After prayerful reflections and deliberations in Common, we narrowed down our action plan in concrete during the first session of the Chapter (Aug2023). Now we need to work on ways and means to realize our desire to do ever more and ever better, in the spirit of synodal solidarity, to grow together in fullness. Leaving behind what is passing and temporary (1Jn 2:17), we put on Christ (Gal 3:27) and live His life (Phil 1:21).
Life Process:
Leaving the past and living a transformed life in the present is what we see around in nature. A leaf, when its time is up, detaches itself from the tree and falls down – It’s attachment to the tree has been memorable and fruitful; but it is making way for newness of life. Apparently it is forgotten and decays; but it lives in the form of new blades for which it has become the raw material and the sap giving life and energy.
This also is the divine process: The Word that was God (Jn 1:1) became World, that is, God became a human being and chose living in the world. The Divine becoming the Human is celebrated as Incarnation or Relational Transformation. God, who created the human in His image and likeness (Gen 1:27), becomes transformed in the image and likeness of the human, so that the human could manifest and live out His character and His nature.[1] This becomes an invitation to each human being to become transfigured (Mt 17:2) as well as transformed.
This sets the trend in the world history for many great men who transformed the world. Siddhartha left his assumed pomp and power and became the Buddha – He became conscious of the reality and as the enlightened one he lived a life of mindfulness. On the beck and call of Jesus, his disciples left everything (Lk 5:11) and lived a life for and with the poor as Jesus did. Mother Teresa left her earlier affluent religious milieu and lived as the poor scattered, disfigured, and discarded on the roadside. She discovered the image and likeness of God in the neglected human beings and tried to reconstruct the God-face through her service to the socially and politically disfigured and discarded. As religious we are invited to leave the world we lived in so far, in order to live a transformed life for others. This leaving the past and living in the present is the call of God that should ever echo in our heart. This feeling for the other should suffuse in us permeating through our life-mission so that we could imitate the compassionate leader Jesus.
What is left behind?:
The calling of the disciples of Jesus is very picturesque and inspiring. One may not imagine that Jesus met them for the first time and invited them and they left everything (and everybody) and followed him: While mending the net, the sons of Zebedee (James and John), left their boat and their father and followed Jesus (Mt 4: 21f). Simon (Peter) and Andrew were casting the net into the lake when the call of Jesus came in – They left their nets and followed Jesus (Mt 4:18-20). Mathew was in his tax collector’s office when Jesus beckoned to him and he got up and followed Jesus (Mt 9:9).
This invitation to follow Jesus is direct or indirect. We could see a chain reaction in invitation to follow Jesus: When Andrew was invited, he met his brother Simon and said: “We have found the Messiah” (Jn 1:41) and Simon joined the band. Jesus invites Philip (Jn 1:43) and Philip brings in Nathanael to the fold (Jn 1:45). The seed of inspiration and invitation originates from Jesus and it has got the unfolding effect through His followers.
The invitation and its effect seems to be immediate and abrupt. We could assume that Jesus might have been in touch with the individuals and might have inspired and influenced the individuals. And the after-effect is Jesus’ invitation to follow him and their ‘immediate’ leaving everything and following him. Of course, we see and also the apostles might have felt that they have left everything to follow Jesus (Lk 18:28). And what did they leave? Little and big! They have left their little net (Mt 4:20) but they have also left the boat and their father (Mt 4:22). It is not what they left but what it meant to them that matters. It is not their net and boat – It is their livelihood. It is not their father – It is their family ties and their future. They left behind them what gave them security; and what gave them their identity. They left once for all their attachment to their near and dear ones to get integrated with unknown people, unfamiliar cultures, untested waters etc where they would be planted. It is not simply their temporal properties they have left but their bonds of love in the world to follow a person who they trusted and believed to be more than anything and anybody in the world.
We are in the same situation. We were called – Perhaps not in person by Jesus but by his followers who inspired us and who were instrumental in our becoming religious people and to join a specific Congregation. We are not looking back what we have left but we look forward what need to do – We need to build people and through them the Kingdom of God here on earth. The people we have chosen to serve may be considered as the building blocks of this Kingdom but we become the cementing bonds to make this Kingdom realistic and livable. So, we think of not what we have left behind but what we have inherited from the One who called us and take our steps forward to do His work, since He only called us to continue with His redemptive work. God is not asking just our help but, as the author of The Cloud of Unknowing would put it, He wants us[2] (totally and undivided) to continue and to fulfill his redemptive work (Col 1:24).
We have left our previous status i. because God chose us to be sent to sanctify the world (as Jesus was sent – Jn 20:21); ii. because we wanted the healing touch of God to reach the unreached; iii. because we wanted to live not for ourselves but for others; and iv. because we wanted to be Jesus in today’s world (and the harvest is plentiful – Mt 9:37).[3] And we know that our initial enthusiasm in following the call of God as well as leaving anything or everything in the world needs endurance as well. This initial enthusiasm and the ongoing endurance is the push-pull dynamism in our life-mission.
What is in Store for us?:
Our invitation has the same purpose as that of Jesus, namely “to proclaim good news to the poor”, which implies in concrete “to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, and to set the oppressed free” (Lk 4:18). Our call is to be the liberators of the captives; to be the agents of empowering the powerless; and to be the healing touch of the sick (physically, psychologically, economically, politically etc).
We could, to start with, think of the captivity of physical afflictions: It is not only those who are kept suppressed inside walls and fences but also those who are imprisoned by the physical frailties, such as caused by genetics, accidents, malnutrition, lack of hygiene, etc instead of healthy body and mind. At times we might need freedom for ourselves from our own wrong choices made individually or collectively, as a result of our ignorance, or our weaknesses, or at times out of our wilful disobedience or defiance of compassion for the poor.[4] We need course correction – We might have deviated from the original vision and plan but now we realize that we have gone away and awry from our earlier decision and dedication based on deliberations in common. We might need to retrace out steps for a better tomorrow.
The challenges that the religious face today as well as opportunities that invite them are multifaceted. The steady decline in the number of vocations on the one hand and the increase in number of elderly in the religious congregations needs to be taken note of in planning for the future mission. The increasing bargain power of the affluent society/nations on the one hand; and the growth in poverty brining in diminishing public health and hunger are weighing concerns today. The powerful are engaged in war of destruction and the human rights are shattered in the crossfire. The religious wonder what could be done to alter the world’s deteriorating conditions and to bring back the balance of love and harmony.
Due to wars, discrimination, and exploitations people are scattered all over the world; and migration and internally displaced have become a great concern today. The fangs of consumerism has brought in the culture of drugs and the young and children are falling victims. People have begun to search not only for their daily food and shelter but also for meaning in life. And their prayers to a ‘silent’ God becomes a question and dilemma of their existing faith in religion. The world is becoming by and large a death field – The infants die due to malnutrition and unhygienic situation; the adults have become vulnerable to abuse and exploitation; and the elderly left unattended to languish in loneliness. And nature itself is facing extinction due to over-exploitation. In this situation, God has invited us and we are searching for answers to the surmounting questions facing the humankind today. We need to find out why God has invited us and how we bring in wellness in this world.
The temptation is to get stuck to where we are as we feel comfortable to walk along the much beaten path – We are invited to take road less travelled and to take calculated risks. We need to revisit our mission fields and we need to come out of our comfort zones and take a quantum leap in the dark of the unknown, solely depending on the One who called us to work with us. In the words of H. Sunim, a Zen master, we need to realize:
“Rather than always seeking comfort from others,
Offer your comfort and listen to others.
In the process of helping
You will be healed.”[5] We are invited to leave the cocoon of individualism but to take on wings of collaboration. We are expected to think in terms of networking with others who are committed to the same cause of Christ’s mission. As followers of Christ, we are invited to look at the pierced side of Christ and His wounded heart. We witness both blood and water that flow from His side, that is, both life (water) and death (blood).[6] We look even beyond on the wounded heart of humanity, the crucified people, whose blood of suffering is still dripping under the Cross of Christ. We are invited to build relationship: Relationship of grace between God and people; relationship of love between the neglected elderly and the neglecting adults; relationship of justice between the exploiter and the exploited; and relationship of equality between the affluent and the poor. This trinitarian relationship, namely between God, the Religious, and the people, is the focus of our religious vocation, life-mission today.
Life-Mission as Talisman:
The Life-Mission of the religious is the talisman for the broken and disfigured world. It starts with union of hearts and minds within the Congregation and then unity in diversity on the mission field. We are to live out the wish of Jesus, who prayed that all may be one, just as Father and Jesus were one (Jn 17:21). As H. Sunim says:
“The air I inhale enters my body and becomes
Part of me.
The air that I exhale moves into someone else and
Becomes part of her (him).
Just by looking at how the air moves,
We realize we are all connected to one another,
Not just figuratively but also literally.”[7] We need to see, think, and feel that we are made of the same physical elements; and further God created all of us in His image and likeness (Gen 1:27). As we are designed in imago Dei (image of God), we are invited to do together the Missio Dei (mission of God).
This need for unity and collaboration is seen in the resurrection encounter of Jesus with Mary Magdalene. Mary Magdalene is super joyful to recognize the risen Lord but the resurrected Jesus tells her: Do not hold on to me – Go tell my brothers (instead) – I am ascending to my Father and your Father (Jn 20:17). The Trinitarian aspect is brought in here vividly: It is not Mary Magdalene and Jesus; but it is Jesus, the disciples (all people), and God (the Father). As religious we are to live out this trinitarian reality of life-mission. The religious serve as the bridge between people (both individual and collective) and God. We are to be the agents and catalyst of unity among the people. And all our ministries should reflect this aspiration and commitment of ours. The salvation of the religious is the salvation of the people served.
We may be living amidst and experiencing conflict with people we work with and serve. But we need to transcend this contradiction between the interest of others and our mission. As H. Sunim says,
“Many conflicts in our lives can be resolved
If we put ourselves in the other person’s shoes.
Try to look at things from her point of view.
If you consider only your side,
You are no different from a child”.[8] We are also invited to give, and not to count the cost; to toil, and not to seek for rest; to labour and not to ask for reward, except knowing that we do the will of God.[9] The will of God is that we serve His people as His messengers and His fellow-workers.
A new Meaning and a new Start:
We need a new start, or jump-start, if necessary. And it could be a journey of forgiveness and reconciliation. We feel, “Inside of us there is a steep mountain of fear and a deep river of grief. But there is also the compassionate eye witnessing your inner landscape.” We need to find our inner witness, the source of freedom and healing to go further.[10] This invites us to see everything new and to look for the finger of God pointing out the direction we need to march on. Every day is an Ichigo Ichie experience, that is, ‘now or never’ moment. It is what we are experiencing right now will never happen again.[11]
Converging:
All would converge one day. Life and Time are the world’s best teachers: Life teaches us the use of Time; and Time teaches us the value of Life. And both converge in the life of a religious. Also Life is like a Rollercoaster. Every time there is a bump, you can either scream out of fear; or throw up your hands in excitation and enjoy the ride. The choice is yours. You have chosen Jesus and you have opted for His work – Go ahead with confidence in yourself and trust in Him who called you; and who shaped you up; and who has sent you on mission. You have left behind a little; but you have now the fullness of Life and so live it out as you are the converging point of God and people – here and hereafter.
In our life-mission we are often influenced by four emotions, namely, anger, sadness, fear, and happiness. Anger and sadness keep us tied to the past, preventing us from enjoying the here and now. On the other hand, fear is anticipatory based on our uncertain prediction of what might happen in the future. But happiness makes us effusive, putting us not only on the sunny side of life but also bring us closer together to others making our life meaningful in the present.[12] Then we become an Easter people and Alleluia becomes our song[13] as we march along the road of redemption.
During the persecution of the Church in Rome in the second century, the Prefect of Rome asked Lawrence, the Deacon, to bring in the Church’s treasure to him. Lawrence went through the city and gathered together all the poor and the sick people supported by Church and told the Prefect, “These are the Church’s treasure”.[14] Who or what is my treasure in my religious life? Let us remind ourselves of this for our self-examination:
What have I left in the World for Jesus?; and Who am I now living in the World for?
Let the answer give us clarity and direction to go forward in life-mission (individually and collectively). We might have fear or diffidence to carry out our mission, but our sense of purpose and clear conviction would give us confidence to do our best to the least. Let us march on together.
Francis P Xavier SJ
04Sep2023
[1] https://www.cfcindia.com/books/living-as-jesus-lived (Z. Poonen, Living as Jesus lived, Christian Fellowship Church, Bengaluru, 1977)
[2] E. Underhill (Ed), The Cloud of Unknowing, John M. Watkins, London, 19222, p.11. (Cf. British Museum MS Harl. 674)
[3] https://www.desiringgod.org/articles/four-reasons-why-we-leave
[4]https://rsc.byu.edu/my-redeemer-lives/proclaim-liberty captives#:~:text= The%20passage%20from%20Isaiah%20reads, liberty%2C%20preaches%20deliverance%20to%20those
[5] H. Sunim, The Things You can See only when You slow Down, Penguin Life, UK, 2017, p.36.
[6] https://uscatholic.org/articles/201501/the-challenges-facing-religious-life-today/
[7] H. Sunim, The Things You can See only when You slow Down, Penguin Life, UK, 2017, p.120.
[8] H. Sunim, The Things You can See only when You slow Down, Penguin Life, UK, 2017, p.92.
[9] Prayer of St Ignatius for Generosity.
[10] H. Sunim, The Things You can See only when You slow Down, Penguin Life, UK, 2017, p.123.
[11] H. Garcia and F. Miralles, Ichigo Ichie, Quercus, London, 2019, p.3.
[12] H. Garcia and F. Miralles, Ichigo Ichie, Quercus, London, 2019, pp.36-40.
[13] Pope John Paul II: during his visit to Australia on 30Nov1986 (paraphrasing St Augustine: Exposition of Ps 148) – Cf. https://aleteia.org/2022/04/20/who-really-said-we-are-an-easter-people-alleluia-is-our-song/
[14] https://www.st-lawrencesprimary.co.uk/the-story-of-st-lawrence/