Dear Friends,
During my priesthood, I have often given talks on the notion of “solidarity.” More so during the past twenty years as part of the work of our project (IXIM) which aims to build a relationship of solidarity between the dioceses of Huehuetenango and Omaha. Solidarity is a concept that was greatly favored by Pope John Paul II. He made sure it ended up in the Catechism as one of the virtues we were all to aspire to.
I am not sure where the virtue of solidarity began in my own experience. The gospel we heard last Sunday was certainly a part of the journey. Jesus’ words in Luke 4 always strike me hard – he proclaimed good news to the poor, freedom for prisoners, sight for the blind, release to the oppressed, and the social revolution of God’s jubilee year. The Old Testament’s vision of justice and peace, where every person lives with dignity, safe from greedy employers and landlords, helped transform my Christian imagination. Jesus, the fulfillment of God’s promise, puts those whom the world ignores at the center of the Kingdom of God. The question for me, how do I live in that new vision?
What does solidarity look like in practice? Some friends in the early days of my priesthood took on radical changes to their lifestyle. But then, over time, they were either burning out, conflating their faith with liberal politics, or turning social concerns into a hobby that enabled them to live much like everyone else. Only those who chose to be in religious communities, like the Franciscans, would embrace sharing poverty with the poor over the many years of life. They remain committed to a vision that looks like what Jesus proclaimed.
My years of working with newly arrived immigrants at Our Lady of Guadalupe helped me to realize that justice does not consist in heroic good works by a few or a set of new policies imposed by the enlightened on the many. It grows from the bottom up and from the inside out, through forging a life with others; by becoming companions with those in need, willing to take up the cross and voluntarily let go of our own pursuits. To fight for justice, then, I needed to change. I had to live in such a way that I could say I was in community with those who were suffering. I had to work to end the ideologies that kept people apart. Wasn’t this what the church is for – to practice this new vision of life in Christ? “Turn around!” Jesus says, “The kingdom of God is at hand! Behold, I make all things new!”
I remember being at a conference where the best Catholic pastors were invited to learn from and inspire each other. At one point, during a discussion about what their parishes were doing for the poor, I got angry and asked these pastors to stop doing things for the poor. I was a pastor of a poor parish, and I did not want their donations. I wanted them to go back home to their parishes and encourage their parishioners to become friends with the poor. Then, once they were friends, they could work together to find a solution for their poverty. This is what we have strived to do with our Guatemala “project”. We have spent a lot of time becoming friends, building a relationship. Only when we can walk together can we help create the world that Jesus came to establish.
All of us probably know people who are “in need” in some way. Let us be inspired by the Holy Spirit to see the presence of God in those who are in need both in our community and outside of it. Let us be in solidarity with those who are in fear of being deported, those who struggle to feed their families, those whose physical health makes it difficult for them to participate in social gatherings, or those who are isolated from their families. By becoming their friend first, the Kingdom of God will happen among us and the solution to their present challenge will arise. Who knows, with Jesus’ help, you may get to experience a miracle or two. My experience tells me that miracles happen when solidarity happens.
Peace,
Fr. Damian