SFO International Council - Weekly edition
Volume: 7 - N. 6 - 2001 - February - II
From: Koinonia, 2000, N. 3
Fr. Valentin Redondo, OFMConv.
(Part II)
The mission of the Church constantly calls upon us because any form of injustice is idolatry. Gregory of Nyssa expresses this very well when speaking about slavery – present in our society in its ancient and modern form - : "to own men means to buy the image of God".
The Church’s poverty cannot be reduced to a merely ascetical question, rather it means: "identifying with the poor". Francis only understood this when he met the poor man. Christ’s poverty means going towards the poor, nearing the poor "that by his poverty you might become rich" (2 Cor 8:9). The new and the traditional take each other by the hand when dealing with the theme of justice. When the Fathers of the Church speak about charity, they frequently state, "it is not yours, it is theirs".
Today’s society, while maintaining the theological vigour of charity, demands much more from the pastoral mission of the Church in the construction of a more brotherly world, in a world where the less privileged loose their most elementary rights and where "models of development producing ever richer rich persons and ever poorer poor persons" [1 are followed.
In our world and in our society, where there are many spaces of shadow and of death, still being the world loved by God who does not want its condemnation but its salvation through the superior mediation of love demonstrated by the coming of His Son, loving will be difficult unless justice is built and is chosen as the form of life and solidarity the attitude towards those who suffer or are fighting injustice.
Justice cannot be confronted as an obligation of a moral type.
It must be discovered as an "experience of grace" and we can find
this in the New Testament: hymn in which Jesus rejoices in the
Father's revelation to the lowly (Lk 10:21) and in the Magnificat
(Lk 1:46 et segue). Witnessing faith and the experience of
God’s love "poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit
which has been given to us" (Rom 5:5) are necessary.
We must not preach abandoning the historical process, rather we
need historical patience and perseverance..., that of the sower who
sows and hopes that the earth will respond – trying to
lengthen the stem by pulling means tearing the germ and making the
seed die; we must be collaborators and move history towards justice
– the Kingdom of God is present, but not yet... it is an
active hope.
Love of justice is not an abstract love, but something that really
"influences" persons – an abstract justice could take its
lace, as we read at times, of certain ecclesiastical celibates who
"believe they love God because they do not love anyone".
"The Christian practice of justice must be closer to forgiveness than to revenge". At times, man’s subconscious tends to mistake the thirst for revenge as hunger for justice. Thus, many times battles for justice are degraded and become unjust. Love towards the enemy emerges from justice that tends towards forgiveness. Justice tends towards the changing of persons rather than the changing of structures.
The Rule seriously commits us towards justice, be it as a Secular Franciscan or in the Fraternity, when it says: "Let them individually and collectively be in the forefront in promoting justice by the testimony of their human lives and their courageous initiatives. Especially in the field of public life, they should make definite choices in harmony with their faith" [2.
I would like to underline that this commitment towards justice
is a duty of the Fraternity. Even if undertaken by only one member,
the Fraternity must take it up, encouraging, supporting and
collaborating in:
-- analysing the concrete situation, always and above all
collaborating in giving the poor and the marginalized back their
dignity;
-- illuminating the decision taken in the light of the Gospel
– allowing oneself to be illuminated, without exploiting the
Gospel;
-- obtaining criteria for judgments and directives for
actions;
-- acting coherently.
Especially on the local level, but also on other levels: regional, national and why not, even international, the Fraternity must be the place for formation and to live in dialogue, solidarity, availability and participation in social commitment.
When works of assistance are lacking, the Fraternity must also collaborate with the ecclesial groups or with the institutions and social initiatives towards the poor and the oppressed that are worthy of being supported by their commitment.
The Fraternity must be the support and the source of courage for the brothers committed to ecclesial and social choices in favour of justice.
The promotion of justice is a Christian’s mission in the world. It is an evangelical mission of the Secular Franciscan. It is a mission that obligates going out of the sacristies and the temple – not because inside one is uncomfortable, but because normal life goes on outside – to become like the Samaritan facing the many needs of one’s neighbour. "Charity towards one’s neighbour, through contemporary forms of the traditional spiritual and corporal works of mercy, represent the most immediate, ordinary and habitual ways that lead to the Christian animation of the temporal order, the specific duty of the lay faithful" [3 .
Today, many are the places in which the secular and concretely the Secular Franciscan can give a Christian tone, introduce a youthful feeling of resurrection, with its missionary spirit, as required by Vatican Council II: "Catholics feel obliged to promote the true common good, and give weight to their own opinion so that civic power is exercised according to justice and laws correspond to moral precepts and to the common good... They should not refuse public positions" [4 . The Constitutions take up this invitation by the Council [5 . And John Paul II invites the secular – even the Secular Franciscan – to commit himself in the field of politics. This is not an easy theme to face – and even less in Fraternity – because a great deal of discernment, illumination, purity of heart and transparency of life is necessary..., but facing it is possible and a duty. Regarding this, the Pope writes: "The lay faithful must bear witness to those human and gospel values that are intimately connected with political activity itself, such as liberty and justice, solidarity, faithful and unselfish dedication for the good of all... This demands that the lay faithful always be more animated by a real participation in the life of the Church and enlightened by her social doctrine... The lay faithful (are invited) to promote attitudes of dialogue and peace and to commit themselves to establish a just international and social order" [6 .
I truly do not know how to activate or modernize the encouraging spirit of Leo XIII, a member of the Third Order, towards the Secular Franciscans. But I believe that today, like yesterday, and more than yesterday, the missionary fields of Secular Franciscans are "multiple areopagi" arising in the world. This is their place, in all their secularity, but without abandoning their ecclesiology. Only to encourage and to try to open up new paths, I would like to recall some of the words of Leo XIII: "When I speak about social reform, I refer especially to the Third Order of Saint Francis" [7 . And also: "That our encyclicals have greatly influenced you is evident by looking at your work today, especially because you work with such vigour to make the forcefulness of the Third Order at the service of the social cause blossom once again" [8 ..
And Pius XI recalled the social reform based on the Franciscan charisma, underlining the fruit obtained for "the poor and the weak against the abuses by the rich and the powerful, without damages to order and justice" [9 .
And in line with the Franciscan thinking of these Third Order Popes, one finds the Rule, which invites us to make "courageous initiatives" and to commit oneself "to the promotion of justice", "definite choices in harmony with their faith" [10 , being the mediators between culture and Church, political society and Church...
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