For reflection
Until as Christians we remain bystanders of reality we will never contribute to the weaving of history’s fabric or into its warp, operated by the Gospel. Facing daily life, even dirtying our hands, is an imperative that challenges our responsibility, in order to avoid judging others as the Pharisee in the temple and distorting the truth, that very truth that corresponds to the history we are all a part of. Self-awareness within the fabric of life enables us to see God working here and now, especially when our wants drive us towards different realms, realms that seem to be more attractive, but that prevent us from seeing God’s presence also in “poor old sods.” This is where our witness comes into play: deciding to be present, to remain in this history that is deeply beloved by God and be involved in society, in the joy of giving
Indeed, the present times also bear positive, hopeful signs. But there are some aspects that enter into our lives and challenge us. How are we living our daily life in the presence of God, as we stand before Him? What elements favour our Christian way of life in a world where all dykes seem to be on the point of breaking, where the defence of individual ideas are flaunted to the detriment of values, where the pursuit of functionalism is ruthless? Many activities divert our Christian attention from our daily commitment to live out the Gospel in our own environments, but we often don’t realize it. In the humdrum of life, by loosing touch with Christ and the Gospel as our constant reference points, we lose the meaning of our life and we tread onto quicksand.
Our bearing in history and in society is often insignificant, chiefly because we pursue our individual thought, not always evangelical, or adapt to that of those who shout the loudest.
It may be time to start asking ourselves the questions and find the answers, starting from God, to live in history with coherence as Jesus did. Many things attract us and distract us, internal dialogue drives us to defend our ivory tower, we seek comfortable alliances, ones that conform to us, without discerning if our choices come from God and if they help us be Christ’s witnesses. If we don’t gather before the Lord we risk adapting ourselves to situations, trying to adjust them according to our ideas or to our needs. Is it impossible for us Christians to live the Gospel sine glossa? How can we understand if our attitude is like that of the Lord and if it makes us credible witnesses of the Son of the Almighty made Man? We ought to examine our mode of relating to others and understand whether we are attuned even to those whom we consider our enemies and if we are willing to give up our life for others, provided the communion, gift of the Holy Spirit, is cherished.
History will not be saved by vehemently upholding our own ideas, but by the experience of failure, as Jesus did, without discrediting others.
Today individuals are more inclined to quarrel than to manage a conflict. Those who are unable to govern a conflict aim to give precedence to their own point of view and start arguing. Conversely, in the attitude of listening everyone opens up to welcoming the other, showing willingness to bring together the different tiles, with a view to creating something new in faithfulness to the Gospel. It almost seems as if a globalized manifesto for humanity stating: “Men and women worldwide bravely enter the realm of quarrel and shout out!”, had been displayed everywhere over the past years. But life changes only when people stop being ostentatiously virtuous. Where is the care for spiritual depth? Does it still make sense to cherish inhabited silences that enable us to grasp the presence of God and of the men and women we meet in every situation? When our heart is distant from the very root of existence inhabited by the Lord we often do things for Him and not in Him. History is calling us into question, for credibility requires our coherence constantly enlightened by the meaning of life: Christ and the Gospel.
Through Baptism we forever commit ourselves to God in the development of the Kingdom that is justice, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.
Our ‘YES’ to the Lord makes us free people who are unconcerned about their external appearance and who are committed to self-giving. In fact, those who live in Christ decide to constantly change their outlook , or their yearnings, according to the situation, provided the fulfilment not of a roughly-sketched project or an unexpressed desire, but t of the Kingdom of God in communion, in the awareness that all things work together for good to those who love God, to them who have been called according to his purpose.” (Rm 8:28). Until as Christians we remain bystanders of reality we will never contribute to the weaving of history’s fabric or into its warp, operated by the Gospel. Facing daily life, even dirtying our hands, is an imperative that challenges our responsibility, in order to avoid judging others as the Pharisee in the temple and distorting the truth, that very truth that corresponds to the history we are all a part of. Self-awareness within the fabric of life enables us to see God working here and now, especially when our wants drive us towards different realms, realms that seem to be more attractive, but that prevent us from seeing God’s presence also in “poor old sods.” This is where our witness comes into play: deciding to be present, to remain in this history that is deeply beloved by God and be involved in society, in the joy of giving.
