Wednesday, July 1, 2020

Apostles for Today - July 2020

Apostles for Today 

July 2020

Prayer and Reflection


QUESTIONS IN TIMES OF PANDEMIC

The pandemic has forced us to remain at home. No journeys, no shopping centres, consuming only what is necessary. From one day to another we realized that all those things that we considered essential were not essential at all, and all those things that were out there on the periphery of our lives and to which we had not dedicated much time or effort, thee have become fundamental: to embrace our children, to walk with our friends, to visit our grandparents, to read a good book, to enjoy nature and the open-air spaces, to listen to good music, to celebrate the faith in community in our churches, etc. We can say that we have been forced to stop and to contemplate how we are living our lives.

First and foremost, in the modern world we live in and with the growth of technical and scientific power we have embarked upon the adventure of conquering the entire universe. We must be very thankful for the technological and scientific progress that have been made and which have advanced the quality of life in general and particularly in the fields of health and of medicine.

But somewhere along the road we lost some things. Like Ulysses in the Odyssey on the way to permanent conquest, all the mysteries have to be worked out and all have to be known and understood by humankind. 

There is no place for mysticism and for contemplation.
The objective: to dominate, to produce, to exploit everything possible in order to reach a high level of
development (a development that is distributed unequally, obviously because at the centre one does not find the human person, rather one finds the pursuit of power for power’s sake). Nature, the entire earth and even humanity itself have become a means to an end: to dominate and to produce at all costs. Every activity that does not “produce” for this system is considered insignificant, a waste of time: art, philosophy and theology are obviously to be disregarded, relegated to the cellar where the objects that have lost their value are to be found.

But the pandemic has forced us to ask ourselves some questions:
where are we going? What is the objective of wanting to dominate everything and everybody at every moment? What sense has the acquisition of so much knowledge and power if in the end we are no happier? As a human species, does it make sense for humanity to live in a system in which the majority of the world’s population do not have their basic needs satisfied? Does it make sense to continue to live in such a way as if the natural resources were infinite,when in reality they are not?

Five years before this pandemic, Pope Francis told us in the encyclical Laudato Si:

“Christian spirituality proposes an alternative understanding of the quality of life, and encourages a prophetic and contemplative lifestyle, one capable of deep enjoyment free of the obsession with consumption. We need to take up an ancient lesson, found in different religious traditions and also in the Bible. It is the conviction that ‘less is more’ (n. 222).
“Understanding the quality of life”, that short affirmation is essential! What do we understand by quality of life’? Our present lifestyle makes us believe that a good quality of life is that which grows in extensions, that is, acquiring things, expanding our property and possessions, knowledge, resources, clothing, houses, cars, titles, etc. But Jesus and, naturally, Vincent Pallotti, have taught us that an authentic human life is that which grows in depth. Depth enriched with the capacity to love, with values, with the capacity of rejoicing in the act of giving, of being happy, of enjoying the simple things of life. 

We hope that this hard/difficult situation of pandemic will help us to become better persons and more aware of how many things we have no need of in order to live. We hope that we will be wiser and concentrate on the essential and not confuse extension with depth. We also need to be aware that our Common Home and the human person can never be a means, rather he/she are ends in themselves.
We have transferred the economic paradigm and commercial relationships to human bonds and this is a big mistake. The person can never be a means for satisfying my selfishness but the person has to always be an end in themselves. People, just like creation should not always be contributing to an economic advantage at all costs.

We must really and truly call on God to make us more aware, in such a way that the constant thirst for
domination is transformed into a hunger and thirst for service. May our Christian communities become alternative spaces to the culture of domination, that they may be spaces where everybody is included and protected. Communities that are schools of moderation and spaces of gratuitousness:
“Christian spirituality proposes a growth marked by moderation and the capacity to be happy with little. It is a return to that simplicity which allows us to stop and appreciate the small things, to be grateful for the opportunities which life affords us, to be spiritually detached from what we possess, and not to succumb to sadness for what we lack. This implies avoiding the dynamic of dominion and the mere accumulation of pleasures” (n. 222).

Through the intercession of Saint Vincent Pallotti, we ask God, that after this pandemic we may have learned the lesson that we depend upon each other, that we all live in the one Common Home and that we are all in the same boat together.

Some questions for reflection and for personal and community prayer:During self-isolation at home, did you think about how you live? What are the most important things for you?Do you think that in your life you are more preoccupied with growth in extension or growth in depth?Does everybody in your Christian community feel accepted and welcomed?Do you treat others as a means or as an end?Do you feel that you live in Christian moderation?Do you have a true awareness of care for our Common Home?What activities could you promote in your community in order to take better care of our Common
Home? 

Fr. Lic. José Luis Gulpio SAC
Licentiate in Philosophy Pontifical Gregorian University of Rome
Postgraduate in Educational Management – Catholic University of Uruguay


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