Prayer and Reflection
February 2021
To give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace. (Lk 1,78-79)
In the first chapter of the Encyclical Fratelli tutti, the Holy Father makes an insightful assessment of the reality in which we live today. He mentions very specific phenomena that have become firmly established in our existential everyday life. These include the lack of historical awareness, globalization, social inequality, exploitation, privileged social groups, the destruction of a sense of human value in order to control someone, the tendency to homogenize the world, where the interests of the authorities are emerging, where they benefit from someone's low self-esteem and where, through the media and networks, attempts are being made to create a new culture at the service of the most powerful. Finally, the apparent freedom, the promotion of a consumer lifestyle and the support of a mentality of fear and mistrust, which leads to a weakening of the sense of community and the inability to engage with everyone. Of course, these are not all the phenomena of the present world mentioned by the Holy Father.
Nor is it a question of listing them all at this point. However, reading the first chapter of the Encyclical, one can get the impression that it is an analysis of phenomena, signs of the times, which our founder, St Vincent Pallotti, also observed closely. For example, the first point of the May Appeal you can read: Anyone who closely observes the current state of the world and its attitude to religion is well aware that, despite all the horrors that our unhappy age has witnessed and is constantly witnessing, there is a great need for faith everywhere, and even non-Christian nations seem to show a tendency to adopt a Catholic religion (OOCC IV, p. 120).
Of course, someone would say that it was at other times. However, they were marked by a rather complex political and social situation. After all, it was a period of the French Revolution, later the Roman Revolution, whose supporters took up the fight against the Church in a very concrete way. Vincent Pallotti wrote in May Appeal a programme to everyone to show how important way of life and evangelization proposed by the United of Catholic Apostolate is. Nowadays, the temptation to create a culture of walls is becoming more and more visible,' writes the Holy Father in his encyclical, walls in the heart, walls in people's contacts, walls that ultimately surround people and take away horizons (FT 27). Saint Vincent Pallotti, together with the work he created, fits even more clearly into the current global context. Fraternity, community, caring for the individual person being together in diversity for the common goal of salvation of souls - these are the values that sound even more resound today. As a result, the charism left to us is still very relevant. Saint Vincent Pallotti, in the May Appeal mentioned above, places cooperation as a means to carry out the apostolate. At a time when attitudes of closure and intolerance are growing, isolating themselves from others and, on the other hand, when digital communication seeks to show everything - as the Pope wrote, Pallotti reminds the whole Pallottine Family that working together for the salvation of souls is very important. Cooperation itself presupposes good communication, building relationships, and this cannot be achieved without direct contact. There is a need, wrote the Holy Father, for physical gestures, facial expressions, silence, body language, and even smell, shaking hands, blush, because all this belongs to interpersonal communication (FT 43). Of course, you can now hide behind the limitations of direct contact and appreciate online contact. But, on the other hand, these digital ones can only be for a while, they can be a form of continuation of the work we have started, but they can never replace direct involvement. Meeting is a very important language of love. It can be short, lasting only a few minutes, but in full attention given to the other person. This short moment is a gift given - valuable, because it will never come back. Our holy Founder made it very clear to us that communication and relationships are to lead to building a community of faith. He did this himself by engaging with others in various tasks. He did so with full respect for each person. We are partners in adult life. There is no place for dominant attitudes here. If I need something, I ask, then I recognize both the skills and the value of the other person. By asking, I show that the other person has something to offer, something that is important to me and represents value. Cooperation, which is quite a difficult art, can transform, improve and sensitize everyone. On the one hand, it has an auto-formational dimension, on the other hand, the value of the tasks discussed is much greater and the way they are carried out is more experienced by others. The good that is revealed is mutual help, support, mobilization, encouragement… Listening also plays an important role in cooperation. Jesus in the Gospel according to St. Mark (12:29) says: Listen, O Israel…. The ability to listen in collaboration is important. When I speak, I am conveying what I already know, what I have learned. When I start to listen, I open up to what is new and I can learn something.
It may seem that listening is easy, but in fact it is a difficult task. We risk changing our thinking, our perception of ourselves, of others and even the world. Sitting down and listening to the other person is a behaviour typical of meeting between people, wrote the Holy Father in his encyclical. It is a model of the open-minded attitude of those who overcome their narcissism and accept the other, pay attention to them and accept them into their own circle (FT48). We can look together for the truth, we can look for new engagements in dialogue, in silent conversation or in heated discussion. This is an arduous process, Pope Francis wrote. This process consists of silence, suffering, the ability to gather patiently the vast experience of people and nations. Cooperation is therefore given to us and is our task.
The Pope also refers to the global tragedy of the Covid-19 pandemic, which has awakened the awareness for some time that we are a global community, sailing on the same boat, where the misfortune of somebody hurts everyone (FT 32). It took away the illusions that we are the ones creating reality and that our intentions, certainties and plans became nothing in one moment. The pandemic unveiled a blessed membership of one human family. In Pallottine family we also felt a taste of brotherhood, belonging and solidarity. May St Vincent Pallotti show us the paths of authentic apostolic commitment for God's infinite glory, for the destruction of sin and for the salvation of souls at this time.
Reflection:
• Which of the signs of the times, in my opinion, does Holy Father mention in his enciclical, affect my country most?
• Which of the essential elements of building a community of faith are important to me at this moment: cooperation, listening, talking?
• Am I a person open to God's calls and looking for inspiration from the Holy Spirit?
• Am I living the mission, the mission to which I have been called?
- Sr. Monika Jagiello SAC, Poland
No comments:
Post a Comment