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The Southern Cross, Page 4 CommeiMfiiry Thursday, April 5, 2001
Communion and solidarity during Lent
Mission youths enact Christ’s passion.
By Sister Jackie Griffith, SSJ
6 6 r T'° tru ly take upon one’s self
the misery present in the
world” were the words of Pope
John Paul’s 2001 Lenten message
that stood out among the rest. He
went on to say that “the world ex
pects from Christians a consistent
witness of communion and solidari
ty.” To take the misery of others to
oneself, how must one be in every
day life, how must the parish be
week in and week out and how
must the community and nation be
in its daily practice of policies,
business relationships and govern
ment? And what is solidarity and
what does it have to do with our
faith?
Catholic social teaching holds up
solidarity as one of its principal
themes along with the dignity of
the human person, the call to fami
ly, community and participation,
the protection of rights and respon
sibilities, a preferential option for
people who are poor and vulnera
ble, upholding the dignity of work
and the rights of workers and care
for God’s creation. Solidarity is
part of our rich tradition of wisdom
that calls for building a just society
where life is sacred and every per
son is valued and cherished. It
binds us one to another as one fam
ily without regard to national,
racial, ethnic, gender, economic
and ideological boundaries. Our
fate is tied up with each other and
has implications for our relation
ships with persons on death row,
the children of Iraq, the disap
peared of Latin America, people
who work in our fields, women
treated as sexual objects, laborers
exploited by big business and
sweatshops, folks with little or no
health care, non-English speaking
immigrants in our parishes and
communities and people devalued
because of institutional practices of
racism, sexism and homophobia.
Solidarity calls us to action on
behalf of our one human family. It
calls us to heal divisions, to care
for people weak and vulnerable, to
work against oppressive systems, to
close the gap between poverty and
wealth, to open hearth and hearts to
the plight of another and to risk
discomfort and insecurity for the
sake of the reign of God. We are
inextricably linked; if one person is
imprisoned, hungry, poor, home
less, war tom, exploited, denied
access, or devalued, we all are in
our one human family.
Our U.S. Bishops have developed
a framework for parishes seeking to
explore, discuss and promote soli
darity. This framework has six
tenets. The first is anchoring soli
darity through prayer, worship and
preaching. We are the Body of
Christ and are most one as commu
nity at the celebration of the
Eucharist. Our music and interces
sions and the preaching of the
homilist can all reflect the social
dimension of the Gospels. Teaching
solidarity is the second tenet. The
bishops urge Catholic schools, reli
gious education for children, youth
and adults, RCIA, and sacramental
preparation to include the social
mission of the Church boldly and
emphatically and to match these
efforts with actions to share resour
ces, discover structural causes of
poverty and to advocate for human
life, dignity and rights. Thirdly, we
must live solidarity in our family,
work and through our citizenship.
The choices we make for invest
ment, the goods we purchase and
consume and the way we exercise
our voting rights all contribute to a
building up or tearing down of a
just society. Investing in solidarity
is the practice of stewardship and
the fourth tenet. It is the financial
resources we share as well as our
time, energy and very lives. We
contribute to the “second collec
tions” that work to promote justice
here and abroad. Fifth, we practice
solidarity by our outreach and char
ity. As parish we mutually build
relationships with groups to discov
er each other’s gifts and resources.
The concept of parish twinning
without paternalism can be benefi
cial to all. Lastly, we are called to
promote solidarity through advoca
cy and political responsibility. Our
commitments cannot stop with
financial help and service. We must
be informed and involved with the
political process, build leadership,
promote citizenship and form net
works for legislative advocacy.
There are many ways to flesh out
the work of solidarity. One is
required to begin with a transfor
mation of heart, a conversion of
soul, move to a building of commu
nity, the Body of Christ and coura
geously be with others in a pro
phetic stance of unity. Taking the
misery of another to myself can be
risky, costly and very uncomfort
able. What am I willing to sacri
fice?
Sister Jackie Griffith, SSJ, is
Diocesan Director of Catholic
Social Services.
When the light bulb goes out ...change the bulb
By Ticki Lloyd
o anyone who has had a spiritual awakening,
it is no mystery where Jesus got his wisdon.
He cultivated an intimate relationship with God,
his father. We need to do what Jesus did. Go
inside ourselves to develop a closer experience
with God. This is not always easy for me to do.
When the light in my soul goes out, sometimes I
procrastinate in changing the bulb, and sink
deeper into darkness. My problem is that I don’t
always know what I’m searching for. I realize I
can’t have a new experience while I’m thinking
of the past. That would be like pouring new
wine into old wine skins.
Spiritual experiences do not always come dur
ing quiet times. They may be felt while we’re
shopping or talking. Experiencing God firsthand
does not always come easily. Sometimes we
have to wait and listen and just let it happen. We
often assume that life-changing experiences
must be spectacular; that they always deal with
deep problems and burdens. Not so. Even a sim
ple event can be the occasion for a spiritual
experience and transformation.
When the saints found their “being” in God,
they no longer identified with worldly things.
Their interests were entirely on spiritual matters.
They sanctified themselves in Christ and spent
time with the Holy Spirit.
When it became difficult for some of the saints
to endure the selfishness and wickedness in the
world, they sought solace in barren places which
enabled them to focus more readily on God.
This is not to say that we should rash to the wil
derness or some faraway place because of the evil
we see around us. In today’s world, it would be
hard to find an uninhabited place. Even if you did,
the price would be beyond reach of most of us.
There is only one Power and one Presence in
the world, and it is God who is everywhere.
Every person is equal in God’s eyes, and all
have an equal portion of his love. No one is
more “special” than the other with God. All are
equal, including the AIDS victim, the leper, the
prostitute, the homeless person and the garbage
man. It is our responsibility to be aware of God
in all things and all places and to live our lives
fully attuned to God’s presence. The mind is the
common ground between God and us.
Constant prayer is the language of spirituality.
The inner silence of prayer is a great source of
spiritual power, whether it be praying the Rosary
or communing with God in silent prayer.
When I write of praying and saying the rosary,
Eddie Beranc comes to mind. What a silent
saint! Eddie breathed God every moment of his
life. I knew Eddie way back in Savannah where
I lived. Eddie’s spirituality improved the quality
of his life. And all was well with those around
him.
I enjoyed Tom Barton’s beautiful tribute to
Eddie in The Southern Cross (3-15-01), “Saying
goodbye to the Rosary Man.”
Eddie needed no awakening. He was born
awake in the Spirit.
Ticki Lloyd is a member of Saint Francis
Xavier Parish, Brunswick.