Category: Editorial

A friars’ order in Switzerland, whose number has dropped by half in the last ten years, has launched an unconventional recruitment drive by advertising in a classifieds section of a Sunday newspaper normally reserved for high-flying executive positions. The advertisement, according to press agencies, specifies that they are looking for unmarried Catholic men aged between 22 and 35, independent, capable of communal living, curious and with initiative. “We offer you no pay, but spirituality and prayer, contemplation, an egalitarian lifestyle, free of personal material riches and the common model of a couple relationship,” the ad promises the applicants. The ad superbly illustrates how many Church dioceses, religious orders and congregations are desperately exhausting their imagination to attract new members to their dwindling ranks and ensure their survival. In this case, it appears that the call to consecration in religious life doesn’t differ much from the choice of a career. The ad emphasizes the life-long commitment, but all the other requirements are of the professional order. There’s no mention of God’s call to discipleship and to the order’s charism – its specific way of following Jesus. The assumption, perhaps, is that even if the candidates upon entry do not have the right motivations, they will eventually acquire them and will be able to keep the conventual structures and commitments.  It seems a subversion of what a genuine religious vocation is when compared, for instance, to the call of Mary, the Mother of Jesus, and the integrity of her answer to God, following the promptings of the Holy Spirit. Her life, as shown in this issue, is a series of unconditional “yes” to God. At the Annunciation, being a simple adolescent, she was far from imagining what her mission entailed of obscurity and suffering – especially the distressing condemnation and execution of her Son. Throughout life, she had to walk in faith, because of the most probable experience of God’s prolonged silence; she had to overcome doubts, fears, insecurities and trials, praying and reflecting, trying to find meaning in apparent senseless events confident in the angel’s assurance that “nothing will be impossible for God” (Lk 1:37). Mary and the other biblical figures – from the prophets to the disciples of Jesus – show that vocation is a leap in the darkness of faith, embracing God’s unforeseeable ways. They showed their availability and readiness knowing very little of what their lives would be, what surprises God had reserved for them. They had to let go of their plans and leave their comfort zones to embrace God’s mission and collaborate in His saving work.  We, like Mary, are called to be Christ-bearers and bring forth a Savior to a weary, hurting world. The Lord waits for our decisive and definitive “yes” to a life of faith and commitment to the poorest, following in His footsteps. As Pope Benedict XVI said, “God asks each one of us to welcome Him, to make available to Him our hearts, our bodies, our entire existence, so that He

Can the Church advocate for the poor, uphold human rights, lobby to remove the causes of poverty and injustice, fight corruption and other social evils without encroaching? Biblical prophets can usher in such reflection. Their approach to religion and politics is still relevant for societies with either great religiosity and inequality as ours. They preached a message of social justice and challenged the wealthy and powerful to share with the most vulnerable in society. They railed against oppression and repeatedly stated that God takes no pleasure in worship that is belied by injustices to the poor. In short, they refused to separate religion and morality, worship and social concern.  Amos is a precursor. He exercised his prophetic ministry in a time of great prosperity, but also of division between rich and poor, increasing social corruption and oppression of the weak and helpless. At the same time, there was a great outward show of religious observance. Through Amos, God expresses his disgust with religiosity devoid of righteousness (See Amos 5: 21.24). The prophets’ quest for social justice keeps its pertinence as we tend to have a lopsided understanding of morality – as referring almost exclusively to people’s sexual-related behavior and relegating to second plan the perversion of truth and justice. Therefore, it is not rare seeing Church people taking a strong stand against abortion, for instance, while they are far less passionate in denouncing graft and corruption and decry the economic crimes that put at stake the survival of many families. Pastors who have the prophetic courage of defending the poor and upholding justice and human rights are likely to enter in a collision route with officials of self-serving regimes. The former are often accused of being leftists and meddling in politics. The late Archbishop Dom Hélder Câmara of Recife, Brazil, had a famous dictum that still rings true: “When I feed the poor, I am called a saint. But when I ask why many are poor, I am called a communist.” Was he going overboard in his commitment? His answer was: “Denunciation of injustice is an absolutely essential chapter in the proclamation of the Gospel. And not merely a duty for the few. It is a human duty for everyone, a Christian duty for all Christians, and an absolute duty for the shepherds.”  In dealing with politics, the Church has to avoid two dangers: let itself be exploited for political ends and seek politicians’ support to further its mission. In both cases its freedom is compromised. But can the Church be neutral in the face of injustice? South Africa’s Anglican Bishop Desmond Tutu answered: “If you are neutral in situations of injustice, you have chosen the side of the oppressor. If an elephant has its foot on the tail of a mouse and you say that you are neutral, the mouse will not appreciate your neutrality.” There’s no place for silence and indifference when there’s abuse by the powers that be. It would be either cowardice – a sin of