It is everyone’s duty to oppose inequality, injustice and
discrimination wherever they are found. When people believe that suffering is inevitably
built into a secret divine plan, they stop striving with passion and urgency to
establish God’s will on earth. As much fatalistic Christian piety reveals, they
resign themselves to what happens as being predetermined by a Father who knows
best. They pray for patience to accept hardship rather than strength to advance
mankind. They seek to be comforted, rather than to be agents of change. They implore
divine protection, instead of the courage to shape the future. This submissive
resignation reflects the piety sought in ancient times by Stoics, practitioners
of Eastern religions and adherents to religious fatalism. It is not the spirit that
inspires the faithful to strive boldly for a better world, no matter the personal
cost. Spiritual maturity dawns with the awareness we
are the instruments of God’s will.
Prayers might strengthen resolve, but are woefully ineffective in
stopping evil and averting the injustice that blights human existence. Indeed,
after worship and meditation, action must follow. Every one of us has the freewill
to sign up for social activism. If we stop at prayers, we hamper progress because
ours is a physical world shaped by action. It is written, when Isaiah heard the
Lord ask, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?” he replied “Here am I,
Lord! Send me.” Faith in a higher power should embolden action, not diminish it.
In the boot camp of spiritual formation, prayers and reflection prepare
recruits for all elements of service: physical, mental and emotional. This is
the basic training that arms us with the tools we need to perform the duties
and make the sacrifices required in life. St. Paul urged us to take up bravely the
spiritual armor of God, that we may be able to withstand evil and, having done
that, stand even firmer.
Fortified by this spirit, namely a willingness to sacrifice for others,
let’s rise to the challenges of our time with brotherly love. May we respond to
the impulse beating at the core of our hearts, one that opens our eyes to
social issues and urges us to fight for change. Let’s strengthen our desire for
justice to flow like a mighty river, even if we must sacrifice our comfort to assist
the destitute and downtrodden. The belief we should “love our neighbour like ourselves”
cannot just reside in the mind. It demands concrete expression through engagement
that transforms our community with unity, purpose and hope. We are both
physical and spiritual beings, who cannot separate lifestyle from principles
without loss of integrity. The joys and hopes, the griefs and anxieties of every
neighbour, especially those who are struggling or in any way afflicted, these
too are the joys and hopes, the griefs and anxieties of those who rise as true
agents of change.
