Like yeast

How was 2009? How can it be described? Our faith brings us to praise the Lord chanting Te Deum in recognition of all the good things, along with those things we thought would bring no good, which we succeeded to accept and transform in an opportunity for growth. As always, the life of the Church in Europe has been marked by daily life. Mankind can be deeply affected by significant experiences such as success and glory, but also by disappointments, by the birth a new life, by diseases and by death experience, to the extent of disclosing new horizons leading towards conversion and towards God. This intimate and silent relationship with God is celebrated in the sacrament. Baptisms, confessions, Eucharistic celebrations and marriages are the first signs of the life of the mystical body of Christ and the greatest riches treasured by the faithful and priests in parishes and religious movements. An assessment of the Church in Europe cannot prescind from this reality, since it is the realm where extraordinary events occur. There have been various events across different Countries and within the dioceses, some were negative and others positive, which either promoted or hindered the mission of the local Church. Namely, canonizations and beatifications celebrated across European States encouraged many faithful to experience sanctity as their own ideal. On the other hand, public involvement and frictions were sparked off by lively debates on new legislation addressing ethical issues.However, this picture doesn’t prevent us from identifying the concrete experiences that characterised this past year at social and continental level. The crisis in the economy had a major impact. Financial stability was affected by the problem of bank solvency caused by the yearning for profit, which disregarded the values of charity and the integral development of the human person. The crises gradually extended across the entire financial system, causing detriment to the lives of individuals and families. One of the most serious effects was the surge in unemployment. Job loss is not a figure pertaining to data bureaus and governments. It’s the tragedy of individuals and families, which causes the suffering of a large number of people who feel they’re at the margins of social life and will strive to live a dignified life. Moreover, the crisis has shed light on the good will of many, who sought to provide support to those in need. To this regard Church intervention was implemented in a series of initiatives. Unfortunately, mindsets cannot change from one day to the next. It requires opening one’s heart and minds to God. The Encyclical of the Holy Father, Caritas in Veritate, was decisive. It promoted a deep reflection, marked by challenges and hope. In the document we are reminded that the vocation to development, bestowed upon us by the Creator, ought to be lived cherishing mankind as a whole and the integral development of each human person in our hearts. The document reiterates that a culture of bestowal can free man from consumerism and hedonism. With these statements the Pope has shown that unless we devote a space in our lives to God, to mutual love and to the respect for life in all of its stages, and we act responsibly towards nature and the environment, there will never be true human development. The year 2009 was not only the year of the financial crisis. Indeed, a number of important events have taken place across Europe. And even though Europe is not only the EU, we ought to mention a number of remarkable events, namely: European Parliament election, the endorsement and enforcement of the Lisbon Treaty, the appointment of the European Council President. The Church is expected to accompany the faithful. But her duty is also to unveil wrongdoings whilst proposing and bear concrete witness to goodness across society. Our concern isn’t only directed to strictly religious questions. The Church addresses all things that involve the human person. The Social Doctrine of the Church and her two thousand-year-long history show that with God’s incarnation for the redemption of mankind, mankind’s redemption lies within Church mission. For years, one of our primary concerns has been the family. According to a militant view expressed in the form of propaganda, the family no longer consists of a man and a woman who wish to have children. Rather, it is expected that life in its initial or final stages have less dignity and value than so-called “normal” life or lives viewed as ‘useful’. A utilitarian culture that is not rooted in love is void of meaning, whereby man is reduced to a global market good. Along this path the world will have no future. The Church, fully aware of her duty to condemn all wrongdoings, brings forth the beauty and the happiness conveyed by truth and charity within the family, in the economic and job environment, to life as a whole, to the environment, namely: to reality, by means of the Good News. Never do we wish to act by force or gain unanimous consensus. The power of truth must not be understood as the “truth” of power. We know we are like yeast: we are but few but with the Holy Spirit we are capable of transforming the whole world drawing people towards Christ, towards the truth of God that He revealed to man. Let us hope that the coming year will be a time of grace for all.