Apostles for Today
Prayer and Reflection
April 2017
DIALOGUE
WITH THE POOR
The
Union of Catholic Apostolate and the primacy of the poor
1.
There are already many well-written works on this issue. I by no
means claim to propose something particularly striking or new. It is
simply a reflection that comes from the heart of a person in constant
contact with men and women, children and the poor who seek to live in
communities in Sao Paulo in Brazil, a big city that was built
precisely through the work of the poorest.
2.
The primacy of the poor represents the foundational core of the
gospel of Jesus Christ. It also refers to the basis of the
functioning of society: Who makes a shopping center work? Who makes
the banks work? Who operates the means of transportation? The
churches? Who builds the houses and roads? Who maintains the state
institutions? It is the workers and the poorest. But they are
undermined, ignored, not being allowed access to the goods they
produce, whether material or symbolic. I am writing, therefore, from
the poorest peripheral regions of this enormous city.
3.
A first task of the Union is precisely to listen to the poor who cry
out to God. It is to the poor that Luke 4 refers. Here poverty is
understood in the negative sense of the kind of poverty and wealth
which should not exist. This poverty must be abolished because it is
contrary to the Kingdom of God. Oppression is the result of a
structural injustice and therefore produces a corresponding sin. It
causes social (Muniz Bandeira), moral, economic, political, religious
and environmental disorder. The Gospel is the good news communicated
to the poor and the Union can and must contribute in the spreading of
this good news.
There
are also the poor according to the categories of Matthew’s Gospel
(ch. 5). Here the poor are those animated by the Spirit of God the
Father and of Jesus the Son. They are blessed. They are the poor
gathered in communities scattered in many places throughout the city
and the countryside. They are fragile, but know about the Good News
and have hope. They form the churches of the Christian communities.
They are free through the word of the Gospel which they have heard.
The primacy of the poor in this context is because they have heard
the Word of God and seek to live it. They in turn are bearers and
apostles of the word. They live in groups or in communities where
they share their sufferings, crises, hopes and lives. They nourish
compassion towards each other. The bible is their book. At present,
they are suffering from the advance of other religious groups that
produce a total inversion of the word of God, interpreting life and
the world in the fear, fantasy and illusion of a God manufactured by
the current market, which makes even faith a product to be bought and
sold. This fear divides, dominates and deceives. As an example of
this it is enough to look at the lyrics and melodies of “songs”
played in the various worship services and celebrations. Their
preaching would make you shiver.
4.
The evangelized poor live their faith in a more intense and extensive
way. They communicate it even if they have no officially recognized
roles. When the poor lose community they enter into a crisis, a
tragedy, losing their sense of belonging. Here is another function of
the Union in service of restoring the Word to the poor throughout the
world, forming a community which evangelizes.
5.
From these communities built on the gospel of Jesus arise the
specific vocations of apostle and missionary. The poor are willing to
collaborate with the Church in many areas: in catechesis,
administration, pastoral care, especially those services which take
care of the weakest, such as the sick, the unemployed and pilgrims of
all races and languages. The latter become citizens of the city. In
general, they leave no written trace, filed in an office; but they do
transmit the one important thing: attitude, action and the practice
of compassion towards others. They are the lay apostles valued by St.
Vincent Pallotti and reinvigorated by the Second Vatican Council, as
well as by the guidelines of Pope Francis. The world will be
evangelized by those who first hear the gospel and then translate the
teaching of Jesus into daily life. It is also their task to direct
themselves towards those who are passive among the people,
individuals who see no meaning in things. They try to survive and
easily become prey to the many ‘wolves’ who cross their path. The
Union is also called to open itself to this great challenge, helping
lay people to overcome this weakness and become the active subjects
of their own lives. Turning in on oneself means blocking the
apostolate in its most original form: in the Union, “two by two”.
Walking through the streets of the outskirts of São Paulo, one sees
many poor victims of the cruelty of the model of the globalized
society. Among them, however, there is an effort to take care of
family, health and work, and to have a decent home. They are not
recognized by the consumer market. The number of the impoverished is
growing and therefore it is urgent to out to them. Modern coldness
and insensitivity make them appear to be simply a detail, to be
ignored, excluded, separated and distanced. Therefore, this movement
must be initiated by taking steps towards them and breaking through
existing barriers. This requires personal and long-term contact. It
is not a matter of speaking about the poor. It means being with them.
It takes a lot of humility. In this movement of encounter there will
be insecurities, fear, doubts, but we must persevere. It is love (1
Cor 13) that is capable of awakening apostolic action. Love of
neighbor is a gift of God in action following the example of St.
Vincent Pallotti and many others. The Union of Catholic Apostolate is
therefore an Appeal. It is necessary to prepare the way through a
realistic Pallottine formation. Society is going through uncertain
moments, impasses, general crisis and a growing inhumanity. We are
called and summoned to go to meet this world which is torn apart. The
mission is clear: Look at those who are fallen and left behind in the
streets, squares and peripheries. The certainty is that God walks
with us. He will be with us to the end. (Mt 25 and 28). To remain in
the love of Jesus is to apply his commandment. This commandment is
the love of human beings, one towards one another (Jn 15:12): “If
anyone loves me, he will keep my word and my Father will love him and
we will come to him and make our home in him. (Jn 14:23). The love of
God in Christ is a reality that surpasses everything. It transforms
religions, social practices and even civil institutions into
apostolate; we have access to a superior reality which can be touched
in our daily lives. Love for the Lord and for our neighbor is truly
the synthesis of the will of God.
“ALL
FOR THE INFINITE GLORY OF GOD”
For
reflection:
We
are called to “solidarity
and a preferential option for the poorest of our brothers and
sisters[, which] demands before all else an appreciation of the
immense dignity of the poor in the light of our deepest convictions
as believers”
(Laudato
Si’,
158).
“Only
on the basis of [a] real and sincere closeness can we properly
accompany the poor on their path of liberation”
(Evangelii
Gaudium,
199).
-
In what ways are we living this call already as individuals or as a group?
-
Where is there room for growth in making the Church’s option for the poor a central part of our concrete Pallottine life?
-
What attitudes, practices and structures might be in need of pastoral conversion in order to better respond to this fundamental call?
Fr.
Antonio Ferreira Naves, SAC
São
Paulo - Brazil
____________________________________________________
Segretariato
Generale, Unione dell’Apostolato Cattolico
Piazza
San Vincenzo Pallotti 204, 00187 Roma, Italia uac@uniopal.org
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