"Fratelli tutti": Chapter Eight

In 1999, St. John Paul II wrote an exhortation (uplifting letter) to American Catholics, on the eve of the Third Millennium, challenging us to be evangelizers to the whole world! He concluded with a beautiful prayer which included the words “Grant us to be faithful witnesses to your resurrection for the younger generation of Americans. Only then will they know that they are brothers and sisters of all God’s children scattered throughout the world.”

This is the core message of Fratelli tutti: Pope Francis is calling on Christians of all nations to make that prayer a reality in our daily lives; to show that we genuinely see others, near and far, as being loved by God just as we are, without distinction of creed or color; all destined for eternal life in glory with our risen Savior.

As I write this final article on this beautiful encyclical (teaching letter of Pope Francis) this sense of family is being demonstrated in a practical manner in Florida. There we see solidarity in action, as local people are supported by others from the United States, Mexico and Israel, in the sad task of recovering bodies from the ruins of the apartment complex in Surfside. As the work progresses there are people in constant prayer around the site, supporting the devastated families who lost loved ones in that tragedy. They are living proof of what Pope Francis wants us to accept and act on: We are born to lift each other up, not put each other down! As in all human families we can differ and even disagree, but ultimately we are all united in love, a love shown in its fullness by the crucifixion of Christ, Son of Mary, who made the ultimate sacrifice and went, willingly, to his death that we all might live in harmony, respecting differences but always sensitive to the innate human dignity of every human being made in the image and likeness of God our Father!

In the foreword to Fratelli tutti (a phrase from St. Francis of Assisi, meaning brothers and sisters all!), Pope Francis says “It is my desire that, in this our time (my emphasis), by acknowledging the dignity of each human person, we can contribute to the rebirth of a universal aspiration to fraternity. Brotherhood between all men and women” (par. 8). Note the immediacy of the phrase “in our time.” We are called to action, not further talk about it! It is worth noting that Jesus, in sending the Apostles out, two by two, did not send them to seminars or college for degrees; he just said “Go, make them my disciples!” And the hallmark of discipleship is how we love one another.

Throughout the encyclical he continuously demonstrated that we have two simple challenges and choices: Divide or unite as a people who, for a very brief time, inherit this wonder filled world and all the gifts Our Heavenly Father gives us; to be stewards of his creation, adding our little bit of goodness and eliminating a little of the evil that pervades our modern, post Christian, consumerist, hedonistic, individualist society! Pope Francis is very specific in his teaching that we must respect the innate human dignity of each human being, created in the image and likeness of God, and therefore we must oppose the death penalty with as much conviction as we oppose abortion, since both take away a life made in God’s image. Enlarging this basic Christian principle, he calls on us to oppose war, since, as was also stated by St. John Paul II, war only leads to more war, and endless loss of life and destruction of communities. We have evidence of that even now in such places as Ethiopia and Yemen, to name but two examples.

In opening this series of reflections on this uplifting and challenging encyclical, I invited readers to also read an earlier exhortation from Pope Francis, The Joy of the Gospel, as it provides context for this letter. Our Holy Father is a man of hope in all he does and says, and his basic theme is that we have a propensity for good if we pause to see the image of God in each other. This is also the theme of our diocesan Strategic Plan, which challenges us to step out of our comfort zones and live the Gospel in our attitude and action toward our neighbors! Pope Francis, in Fratelli tutti, sees the Christian family, a family of prayer, mutual respect, inclusiveness, and love, as the domestic church, and a model for a worldwide family, living out the Good News of God’s mercy, tolerance, compassion and inclusiveness.

In this final chapter, titled “Religions at the Service of Fraternity in our World,” Pope Francis begins as follows: “The different religions, based on their respect for each human person as “a creature called to be a child of God” (emphasis mine), contribute significantly to building fraternity and justice in society” (par 271). Catholic Christians, bonded into one eucharistic family, are to be at the forefront in giving life and meaning to this aspiration. Our desire is to invite and attract all to share our eucharistic table and become one! This is central to our understanding and belief in our transcendence, which we profess at every celebration of Mass! It is to know and believe that we are created for life, life eternal with our glorified Christ, who prayed at the first eucharistic celebration “that all may be one, as you Father in me and I in you and we in them.” Thus, our Mass ending (Missa: Go and share and preach) sends us forth in hope and joy!

Pope Francis, in par 275, spells out the dangers to faith in our time: “Among the most important causes of the crises of the modern world,” he writes, repeating what he said in 2009, “are a desensitized human conscience, a distancing from religious values and the prevailing individualism accompanied by materialistic philosophies that deify the human person and introduce worldly and material values in place of supreme and transcendental principles.” This is a call to action for believers, who, though he warns that “religious ministers must not engage in party politics that are the proper domain of the laity,” “must not remain on the sidelines.” This church, our church, is “a home with open doors because she is a mother” (par 276).

Calling to mind the church’s long history and involvement in the human family’s stories, Pope Francis ends on a note of hope and offers a beautiful prayer for our guidance and consolation. Aware that Christ, the way, the truth and the life, has conquered the world, I invite each of you to make this prayer your own, even as I earnestly ask that you take the time to prayerfully read this encyclical for yourself, together with Joy of the Gospel: “Lord, Father of our human family, you created all human beings equal in dignity, pour forth into our hearts a fraternal spirit and inspire in us a dream of renewed encounter, dialogue, justice and peace. Move us to create healthier societies and a more dignified world, a world without hunger, poverty, violence and war. May our hearts be open to all the peoples and nations of the earth. May we recognize the goodness and beauty that you have sown in each of us, and thus forge bonds of unity, common projects, and shared dreams. Amen” (Pope Francis).
(Father P.J. Madden is a retired priest of the diocese.)