We all do it- use Facebook as a way to communicate our political and religious viewpoint. After all, isn’t that the whole purpose of Facebook… Well, a few days ago a seminarian friend of mine posted this quote from St. Josemaria Escriva on his Facebook: “If you have time on your hands, think again a little. It’s quite likely that you have become lukewarm; that, supernaturally speaking, you have become a cripple. You are not moving, you are at a standstill. You are barren; you are not doing all the good you should be doing to the people around you, in your environment, in your work and in your family.” At first glance I was a little annoyed. Wow, that is harsh, I mused. What is wrong with a little free time? But the more I dwelt on it, the more I came to see the truth in it. This very idea, this push to get us outside of our comfort zones, is the same one our Holy Father, Pope Francis has been teaching us these past few months. This quote seems to be the very motto on which his whole life has been based.
Charity in action is what describes his papacy up to this point, in particular in regard to service to the marginalized of society. Take a look at his thoughts in the new book released in English by Image last week- On Heaven and Earth. The passages on poverty in particularly struck me. “In Christianity, the attitude we must have towards the poor is, in its essence, that of true commitment. And He (Christ) added something else: this commitment must be person to person, in the flesh. It is not enough to mediate this commitment through institutions, which obviously help because they have a multiplying effect, but this is not enough. They do not excuse us from our obligation of establishing personal contact with the needy. The sick must be cared for, even when we find them repulsive and repugnant. Those in prison must be must be visited… It is terribly difficult for me to go to a prison because of the harshness of life there. But I go anyway, because the Lord wants me to be there in the flesh, alongside those in need, in poverty, in pain.”
Our future Pope Francis- then Cardinal Bergoglio has no problem bluntly disclosing how he has struggled with visiting prisoners, and it came as a relief to me. If such a humble man struggled to rise above himself, than I can as well. Recognizing Christ in a homeless person has always been difficult for me, and I will quickly avoid routes that take me near them to silence my conscience. I am ashamed to say I have never tried hard to rise above my feelings and at most would quickly drop a couple dollars near them as I dashed by. In a somewhat ironic twist in life, I now live in a city where homeless people can’t be avoided. I found myself reacting to them with something akin to terror. How I admire my husband who is teaching me to handle those encounters with a little more grace and to see Christ in them. A quick stop to say hi while passing them a bag of snacks might be the only way a homeless person meets Christ.
Pope Francis continues: “Christian Charity is the love of God and neighbor. It can begin with aid, but it cannot stop at fundraising events. There are things that are called works of Charity when, in reality they are social-conscience calming activities. These kinds of programs are carried out in order to feel good about oneself, but love always requires a person to go out from himself, to truly give oneself to others. The person I intend to love needs me to put myself at their service.”
Are we willing to do this? To call the homeless person, the prisoner, the sick person by name and truly serve them? Our Holy Father is challenging us to take to heart the words of the Gospel. When did I see you Lord, and how did I respond?
