of human brotherhood, that of Cain and Abel. I meant to draw attract attention
to how from the very beginning this original brotherhood was betrayed. Cain and
Abel were brothers. Both came forth from the same womb, they were equal in
dignity and created in the image and likeness of God; but their relationship as
brothers was destroyed. "It was not only that Cain could not stand Abel? he
killed him out of envy." Fratricide was the form of betrayal, and Cain's
refusal
to acknowledge Abel as his brother became the first rupture in the family
relations of fraternity, solidarity and mutual respect.
God then intervened to remind man of his responsibility towards his fellows,
as
He had also done when Adam and Eve, our first parents, ruptured their
relationship with him, their Creator. "Then the Lord said to Cain: "Where is
Abel your brother?" He said, "I do not know; am I my brother's keeper?" But the
Lord replied: "What you have you done? The voice of your brother's blood is
crying to me from the ground".
Cain said he did not know what had happened to his brother, that he was not
his
brother's keeper. He did not feel responsible for his life, for his fate. He
did
not feel involved. He was indifferent to his brother, despite their common
origin. How sad! What a sorry tale of brothers, of families, of human beings!
This was the first display of indifference between brothers. God, however, is
not indifferent. Abel's blood had immense value in His eyes, and He asked Cain
to give an account of it. At the origin of the human race, God shows Himself to
be involved in man's destiny. Later, when the children of Israel were slaves in
Egypt, God once more intervened to tell Moses: "I have seen the affliction of
my
people who are in Egypt, and have heard their cry because of their taskmasters;
I know their sufferings, and I have come down to deliver them out of the hand
of
the Egyptians, and to bring them up out of that land to a good and broad land,
a
land flowing with milk and honey". We should note the verbs which describe
God's
intervention: He sees, hears, knows, comes down and delivers. God does not
remain indifferent. He is attentive and He acts.
In the same way, in Jesus His Son, God has come down among us. He took flesh
and showed His solidarity with humanity in all things but sin. Jesus identified
with us: He became "the first-born among many brethren". He was not content
merely to teach the crowds, but He was concerned for their welfare, especially
when He saw them hungry or without work. He was concerned not only for men and
women, but also for the fish of the sea, the birds of the air, plants and
trees,
all things great and small. He saw and embraced all of creation. But He did
more
than just see; He touched people's lives, He spoke to them, helped them and
showed kindness to those in need. Not only this, but He felt strong emotions
and
He wept. And He worked to put an end to suffering, sorrow, misery and death.
Jesus taught us to be merciful like our heavenly Father. In the parable of the
Good Samaritan, He condemned those who fail to help others in need, those who
"pass by on the other side". By this example, He taught His listeners, and His
disciples in particular, to stop and to help alleviate the sufferings of this
world and the pain of our brothers and sisters, using whatever means are at
hand, beginning with our own time, however busy we may be. Indifference often
seeks excuses: observing ritual prescriptions, looking to all the things
needing
to be done, hiding behind hostilities and prejudices which keep us apart.
Mercy is the heart of God. It must also be the heart of the members of the one
great family of his children: a heart which beats all the more strongly
wherever
human dignity - as a reflection of the face of God in his creatures - is in
play. Jesus tells us that love for others - foreigners, the sick, prisoners,
the
homeless, even our enemies - is the yardstick by which God will judge our
actions. Our eternal destiny depends on this. It is not surprising that the
Apostle Paul tells the Christians of Rome to rejoice with those who rejoice and
to weep with those who weep, or that he encourages the Corinthians to take up
collections as a sign of solidarity with the suffering members of the Church.
And St. John writes: "If any one has the world's goods and sees his brother or
sister in need, yet refuses help, how does God's love abide in him?.
This then is why "it is absolutely essential for the Church and for the
credibility of her message that she herself live and testify to mercy. Her
language and her gestures must transmit mercy, so as to touch the hearts of all
people and inspire them once more to find the road that leads to the Father.
The
Church's first truth is the love of Christ. The Church makes herself a servant
of this love and mediates it to all people: a love that forgives and expresses
itself in the gift of oneself. Consequently, wherever the Church is present,
the
mercy of the Father must be evident. In our parishes, communities, associations
and movements, in a word, wherever there are Christians, everyone should find
an
oasis of mercy."
We too, then, are called to make compassion, love, mercy and solidarity a true
way of life, a rule of conduct in our relationships with one another. This
requires the conversion of our hearts: the grace of God has to turn our hearts
of stone into hearts of flesh, open to others in authentic solidarity. For
solidarity is much more than a "feeling of vague compassion or shallow distress
at the misfortunes of so many people, both near and far". Solidarity is "a firm
and persevering determination to commit oneself to the common good; that is to
say to the good of all and of each individual, because we are all really
responsible for all", because compassion flows from fraternity.
Understood in this way, solidarity represents the moral and social attitude
which best corresponds to an awareness of the scourges of our own day, and to
the growing interdependence, especially in a globalised world, between the
lives
of given individuals and communities and those of other men and women in the
rest of the world.
Building a culture of solidarity and mercy to overcome indifference
6. Solidarity, as a moral virtue and social attitude born of personal
conversion, calls for commitment on the part of those responsible for education
and formation.
I think first of families, which are called to a primary and vital mission of
education. Families are the first place where the values of love and
fraternity,
togetherness and sharing, concern and care for others are lived out and handed
on. They are also the privileged milieu for transmitting the faith, beginning
with those first simple gestures of devotion which mothers teach their
children.
Teachers, who have the challenging task of training children and youth in
schools or other settings, should be conscious that their responsibility
extends
also to the moral, spiritual and social aspects of life. The values of freedom,
mutual respect and solidarity can be handed on from a tender age. Speaking to
educators, Pope Benedict XVI noted that: "Every educational setting can be a
place of openness to the transcendent and to others? a place of dialogue,
cohesiveness and attentive listening, where young people feel appreciated for
their personal abilities and inner riches, and can learn to esteem their
brothers and sisters. May young people be taught to savour the joy which comes
from the daily exercise of charity and compassion towards others and from
taking
an active part in the building of a more humane and fraternal society".
Communicators also have a responsibility for education and formation,
especially nowadays, when the means of information and communication are so
widespread. Their duty is first and foremost to serve the truth, and not
particular interests. For the media "not only inform but also form the minds of
their audiences, and so they can make a significant contribution to the
education of young people. It is important never to forget that the connection
between education and communication is extremely close: education takes place
through communication, which influences, for better or worse, the formation of
the person."
Communicators should also be mindful that the way in which information is
obtained and made public should always be legally and morally admissible.
Peace: the fruit of a culture of solidarity, mercy and compassion
7. While conscious of the threat posed by a globalisation of indifference, we
should also recognise that, in the scenario I have just described, there are
also many positive initiatives which testify to the compassion, mercy and
solidarity of which we are capable.
Here I would offer some examples of praiseworthy commitment, which demonstrate
how all of us can overcome indifference in choosing not to close our eyes to
our
neighbour. These represent good practices on the way to a more humane society.
There are many non-governmental and charitable organisations, both within and
outside the Church, whose members, amidst epidemics, disasters and armed
conflicts, brave difficulties and dangers in caring for the injured and sick,
and in burying the dead. I would also mention those individuals and
associations
which assist migrants who cross deserts and seas in search of a better life.
These efforts are spiritual and corporal works of mercy on which we will be
judged at the end of our lives.
I think also of the journalists and photographers who shape public opinion on
difficult situations which trouble our consciences, and all those devoted to
the
defence of human rights, especially the rights of ethnic and religious
minorities, indigenous peoples, women and children, and the most vulnerable of
our brothers and sisters. Among them are also many priests and missionaries
who,
as good pastors, remain at the side of their flock and support them, heedless
of
danger and hardship, especially during armed conflicts.
How many families, amid occupational and social difficulties, make great
sacrifices to provide their children with a "counter-cultural" education in the
values of solidarity, compassion and fraternity! How many families open their
hearts and homes to those in need, such as refugees and migrants! I wish to
thank in a particular way all those individuals, families, parishes, religious
communities, monasteries and shrines who readily responded to my appeal to
welcome a refugee family.
Finally, I would mention those young people who join in undertaking works of
solidarity, and all those who generously help their neighbours in need in their
cities and countries and elsewhere in the world. I thank and encourage everyone
engaged in such efforts, which often pass unobserved. Their hunger and thirst
for justice will be satisfied, their mercy will lead them to find mercy and, as
peacemakers, they will be called children of God.
Peace in the sign of the Jubilee of Mercy
8. In the spirit of the Jubilee of Mercy, all of us are called to realise how
indifference can manifest itself in our lives and to work concretely to improve
the world around us, beginning with our families, neighbours and places of
employment.
Civil society is likewise called to make specific and courageous gestures of
concern for their most vulnerable members, such as prisoners, migrants, the
unemployed and the infirm.
With regard to prisoners, it would appear that in many cases practical
measures
are urgently needed to improve their living conditions, with particular concern
for those detained while awaiting trial. It must be kept in mind that penal
sanctions have the aim of rehabilitation, while national laws should consider
the possibility of other establishing penalties than incarceration. In this
context, I would like once more to appeal to governmental authorities to
abolish
the death penalty where it is still in force, and to consider the possibility
of
an amnesty.
With regard to migrants, I would ask that legislation on migration be
reviewed,
so, while respecting reciprocal rights and responsibilities, it can reflect a
readiness to welcome migrants and to facilitate their integration. Special
concern should be paid to the conditions for legal residency, since having to
live clandestinely can lead to criminal behaviour.
In this Jubilee Year, I would also appeal to national leaders for concrete
gestures in favour of our brothers and sisters who suffer from the lack of
labour, land and lodging. I am thinking of the creation of dignified jobs to
combat the social plague of unemployment, which affects many families and young
--- MPost/386 v1.21
* Origin: Sursum Corda! BBS=Huntsville AL=bbs.sursum-corda.com (1:396/45)
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