Monday, July 14, 2014

Entry 24: Blessed are the poor in Spirit

                                            ( http://www.cartoonmovement.com/cartoon/9495)

 To conclude the first chapter of this papal exhortation, Francis formulates his desires for the Church a little more strongly: What if, the  Universal Church were to take up this missionary impulse that is in us all? Can you imagine, this body of 1.2 billion people, going out to their friends,families and neighbors and encouraging them to receive the Word? This would be a great dream, but it's actually not what Pope Francis desires from us. Don't get me wrong, he wants everyone to receive the word, to be embraced by the loving arms of Mother Church. However, he also wants to remind us that, before we go to our families and friends,
we ought to go to those that Jesus went to first. No, not the fishermen and tax collectors, but " the poor...sick... those despised and overlooked."( EG 48) Those who will not repay our efforts ( Luke 14:14). Francis does not mince words on this:  He often speaks out against those who reduce our faith to a few ideological positions or even those who are Sunday Catholics that ignore the word of the Lord 6 days a week, but he proclaims with a loud voice that it is inconceivable that a Christian could ignore the poor, for the simple reason that there is a deep bond between our faith and the poor (EG 48). 

  This particular exhortation -the request that we begin our evangelization with the marginalized- may not be always well received in the Universal Church, but it makes sense. Our faith is not one that says 'go tell the good news to all people! Start with those you love most, and then make your way to others if you have the time'. Nor does it say 'go to those who have money so that they can contribute to your parishes and keep your community wealthy'.  It says: 'go forth'. And this is what we're exhorted to do here (EG 49), to know no limits to how far and wide we are willing to go to share the joy of the Gospel with others. To accept, as Francis has said again and again, that our invitation is to be a poor Church. Indeed, this is in fact what he would prefer to see: a Church that is "bruised, hurting, and dirty' by going out on the street, as opposed to the Church we often see in the West, one that is clinging to its own wealth and security (EG 49). 

The problems with wealthy churches should be self explanatory. As for ones that dwell in their own 'security', I suppose one could argue that in the end, there is nothing wrong with security. In fact the desire for it is profoundly human. The issue that Francis has is when people create a 'false security' in their faith, one where they are complacent with the status quo of our world that allows such a tremendous gap between the rich and the poor and almost encourages  our world to be indifferent to the plight of those who suffer around us. We should indeed be disturbed how many of our brothers and sisters around us live 'without strength, consolation born of friendship with Jesus..without community' (EG 49). Why is it that Pope Francis keeps reminding us of caring for them (much more than any of his predecessors, to be sure!)? Because he knows that many in parish communities around the world are caught up in a system of rules and habits that prevent them from being pastoral and caring Christians.  Because Jesus himself never tired of saying to us 'Give them something to eat'. There are many institutions out there that can help with feeding the poor, but it's up to us to be present and loving to them to spiritually nourish them.A tall order perhaps, but not one we should ever back down from.

  

48. If the whole Church takes up this missionary impulse, she has to go forth to everyone without exception. But to whom should she go first? When we read the Gospel we find a clear indication: not so much our friends and wealthy neighbours, but above all the poor and the sick, those who are usually despised and overlooked, “those who cannot repay you” (Lk 14:14). There can be no room for doubt or for explanations which weaken so clear a message. Today and always, “the poor are the privileged recipients of the Gospel”,[52] and the fact that it is freely preached to them is a sign of the kingdom that Jesus came to establish. We have to state, without mincing words, that “there is an inseparable bond between our faith and the poor”. May we never abandon them.

49. Let us go forth, then, let us go forth to offer everyone the life of Jesus Christ. Here I repeat for the entire Church what I have often said to the priests and laity of Buenos Aires: I prefer a Church which is bruised, hurting and dirty because it has been out on the streets, rather than a Church which is unhealthy from being confined and from clinging to its own security. I do not want a Church concerned with being at the centre and then ends by being caught up in a web of obsessions and procedures. If something should rightly disturb us and trouble our consciences, it is the fact that so many of our brothers and sisters are living without the strength, light and consolation born of friendship with Jesus Christ, without a community of faith to support them, without meaning and a goal in life. More than by fear of going astray, my hope is that we will be moved by the fear of remaining shut up within structures which give us a false sense of security, within rules which make us harsh judges, within habits which make us feel safe, while at our door people are starving and Jesus does not tire of saying to us: “Give them something to eat” (Mk 6:37).

Saturday, July 5, 2014

Entry 23: Opening our hearts to the world

                                                            An Open heart, by Fania Simon 
                           (source: http://fineartamerica.com/featured/an-open-heart-fania-simon.html) 



To finish off Chapter 1 of EG, Francis continues his reflection on the missionary heart  (which he began in the previous section)  with a short new section that will reflect on what is an open heart. He is convinced that to have a missionary heart, one must also have an open heart (EG 46). In order to speak of this open heart, he uses the imagery of open doors a lot. With this image,it’s easy to understand that he means that the Church doors can’t be closed to anyone, and that all are welcome. But he eventually explains that there’s much more at stake here: It’s not just about having open doors to invite others into our Church.It’s about developing a true missionary heart that will remain open to others. A heart that will listen and be present to  those all people, especially those who have faltered along the way. (EG 46) He compares the missionary heart to to the prodigal son’s father who always kept the door open for his son to return and pass through his open door.(EG 46)

  While it's true we can’t forget the importance of having Church doors open to people either, (Eg 47) the reason why Francis focuses more on the openness of the doors of the  heart is because this is something we struggle with as Christians.  Yes, we’re a caring people that are open and loving towards everyone we meet …in theory!! We can’t overlook the fact that all too often, when Christians encounter someone whose lifestyle is built around principles and actions that are contrary to scriptures, we have a tendency of closing our hearts to them.This is a nicer way of saying that we don’t shy away from judging others and reacting in fear, or even hate towards them. 

Some Catholics  may argue “ …but we have to be the voice of morality in this immoral world, and as such, must not  hold back from openly challenging people who act against the precepts of God.’ Although an unpopular way of practicing one’s Christianity today, it is a valid option for many out there and a genuine reflection of a desire for a better world. However, Francis might challenge folks who believe this a little more. In a homily he gave last Monday   he reminded the faithful that we should pray for people who are do evil. We should not judge them.  Our job is not to pass judgment, but to love.

This is especially true in the Sacramental  life of our Church.  Our Sacraments are meant to be open for everyone to share and participate in.  As he says ‘ the doors of the sacraments shouldn’t be closed for… any reasons’. ( EG 47) Later in the same paragraph, he cites a quote attributed to St Ambrose, reminding us that the Eucharist and other sacraments are not a prize for the perfect but a powerful medicine and nourishment for the weak  (EG 47) The common assumption among many Catholics these days is that such statements reflect our Pontiff’s desires to change how our Church currently deals with divorced people with respect to the Eucharist, in order to open the door for their involvement at the Eucharist. I myself am trying not to expect anything from our beloved Pope. He will lead the Church in the direction he feels the spirit is calling us, which means none of us can really ‘predict’ what will come next from Francis, but the mere fact that he is speaking of a Church which is  “the house of the Father, where there is a place for everyone, with all their problems” (EG 47) should  be a sign that there are indeed exciting times ahead for this Church, if we are courageous enough to follow the lead of our pontiff!!


46. A Church which “goes forth” is a Church whose doors are open. Going out to others in order to reach the fringes of humanity does not mean rushing out aimlessly into the world. Often it is better simply to slow down, to put aside our eagerness in order to see and listen to others, to stop rushing from one thing to another and to remain with someone who has faltered along the way. At times we have to be like the father of the prodigal son, who always keeps his door open so that when the son returns, he can readily pass through it.
47. The Church is called to be the house of the Father, with doors always wide open. One concrete sign of such openness is that our church doors should always be open, so that if someone, moved by the Spirit, comes there looking for God, he or she will not find a closed door. There are other doors that should not be closed either. Everyone can share in some way in the life of the Church; everyone can be part of the community, nor should the doors of the sacraments be closed for simply any reason. This is especially true of the sacrament which is itself “the door”: baptism. The Eucharist, although it is the fullness of sacramental life, is not a prize for the perfect but a powerful medicine and nourishment for the weak.[51] These convictions have pastoral consequences that we are called to consider with prudence and boldness. Frequently, we act as arbiters of grace rather than its facilitators. But the Church is not a tollhouse; it is the house of the Father, where there is a place for everyone, with all their problems