceful and constructive attitudes and actions are possible when we are inspired by this much greater vision of God’s love for humanity. 

Honesty, integrity, willingness to keep an open mind for the welfare of one’s neighbors are qualities worth valuing. As the German president put it in his Christmas speech for 2012: “In the language of politics, it is solidarity. In the language of faith, it is charity [Nächstenliebe]. In people’s hearts, it is love.” 

It takes courage to leave one’s comfort zone in order to experience the joy of selflessness for the sake of the common good. This spiritual foundation and practical approach is beautifully described by Mary Baker Eddy: “God gives the lesser idea of Himself for a link to the greater, and in return, the higher always protects the lower. The rich in spirit help the poor in one grand brotherhood, all having the same Principle, or Father; and blessed is that man who seeth his brother’s need and supplieth it, seeking his own in another’s good” (Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, p. 518 ).

Peace and unity are a powerful basis for growth, welfare, and happiness—both individually and collectively. And there are times, such as these, when we need to defend vigorously both peace and unity, particularly in light of conditions in the eurozone.

Myriam Betouche (France) says: Many observers believe that we are now “stuck in midstream.” The eurozone has a single currency, but no fiscal or labor regulations, or budget coordination, among its members. This is painful for the southern countries, who have already gone through tough austerity measures without seeing much progress toward a return of viable daily conditions for their people.

When you’re crossing a river, it’s very dangerous to stop in the middle. Either you have the courage to move forward or you turn back. But once you’ve gone as far as the middle, it’s generally better to finish the crossing, even if it isn’t easy. At the end you will reap the recompense of your effort. To me this statement from Science and Health supports the point: “An unsettled, transitional stage is never desirable on its own account” (p. 65 ). 

Besides the need for courageous leaders to guide the nations “across the river” toward united solutions, no one can ignore the way the world has changed and keep living inside the “museum” of the past.

Another danger is that some will leave the eurozone through political manipulation by extremists on both the right and left. It requires “give and take” from each partner country to be flexible and work within their different systems of government in order to support citizens in all the EU countries.

Our prayers can be inspired by these words of Mrs. Eddy: “All that I have written, taught, or lived, that is good, flowed through cross-bearing, self-forgetfulness, and my faith in the right. Suffering or Science, or both, in the proportion that their instructions are assimilated, will point the way, shorten the process, and consummate the joys of acquiescence in the methods of divine Love” (Miscellaneous Writings 1883–1896, p. 213 ).

Truly, prayer is a force for good that knows no bounds.
^{—Elizabeth Mata} 

Divine Love’s methods do not lead to nationalistic extremism and a glorification of the “good old days,” nor to the “rich” nations splitting from the “poor,” since both need each other to produce not just a healthy economy but also to provide the diversity of identities, languages, and cultures that characterizes and enriches Europe. 

Individual nations’ fears also need to be overcome: the fear of losing one’s identity and independence, of losing one’s roots, history, and culture as immigration changes the mix of people in the nations. 

As Science and Health puts it: “This scientific sense of being, forsaking matter for Spirit, by no means suggests man’s absorption into Deity and the loss of his identity, but confers upon man enlarged individuality, a wider sphere of thought and action, a more expansive love, a higher and more permanent peace” (p. 265 ).

Elizabeth Mata (Spain) offers: Prayer to the one God, divine Life and Love, opens the heart to the infinitude of good that is available for all of us and unveils the answer to every need. Truly, prayer is a force for good that knows no bounds. This focused light breaks through the darkness of limited human thinking about cultures and nations. It frees from the temptation to cling to past views that reject progressive change and would suggest a negative future. 

It has been helpful for me to know that the light of the Christ—the light of the healing and delivering power of God—is piercing the hazy and obscure material concepts and laws that would keep individuals and governments from knowing how to go forward. 

In the deepest part of each one of us is the desire to progress. That is the power of Love at work, stripping negativity of any staying power. It unfreezes thought stuck in the fear of losing what it has or of never having enough.

Effort, patience, compromise, and yielding of one’s own opinions are required in personal relationships. The demand is no less needed on the larger level of citizens of all cultures interfacing with each other, including at the governmental and institutional level. A higher trust can uplift thought and confirm the powerlessness of corruption, deception, and all forms of evil. 

So what is this trust? A conviction that God governs. “Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths. Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the Lord, and depart from evil” (Proverbs 3:5–7 ). I have found it helpful to pray to know that God can open my eyes, and those of my neighbors near and far, to the powerful admonitions and blessings in this verse.

Accepting through prayer—and without reservation—that our Father-Mother God has made every one of us inseparable from Her intelligence, understanding, and serenity can result in more fearless steps and even leaps of progress in global issues, including the challenges the eurozone is facing.

We can pray to know that the light of the Christ is present in each of us to destroy false trust in religious, political, social, and economic concepts that feed complacency and block progress. 

Simultaneously, the Christ is bringing out the trust that is an unconditional leaning on God as the only power and presence. The Christ speaks directly to individuals and therefore to nations and governments. It is natural for God’s children—every man, woman, and child—to trust God’s direction as it guides each one to the right path. This promise was true for Isaiah’s time and it is true for us also: “And thine ears shall hear a word behind thee, saying, This is the way, walk ye in it, when ye turn to the right hand, and when ye turn to the left” (Isaiah 30:21 ). 

Trust in this promise will bless our own lives and all who are working to resolve the troubles in the Eurozone.