Piece by piece ...
Communications, Missions, Youth Ministry,
Economy
ROME: 28 March 2014 -- Results of yesterday's
elections for Sector Councillors
Social Communications: Fr Filiberto Gonzalez
Missions: Fr Guillermo Basañes
Youth Ministry: Fr Fabio Attard
Economy: Bro. Jean Paul Muller Regional Councillors
will be next up.
---------------------- Goodnight: Surfing in the liquid
society
Fr José Cristo Rey
García Paredes cmf
We Christians have been given a beautiful name: “The
faithful”. This is our name: “faithful Christians”! Today I
would like to speak of “the faithful religious”. We have
worrying surveys about the number who leave consecrated life
in recent years. At any rate I believe it is essential for us
to contemplate our situation with serenity and wisdom.
The ministry of fidelity is an urgent task. This ministry is
called to present fidelity as Good News in the culture of
“liquid love”, and to signal the existential path of fidelity
with alarm signals to avoid accidents.
Fidelity: good news in a culture of “liquid love”
We have often heard in recent years: we are in a “liquid
society”. It is a feature of post-modernity. We are not in a
culture of definite commitment, obligations until death.
It is good for us to perceive the fluid nature of reality. It
is intelligent to live like those who go surfing: always ready
for the unpredictable wave. Everything is liquid in surfing,
except the surfboard. This is the platform that allows one to
dance, move over the waves. This is the platform of salvation.
We are not condemned to drown in a liquid society. We need a
certain solidity which allows us to find the reason for our
life.
Today we are asked to be faithful in commerce, sport, media,
in the world of enterprise. There are people who glory in
their fidelity to the flag, to “the colours”. The churches
also speak of “the faithful” - although at times in a very
generic way.
The difference between some cases and others is – to continue
with the surfing image – the surfboard we are using to glide
across the waves. Jesus did once ask Peter to surf the waves.
But he sank, because he doubted! His board was not faith.
Faith is the confidence that comes from the board which never
fails, but it also requires us to have the art of ongoing
adaptation and balance so we don’t lose our grip.
Liquid society and fidelity are compatible. Fidelity readjusts
to situations. Fidelity is based on the promise of a God who
is faithful to us, who has established a Covenant with us
without turning back: “Who can separate us from the love of
Christ?”. It is like an invisible security rope that promises
help, care, salvation when the waves are threatening to drag
us under. This invisible rope encourages us to keep dancing in
hope on the waves while he says: “Do not fear, I am with you”.
This is why fidelity is, above all, dialogue, listening,
constantly checking our contact with this “mysterious control
tower”. Fidelity is also our connection with the ‘surfboard’,
this human reality that has been given us as a gift (a person,
a community, a congregation, a church, a humanity, an earth).
Our fidelity to God is always bound up with other fidelities,
is embodied in them, sacramentalised in them. In consecrated
life we connect our fidelity to God with our fidelity to our
brothers or sisters in our institute, our community. It is a
multilateral covenant and thus expressed in many ways.
Fidelity grows to the extent that our faith grows. The
contrary happens with infidelity. However we also have to say
that fidelity grows to the extent that others grow in us
(“whoever believes you, makes you”); and it decreases in the
contrary case. Whoever believes in you is worthy of faith: the
community, the institution that believes in you. Fidelity is
the response to a covenant. We have the belief that our God
“believes” in us and that he remains faithful. However does
the same happen with our brothers or sisters in community?
With our ecclesial institutions or congregations and those who
lead them? Our faithful response is not only threatened by our
inner demons, but also by demons from outside. However such
threats should not cause panic: they are passing moments and
easy to dodge when surfing means we are well positioned on our
board and have our invisible rope.
Alarm signals
The ministry of fidelity has an important task today: it marks
the path of fidelity in liquid society. These signals alert us
to possible dangers and difficulties. They teach the art of
walking on water.
How beautiful it would be to recover our genuine name!
Faithful Christians! Faithful religious!
