Hope is one of the gifts brought by a New Year. But
before we rush into the new it’s healthy to stop and reflect on the past year
we traversed, give thanks for the blessings, consider the lessons learned, and acknowledge
the people who walked with us.
Some of the standout moments for my
2016 are those spent with family and friends. As much as I value quiet spaces
to think and write, I also treasure the time spent in community with others. I
think this is one of the reasons I never tire of participating in outdoor
processions during special feast days or for an important cause. We are family,
in good times and in bad times, walking together on this pilgrimage.
St. John Paul II in his encyclical Sollicitudo rei socialis said it best,
“We are all one family in the world. Building a community that empowers
everyone to attain their full potential through each of us respecting each
other’s dignity, rights and responsibilities makes the world a better place to
live.”
Pope Francis called for a “revolution
of tenderness” as we participated in the Jubilee of Mercy in 2016. He wants
this revolution to continue. “Mercy
cannot become a mere parenthesis in the life of the Church,” he said in his
apostolic letter “Mercy and Peace.”
“Like a gusting but wholesome wind, the
Lord’s goodness and mercy have swept through the entire world,” he said. Now we
must put that mercy into action.
At the closing of the Year of Mercy,
Pope Francis said that while the Jubilee ended and the Holy Door is closed,
“the door of mercy of our heart continues to remain wide open. We have learned
that God bends down to us (cf. Hos 11:4) so that we may imitate him in bending
down to our brothers and sisters.”
He pointed out, “The culture of extreme
individualism, especially in the West, has led to a loss of a sense of
solidarity with and responsibility for others.” He added, “Mercy impels us to
roll up our sleeves and set about restoring dignity to millions of people; they
are our brothers and sisters who, with us, are called to build a “city which is
reliable.”
In December, two young women whose
parents and grandparents have been in exile in the United States, worked with
interfaith leaders to organize a prayer vigil at the Basilica of Our Lady of
San Juan del Valle in solidarity with the people in Syria. Families there have
been devastated by a five-year civil war. We came together, people of all faiths,
to pray for the people of Syria. We came together in solidarity. Throughout
this New Year, we can find ways to express our solidarity with others, to walk
with them sometimes on roads paved in uncertainty.
As Pope Francis notes, “We are called
to promote a culture of mercy based on the rediscovery of the encounter with
others, a culture in which no one looks at another with indifference or turns
away from the suffering of our brothers and sisters.”
Following a procession in December for
the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe, Bishop Daniel E. Flores reminded us “we
walk together as brothers and sisters, as children of God.” And this requires,
he said, “that we respond with care to those who are suffering, those who are
living through difficulties and darkness.” In his homily at the Mass for the Feast
of Our Lady of Guadalupe, he said we must raise our voice to protect those who
are vulnerable.
In January each year, we celebrate a
March for Life giving voice to the unborn and to remember the millions who have
been lost to abortion. In our diocese, we will walk together on Jan. 21 from
St. Joseph the Worker Church to Sacred Heart Church in McAllen.
“The Power of One,” the national theme
for the march scheduled Jan. 27 in Washington, D.C, recognizes “One person can
make a difference in the world, whether in the life of one person or many,” as
noted on their website. “Sadly, in the U.S. alone, one million
babies are not even given the opportunity to live and change the world each
year,” according to organizers. “Building a culture of life and ending abortion
takes each and every person. Starting with your family or neighborhood, our
collective efforts will change hearts and minds, save lives, and build a
culture of life.”
Pope Francis in his message “Overcome
Indifference and Win Peace” for World Day of Peace 2016, said, “There are many
good reasons to believe in mankind’s capacity to act together in solidarity
and, on the basis of our interconnection and interdependence, to demonstrate
concern for the more vulnerable of our brothers and sisters and for the
protection of the common good.
For me the words of Elie Wiesel in his
acceptance speech for the Nobel Peace Prize in 1986 also resonate. He said,
“Our lives no longer belong to us alone; they belong to all those who need us
desperately.” This is certainly counter culture in a world drunk on
individualism and indifference.
In this New Year, I recognize more than ever I cannot stand on the
sidelines. We cannot turn away with indifference from our family close to home
or in other parts of the world. We walk together, we practice mercy, we raise
our voices. For our New Year’s resolutions let’s look for ways to include more
moments of solidarity, mercy and action.
(Originally published
in January 2017 edition of The Valley Catholic newspaper)
