Caring for one another globally and locally

Feed the Hungry Volunteers - June 2020.

In 1967, Pope Paul VI established the World Day of Peace to be observed annually on January 1st which coincides with the Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God. Pope Paul VI was inspired by Pope John XXII’s 1963 encyclical Pacem in Terris (On Establishing Universal Peace in Truth, Justice, Charity, and Liberty) and so he wrote his own encyclical in 1967, Populorum Progressio (On the Development of Peoples) to promote universal peace.  

In these subsequent decades there have been several magisterial declarations of social doctrine issued on the World Day of Peace. Pope Paul VI, Saint John Paul II and Pope Benedict XVI have made significant pastoral statements on the World Day of Peace in each year of their pontificates on topics such as the right to life, human rights, the United Nations, women's rights, the dignity of work and labour unions, economic development in poorer countries, diplomacy among nations, peace in the Holy Land, globalization, terrorism, and the care of creation.  

This year, the 54th World Day of Peace, Pope Francis’ message is titled A Culture of Care as a Path to Peace. Pope Francis begins this message recognizing that the COVID-19 pandemic has aggravated and worsened existing world crises and he highlights two specific areas. First, the tragic impact of COVID-19 on those who are most vulnerable. Second, His Holiness issues a warning about the increasing prevalence globally of racism, prejudice, nationalism, wars, conflicts and violence that have led to death, destruction, and intolerance.

It is easy to become complacent especially if there is no direct experience of the COVID-19 virus within our family and social circle. The numbers of new cases of COVID-19 and the number of deaths are issued daily – locally, nationally, and internationally.  Behind each number is a person, a family, loved ones and we believe the dignity of that person reflects God. “Being in the image of God the human individual possesses the dignity of a person, who is not just something, but someone.” (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 357.)  So the statistics are not mere numbers, the statistics tell the story of the human impact and that is tragic and sobering. The complacency or indifference to the suffering of others is an emerging phenomena that inspires Pope Francis’ call for a culture of care.

The impacts of the pandemic and other events of 2020, he says, have underscored the importance of caring for one another and for creation in our efforts to build a more fraternal society. A Culture of Care as a Path to Peace is a message “to combat the culture of indifference, waste and confrontation so prevalent in our time,” Pope Francis writes.

A year before the pandemic, Pope Francis issued a similar declaration called A Document on Human Fraternity for World Peace and Living Together. In it, he makes the following statement, “Faith leads a believer to see in the other a brother or sister to be supported and loved. Through faith in God, who has created the universe, creatures and all human beings (equal on account of his mercy), believers are called to express this human fraternity by safeguarding creation and the entire universe and supporting all persons, especially the poorest and those most in need.”

The global issues can admittedly be overwhelming. But they do invite us to examine what is possible in our own homes, parishes, and local communities to demonstrate love and care for one another. Saint Theresa of Calcutta, a renowned and loved missionary of the Church, said, “Love begins at home, and it is not how much we do, but how much love we put in the action that we do.”

The spiritual and corporal works of mercy have always been the Church’s witness to “love in action” in every age. They express our mercy, compassion and justice for one another, the foundation of our human fraternity "especially to the poorest and those most in need”. In our current day in the midst of the challenges of this pandemic and its restrictions both locally and globally, the spiritual and corporal works of mercy can guide us.

Spiritual works of mercy ….

• Instruct the ignorant. Speaking words of truth that are based on faith and reason.
• Counsel the doubtful. Speaking words of hope and encouragement inspired by the Holy Spirit. 
• Admonish the sinners. Speaking words of truth and love that are non-judgmental.
• Bear patiently those who wrong us. Allow for the gift of silence to inform our words of response rather than anger and retaliation.  
• Forgive offenses. Speak with words that promote reconciliation and peace. 
• Comfort the afflicted. Speak words of healing and justice in the face of adversity and evil. 
• Pray for the living and the dead. Speak words of faith and belief in prayer to God as individuals and communities who are committed to the dignity of all human life and the promise of everlasting life. 

Corporal works of mercy ….

• Feed the hungry. Support programs and initiatives locally such as food banks, Saint Vincent de Paul, school breakfast and lunch programs, disaster relief, humanitarian and international aid. 
• Give water to the thirsty. Support social justice initiatives to ensure clean drinking water that is free from pollution and call for an end to the commercialization of the sale of water which should be a basic human need and thus a right.  
• Clothe the naked. Support programs and initiatives that offer clothing in our community and schools such as Pass it On and the GoodWill. 
• Shelter the homeless. Support programs such as the Calgary Homeless Foundation, Habitat for Humanity and affordable housing initiatives. 
• Visit the sick. Reach out to the sick in safe ways, to family and friends through the internet, to the elderly who are isolated by giving them a phone call or send a card and/or letter of support and prayer.  
• Visit the imprisoned. Reach out in safe ways to shut-ins, those who are struggling both emotionally and mentally to feel connected.
• Bury the dead. Reach out to those families who have lost loved ones through the internet to show they are not forgotten and that our belief in the gift of everlasting life can be a source of strength that is found in our shared faith in Christ. 

As we strive to foster a culture of care wherever we find ourselves, “may we never yield to the temptation to disregard others, especially those in greatest need, and to look the other way; instead, may we strive daily, in concrete and practical ways, to form a community composed of brothers and sisters who accept and care for one another.” (A Culture of Care as a Path to Peace, 9)   

This pandemic should not deter us in promoting such care for each other!  May God who calls each of us in His goodness also inspire us to discover these new paths of love through the spiritual and corporal works of mercy.

 Written by Most Rev. William T. McGrattan, Bishop of Calgary
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January 10, 2021