Maravi

There is no stopping them

There is no stopping them
By Editor
Thu 04 Feb. 2010, 04:00 CAT

“SOME sections of society say that Catholic bishops and priests like criticising the government. Twafisaanga fye (We found this). Our criticism was started by Jesus Christ. Jesus rejected corruption, nepotism and favouratism. We shall continue giving positive criticism to the state in order that justice prevails amongst our people. You are planning to kill our priests; mukaishamika fye. You try to suppress Fr Frank Bwalya, another one springs up. You don’t even know where he has come from; you will not stop us.” These words are from Fr Mathews Kasongo, assistant parish priest at Kapiri Mposhi Immaculate Heart of Mary.

Truly, there is no stopping them. And they won’t be allowed to stop. What they are doing is what we expect from our priests. Actually, they are not even doing enough. We still want to see more from them. Preaching the gospel without speaking of justice, of unjust structures, but only of charity that does not challenge those in power, the established order will be popular. Proclaiming the gospel with its inseparable implications of justice, of the need for changing structures, of organising the poor so that they can demand their rights, our priests will be called all sorts of names, disturbers of peace, they will be persecuted by those in power and sometimes even by some church authorities.

Preaching that exposes structural or institutionalised injustice is a dangerous business as it is a direct challenge to the greedy and the powerful. That is why the prophets of old shuddered at the invitation of God to become His mouthpiece. And only prophets and mystics will have the courage to preach to this counter-culture. Mystics and prophets of all major religions have preached against it. Mahatma Gandhi in his foreword to the volume of Gokhale’s speeches wrote: “In other words, one who aspires to a truly religious life cannot fail to undertake public service as his mission, and today we are so much caught up in the political machine that service of the people is impossible without taking part in politics…In the circumstances that obtain today, in following the path of religion, they must take into account the political conditions.”

And Swami Vivekananda said in his speech on “The Future of India”: “To preach religion to one who is hungry is like insulting him…The role of religion is to bring the light of knowledge to those who grope in darkness and join in the struggle of the weak and the poor in their efforts in the creation of a bright future…Hence it is that the poor and downtrodden saw the arrival of Islam as liberation.”

Acts of charity are needed of course; but more important is to work towards changing unjust structures. It is necessary to give a fish to a hungry man. But he will be hungry again. And so we need to give him, as it were, a fishing rod so that he can feed himself. This is what Bishop Don Alder Camera meant when he said: “When I give food to the poor they call me a saint; but when I ask why there is no food for the poor they call me a communist.”

We know that our society is unjust, unfair and not humane. As Moses and the prophets, as Christ and the early Fathers, the church is calling on its priests to preach and practice social justice towards the establishment of a more just, fair, and humane society if they are to be disciples of Christ or more simply if they are to be mature and responsible human beings. For the Kingdom of God on earth is nothing other than a more just, fair and humane society. Hence the church tells us that only faith that does justice is genuine faith (James 2:20).

That is the unequivocal teaching of the church from the beginning – a church sent on a mission to evangelise the world, a church that pledges itself to a new thrust for social justice in all areas of its apostolate; priests that commit themselves to put into practice the social teachings of the church in their personal healings and in their institutions; priests who understand that while personal services and relief work will always have their important place, the more relevant and meaningful effort today need to concentrate on change or transformation of the atmosphere of the structures, creation of new relationships, fresh value system, and providing of ampler freedom, and wider opportunities for all men and women.
Pope Leo XIII had written in “Rerum Novarum of 1891”: “Some opportune remedy must be found quickly for the misery and wretchedness pressing so unjustly on the majority of the working class.
Pope Paul VI goes a step forward in “Populorum Progressio of 1967”: “More than any other, the individual who is committed by true charity labours skilfully to discover the causes of misery, to find the means to combat it, to overcome it resolutely.

And the Vatican Council in its constitution on the Church Today says: “If the demands of justice and equity are to be satisfied vigorous efforts must be made…to remove as quickly as possible the immense economic inequalities which now exist.”
Today the church has come to recognise that there are unjust structures that prevent individuals from living with the dignity of God’s children. In fact these unjust structures are the cause of the greatest threat to love. Hence, action on behalf of justice and participation by our priests in the transformation of the world fully appear to us as a constitutive dimension of the preaching of the gospel.

The church proclaims that the work for justice and for the establishment of just structures is a constitutive dimension of the preaching of the gospel, as much as the preaching of the Creed or the Sacraments. For, after all, all these structures challenge and thwart love on which “depend all the Law and the Prophets” (Matt. 22:40).

Christ came to bring liberation to humankind – total and integral liberation that embraces spirit, mind and body. Let’s recall His teaching: “ The Spirit of the Lord is on Me, because He has anointed Me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent Me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of society for the blind, to release the oppressed…” (Luke 4:18-19).

Christ was continuing and completing the teachings of the prophets before Him. The Israelites were slaves in Egypt. God intervenes to bring them out from slavery to freedom, for He listens to the cry of the oppressed: “The Lord said, I have indeed seen the misery of My people in Egypt. I have heard them crying out because of their slave drivers, and I am concerned about their suffering. So I have come down to rescue them from the hand of the Egyptians and to bring them up out of that land into a good and spacious land, a land flowing with milk and honey.”

God brings them out of Egypt to form a society where there will be no form of oppression of one individual by another, of one group by another; a society based on a new set of laws: of love, concern, justice and respect for human dignity. God this wants to form an alternative community – a more just, fair and humane community.

Slowly, due to human greed and selfishness, the Israelites began to return to the oppressive kind of society. As centuries passed, especially under King Solomon, the Jewish society had become a completely oppressive society. “King Solomon raised a levy of forced labour out of all Israel” (IKings 5:13). The alternate society that God wanted to establish, different from the oppressive societies all around, a community where people lived in justice, peace, love, mercy and respect for human dignity, was a thing of the past.

It is significant that it is around the period of King Solomon that prophets appear on scene. Their preaching is mainly twofold: give up religious ritualism that has lost the spirit of love for God manifested in love for people; and establish a society that is just and free. Just a few samples on their teaching on meaningless ritualism: “For I desire mercy, not sacrifice, and acknowledgement of God rather than burnt offerings” (Hosea 6:6); “The multitude of your sacrifices, what are they to me? Says the Lord. I have more than enough of burnt offerings, of rams and the fat of fattened animals; I have no pleasure in the blood of bulls and lambs and goats” (Isaiah 1:11); “I hate, I despise your religious feasts; I cannot stand your assemblies. Even though you bring me burnt offerings and grain offerings, I will not accept them. Though you bring choice fellowship offerings, I will not listen to the music of your harps. But let justice roll on like a river, righteousness like a never failing stream!” (Amos 5:21-24).

As regards social justice their teachers are spread all over the Old Testament: “The Lord enters into judgment against the elders and leaders of His people: ‘It is you who have ruined My vineyard; the plunder from the poor is in your houses. What do you mean by crushing My people and grinding the faces of the poor?’ Declares the Lord, the Lord Almighty” (Isaiah 3:14-15); “This is what the Lord says: “For three sins of Israel, even for four, I will not turn back My wrath. They sell the righteous for silver, and the needy for a pair of sandals. They trample on the heads of the poor as upon the dust of the ground and deny justice to the oppressed” (Amos 2:6-7); “Like cages full of birds, their houses are full of deceit; they have become rich and powerful and have grown fat and sleek. Their evil deeds have no limit; they do not plead the case of the fatherless to win it, they do not defend the rights of the poor” (Jer.5:27-28).

Prophets clearly imply that religion and social justice are two sides of the same coin. There can be no religion, but only religiosity and ritualism, where there is no justice. There can be no preaching of the word of God without the preaching of justice. Christ proclaimed that His mission was the same (Luke 4:17-21).

Our priests, our bishops do realise what religiosity without religion has become through injustice and oppression. They are aware too of the consequences they would have to face if they choose to preach against the unjust establishment, the greedy and vanity of those in power. Christ has warned all those who preach and practice His gospel what they could expect: “I am sending you out like sheep among wolves. Therefore be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves. Be on your guard against men; they will hand you over to the local councils and flog you in their Synagogues” (Matt. 10:16-17).

Hence, the prophets, being very human, were very reluctant to assume their role of prophets. There is a pattern in the call of the prophets. First there is the encounter with God Who takes the initiative to invite them for this service (Ex. 3:1-3; Judges 6:11; Jer.1:14). Then comes the commissioning by God (Ex. 3:10; Judges 6:14; Isaiah 6:9; Jer.1:4-5; Ezh.3:4-11). But the prophet asks the Lord to be excused from the mission, for he feels incompetent and scared (Ex.3:11; Judges 6:15; Jer.1:6). God reassures the prophet that He would be with him in his mission, though hard and dangerous (Ex. 3:13; Judges 6:16; Jer.1:8).

Thus the prophets accept their mission only because of the urging of God’s Spirit which they cannot resist (Isaiah 6:6-8; Jer.1:7-9).

So in the Bible, God’s justice is all-embracing: love, mercy, compassion and social justice. Social justice is an integral part of the gospel. Our loving relationship with God calls for a loving relationship with fellow humans in all its aspects: “If anyone says, ‘I love God,’ yet hates his brother, he is a liar. For anyone who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen” (I John 4:20).

We can go on and on to show how the teachings and actions of our priests, of our bishops are truly and firmly anchored on Christ’s doctrine. And because of this we can confidently declare that there is no stopping them in what they are saying and doing.

Labels: CATHOLIC CHURCH, CHILUBA

posted by MrK @ 4:10 PM