By Norbert Khonde, cicm

 

There is no way to live in this world without getting hurt, misunderstood, lied upon and/or rejected. Every human being somehow has already experienced at a certain moment of his/her life those terrible moments.

Once we are faced with those difficult situations, the natural reflex of an ordinary person is to think and to find some evils ways to take a very good revenge. This idea of revenge is and will always be present in the mind of every human being.

It remains forever a true temptation for everybody throughout the whole of human history. Even the children of Israel were not immune to it. It even became a kind of law for them at the time of their Exodus from Egypt. We can read it from Exodus 21:24 as it is written: “eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot”.

In short we can say that the idea of revenge is a kind of human reaction towards those who trespass against us.

Nevertheless let us ask ourselves these fundamental questions: Is there any other way to settle our problems without having to go through revenge? Is the idea of revenge good or bad? As Christians what is the best way for us to solve problems?

First of all let us see what our lord Jesus Christ thinks about it. In the Gospel according to Saint Matthew (5: 43-45),  He says:  You have heard that it was said, Love your neighbor and hate your enemy. But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,  
"You have heard that it was said, Love your neighbor and hate your enemy. But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,  that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous".

Those words of our Lord Jesus Christ contradict the whole notion of revenge. Instead He invites us to take a different approach in case of problems among us. He encourages us to take the approach of peacemaking. 

He invites us to make peacewith every human beingincluding those who trespassagainst us. Parents shouldmake peace with theirChildren; Teachers shouldmake peace with theirStudents; Doctors and nursesshould make peace with theirPatients; Pastors should makepeace with their flock; HumanBeings should make peace withMother Nature by taking goodcare of the Environment andNatural Resources; old peopleshould make peace with youngpeople, etc.   In short the process of peace making concerns the whole Universe. All of us have to work together  to build that peaceful world. 

But can we really build a peaceful world knowing that people will always hurt each other? Is it possible to reach that goal? Since Human Beings are in nature fragile our Lord Jesus Christ reminds us that the only way to make the dream of a peaceful world possible is to always forgive each other’s faults. Without forgiveness, it is simply impossible to live and to work together. Forgiveness begets peace.     

Forgiving others creates an attitude of peace first in our own hearts, secondly in the society where we live, and lastly with God who is the source of our existence. This is why Jesus Christ told His disciples to pray to our heavenly Father using these words: “forgive us our sins, as we have forgiven those who sin against us” (Matthew 6:12). 

Brethren we are all aware that forgiving those who trespass against us is not something very easy to do. For that we need to make some effort on one side and on the  other side to seek God’s grace to help us so that we may be able to comprehend and to interiorize this value. Let us always remember that forgiveness begets peace. 

A few days ago I was listening to a program about the current financial crisis when one of the commentators said something that really caught my attention. He said that for the past five hundred years what was needed to start and maintain a successful business was capital (i.e. money). “This is why our system is called capitalism” he said. He went on to explain that success in business wasn’t so much about having a big idea or coming up with a new invention, as it was about having a steady and secure flow of capital. He gave the example of the Sony Corporation. When Akio Morita and Masaru Ibuka decided to form a company in Japan in 1945, at the end of World War II, they had no idea what they would produce. Their first concern was to gather together some capital. Once the capital was secured, they formed a board of directors and only then set about deciding what it was that their company would do. They decided to enter the new field of electronics and the rest, as they say, is history. The point that the commentator was making is that today this is no longer the case. “Today” he said, “the primary ingredient in a successful business isn’t capital but talent. He went on to say that even in the midst of today’s financial crisis when capital is extremely tight, some business continue to thrive because these corporations have looked for talented people and have helped them to develop their skills. Thus the companies like Apple keep turning our new products that people are eager to buy whether they need them or not.

This reflection on the importance of money versus talent in the world of business made me wonder if something similar isn’t happening in world of mission as well. I don’t in any way want to devalue the talent, dedication and courage of our predecessors, or of our confreres working today, but it seems to me that we can easily fall into a mindset that almost equates the success of mission with the amount of money we can gather and spend. Maybe this isn’t so surprising.

At the risk of being over simplistic I would say that in the past our success in mission work depended a great deal on the amount of money we could raise. As CICMs, our mission mostly involved going to remote parts of the world and building parish infrastructure; churches, rectories, schools and dispensaries. We went to places where there was nothing in terms of the Church and created the structures.

And, because we created the structures, the people came. Of course we weren’t just building buildings. We were building the community as well, but our building of the community was entwined, and maybe even dependent on, the structures we created. Again, at the risk of being very over simplistic, one could almost say that mission work consisted in gathering the capital and building the structures. Success in mission depended on success in fund raising.

Of course not every confrere saw things this way and even those who did had a more nuanced view than I have presented here, but my point is to ask, wasn’t this connection between mission and money a part of the CICM mindset that we have all inherited and isn’t it still a part of our mindset to some extent today?

As we think about mission in the future, we need to ask ourselves what will be the role of money, and what will be the role of the talents and skills we bring to our work? The axiom “If you build it they will come” may have been true once in Latin America and Africa, but this is changing very fast. I doubt that this axiom ever applied to most parts of Asia, and it certainly doesn’t apply to Europe. It is also true that more and more services like schools and dispensaries that used to be supplied by the missionaries are now being supplied by governments or NGOs. So what is the role of the missionary who is no longer a builder or a furnisher of primary needs like education or health care, and what will be the role of money in his mission?

I think that in the future, the success of mission will depend much more on the talents and skills we bring to our work than on the amount of money we raise and spend. For example, people today are hungrier for spirituality than they are for parish structures and buildings. A successful missionary will be a deeply spiritual one, one who can share his spirituality and call forth spirituality in others. To become this kind of missionary does not demand a lot of money but rather a strong commitment to deepen one’s own spirituality through prayer, study and spiritual direction.

Or, for example, people today don’t want someone to tell them what to do, nor do they want someone who will always agree with what they say, rather they want someone who can listen to them and counsel them while still leaving them free to make their own decisions. It doesn’t take a lot of money to do this, but it does take commitment to learn and practice the necessary skills of listening and counseling. Are we missionaries up to the task?

And certainly there are still many people in the world today who lack basic services, but which is better in the long run, to try to supply them with the services they need ourselves or to teach them to organize themselves for change? The first demands endless resources that we missionaries simply don’t have. The second doesn’t take much money, but it does require our skill, time and commitment.

As we all know, the world has been in a financial crisis for the past four years and there is still no end in sight. Some of us have felt the effects of this crisis on our work and some of us haven’t. Obviously the Provinces that have become dependent on invested capital are having the hardest time. They say that every crisis is an opportunity. Isn’t this crisis an opportunity for us to turn our focus from what we can do with money to what we can do with our own natural talents and skills?

We may not be able to build a lot of churches at this time, but couldn’t we busy ourselves with building Basic Ecclesial Communities instead? When we focus too much on money, we can easily run the risk of trusting more in material means than trusting in God. Maybe this crisis is an opportunity to renew our trust in God, to return to a simpler lifestyle, and to think about what I can do with my talents, skills and commitment even if money is limited.

Recently, I was talking with a confrere about the financial crisis and how it was affecting us. I mentioned that many confreres find it humbling when they have to tell the people that budgets have been cut and that they can’t continue doing some of the things they were doing only a few years ago. The confrere replied that maybe we have to be humbled to know the value of what we have to offer. “We have to be humbled to know the value of what we have to offer”. There is a lot of wisdom in these words. What we have to offer that is really of value isn’t our money but our talents, skills and commitment. If we can begin to focus more on these, the mission will continue and we will probably find more happiness and fulfilment in our work as well.

Traditionally, with the celebration of Flores de Mayo, the month of May is consecrated to Mary. Throughout the ages, Mary has been invoked under hundreds of names as a refuge and as a model. Thousands of statues and images present her as a sweet, lovely Lady, far detached from the struggles and realities of daily life.

However, already in our daily prayer of the “Magnificat” we get a glimpse of her as the courageous, determined, strong woman at all times aware of and committed to the tremendous task put on her frail shoulders by her Creator. Through her “Yes”, the Mighty One brought justice to the world: He has shown the power of His arm: the proud are scattered with their plans, the mighty put down from their thrones, the lowly are uplifted, the hungry filled with good things and the rich sent away empty. Her unconditional “Yes” brought her a lot of suffering and unexpected turn of events in her life, but she remained at all times a model of justice and nonviolence.

Since the foundation of our Congregation, we, as missionaries, have been putting ourselves under her maternal protection. 

We are celebrating 150 years of CICM. Our founder and his companions left their country of origin and sacrificed their life to bring human dignity to abandoned Children in China. Over the years, so many confreres suffered hunger, sacrificed their health and even their life for the cause of the poor and voiceless, to stand up for their rights as human beings. Inspired by the “Yes” of Mary, they also lived as models of justice.

What about us now? Do we still believe we are an essential part of the big crossword puzzle that is JPIC, where each one of us, even how small we are, become an integral part of the solution?

The Acts of the Chapter state clearly that: “the commitment for justice and peace, for the recognition of the dignity of human life and persons, and likewise the care for creation are CONSTITUTIVE ELEMENTS of our mission.” This conviction must mark all our commitments, as individual confreres as well as CICM communities.

Daily we are confronted with the tremendous multitude of abuses: Abuse of women, OFW’s, child labour, 40% drop out of children from school, human trafficking, abortion, land grabbing of IP’s and exploiting their services, contractualization, overworked and underpaid church workers, illegal logging, illegal mining, pollution (air, land, water). How can we face this? We feel powerless, overwhelmed, even scared of reactions by the abusers.

All confreres, according to their possibilities, are trying to respond to local JPIC issues, but as we never got a formal training for this, the results are sometimes discouraging. Therefore, the PG approved to provide each CICM parish community with the training manual from the Lumko series: :” Building Parish Justice and Peace Groups.” Hopefully this booklet will be able to help us organize and work out a more Consistent program in coordination with our parish lay workers. If need be, we can ask Bukal to organize a training session on how to proceed with it. 

Father Joseph Wresinski of the Fourth World Movement states: “A Christian’s and the Church’s first duty is not so much to defend human rights, much less to defend them in the name of the law. Our duty is to defend the human being by restoring their rights to those whose very humanity has been called in question.”

As a Congregation, we have to stand up in solidarity with the downtrodden. This has to be an integral part of our corporate commitment with issues involving the neediest, the voiceless, those trampled upon. As RP-CICM we should fully support and endorse the initiatives taken by confreres to foster the restoration of “the endangered humanity” of so many abused people.

Maybe one strong sign of this solidarity could be to review our budget downwards, not only because of the financial situation of the RP Province, but especially because we want to share the lot of so many families with many children who have to make do with very low salaries and cannot go to collect a subsidy from anyagency. We should re-examine our projects and programs and prioritize them according to the needs, the urgency and the participation of the local communities.

Through our JPIC involvement, we realize that we have to look first into ourselves and ask ourselves: 136

Through our JPIC involvement, we realize that we have to look first into ourselves and ask ourselves:

-How can I bring more justice in my own life and in CICM?

-How can I live more in peace with myself and with CICM?

The answer to those questions will determine the effect of our witnessing, of our prophetic mission. Our own simple lifestyle, in solidarity with the poor, speaks more than 1000 beautiful slogans.

May Mary, the model of Justice, inspire each one of us to stick out our neck, whatever the cost, to become witnesses of truth and justice by honestly giving ourselves totally to the mission the Lord entrusted to us.

May the celebration of our 150 years CICM become a starting point for renewed commitment to a simple lifestyle as our pioneers did, full of hope and trust in the continued presence of the Lord.

This summer I will celebrate my 82nd birthday. So, you can understand why presently my JPIC engagements are minimal. I consider our CICM priorities, JPIC-IRD (Justice, Peace and Integrity of Creation – Interreligious Dialogue, as the two glasses of my spectacles. This particular focus allows me to watch the world selectively, including the town where I live (Lier), near Antwerp. My JPIC-IRD specs help me avoid to get lost under the daily stream of information and many challenges.

 

Till last year, I was a member of the Antwerp Diocesan JPIC Committee. I kept my seat warm until our confrere Ghislain Toussé was ready to take over from me. He is also joining the BNL JPIC Working Group, where I continue to participate actively.

I gladly follow the campaigns and activities of ORBIT, where refugees and migrants feel at home. In view of the elections in Belgium (National and European), ORBIT issued its advice which I helped spreading and discussing, right and left. I also attend ORBIT’s formation sessions to keep me informed on refugee policies. Nowadays, we can no longer afford not to keep in touch with the developments in society; for example, I have been reading Yuval Noah Harari’s Trilogy (Sapiens, Homo Deus, 21 Lessons for the 21st Century). An eye-opener!

 
In principle, I use public transportation and, if need be, I practice car-sharing. Recently on a rainy day, I joined one of the climate marches in Brussels (70,000 attended). One lady was holding a sign: “I must come along, my daughters insisted!”

 
Here in town, I am a member of the local Amnesty Group. We regularly organize open “Amnesty letter writing” evenings, old fashioned, indeed, but still effective. During the yearly Human Rights Week, we invite the public to participate in a letter-writing marathon. At the service of schools and city guides, I composed a Human Rights Walk in Lier. One of our Amnesty Group also coordinates the local “World Council” (including Fair Trade Shop, minority groups, etc.).

 
I belong to the MOWE-Lier fan club: volunteers who help newly arrived asylum seekers and migrants for housing and other necessities; offering them coaching courses, etc. Last year, I assisted in the conversation group. On Sun- days, I attend Mass and other celebrations at De Brug (the Bridge).

 
During Lent, a Protestant scholar took care of the thematic celebrations. On another occasion, an imam delivered the “homily”. Repeatedly, I was asked to join the group of celebrants, but I refused leaving room for younger people. As a result, a young pastoral worker is sometimes leading the celebration.

 
At the previous BNL Encounter Days (September 2018), we were challenged to practice our faith in times of secularization. So, I am trying to reformulate and live my “secular” faith. The first “secular believer”, I presume, was Jesus himself as the Gospel of John let him say: “Believe me, woman, the hour is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. God is Spirit, and those who worship him must worship in Spirit and truth” (Jn 4:21.24).

 
Fortunately, life is about more than CICM priorities. There are confreres, family, friends, and neighbors, birthdays and funerals, unexpected encounters. There is a small talk, fantasy, humor, laughing, and leisure, cooking and doing the dishes, walking and reading.