By Fr. Soroj Mullick, SDB –
Pope Francis holds that the global culture is sick with many social ills, which have been complicated by the Covid-19 pandemic. In order to overcome such ‘sickness’ we need today’s Good Samaritans, with a sense of solidarity, who gift their life, time, money, energy, concerns and compassion to the neighbours on the peripheries, who are deprived and are different from us, by the very structures that the Global society has created. The poor and disabled are side-lined. We as brothers and sisters, need to share our goods with each other, because they belong to all. This has to be done with local flavour guided by universal worldview (think globally act locally!). All these are possible only through a culture of encounter that involves listening and reimagining the dividing structures.
We cannot go back to the past ways of the world, instead, the ‘new normal’ is a chance to build a new society based on loving our neighbour with a vision laid down by Pope Francis in FT. The pandemics of inequality, xenophobia, individualism, ‘my-family-alone attitude’, self-seeking for comfortable living, hoarding of wealth for oneself, etc. These maladies inconvenience the poor and marginalised who are struggling through varied difficulties in life. It turns into bigger problems, expanding to a global scale, when the wealthy exploit the poor and economic inequality grows. While pockets of progress happen, the poor, the elderly and the disabled are left behind, and the gap is widened.
The solution to all these problems comes from the biblical parable of the Good Samaritan. The context of the parable is, a stranger on the road (Ch. 2, FT 56-86), abandoned on the wayside – a story constantly retold today of rape victims or victims of communal violence (FT 63-71). The various characters of the story (FT 72-76) are all part of each of us. Part of all the characters, namely, the assailants, the passers-by (Levite, Pharisee), the wounded and abandoned victim are in most of us. In the face of such reality, we question: who is my neighbour? Francis says, “Jesus asks us not to decide who is close enough to be our neighbour, but rather that we ourselves become neighbours to all” (FT 80). FT summons us to be actively involved in rehabilitating our wounded societies. The story of the Good Samaritan is being repeated today: determinism or fatalism are recourse to, in order to justify our own indifference. The elite ‘throwaway’ society tends to ignore others, especially the weak.
Often the governance and state authorities allow and encourage social exclusion. Today, we are witnessing ‘social distance’ and political apathy. True love in social friendship does not care if one in need comes from one place or another. For, love shatters the chains that keep us isolated and separate; it builds bridges. In the face of suffering, the only course is to imitate the Good Samaritan. What is learnt here is a decision to start anew as a Good Samaritan, meet the needs of the neighbours without borders (FT 77-83) and hear and respond positively to the pleas of the strangers (FT 84-86), who are different from us. Discovering a discarded and injured stranger, one can have two attitudes: ignore or help. An inclusive or exclusive attitude will define the person we are, and which political, social or religious group we belong to. In an unhealthy and “illiterate” society that cares less for the frail and vulnerable (FT 64-65), we need to become neighbours to others (FT 81), and be co-responsible in creating a society without prejudices, self-interests, and cultural barriers (FT 77). Love builds bridges and “we were made for love” (FT 88) according to “a universal dimension” (FT 83), recognizing Christ in the face of every excluded person (FT 85).
It is not just that the Samaritan was an outsider showing concern for a stranger, a neighbour different from him, or that the priest and the Levite, the religious leaders ignored him, following protocols. The Samaritan gives his time, prioritizing in helping the affected stranger. He enters into an encounter. The first step in building a healthier society starts with such encounter with our neighbours, people who are different and are struggling. This leads one to be aware of the larger social issues that cause others to suffer: the political and social structure that need to change and recognize the universal destination of goods, for as the early Church held, the earthly resources are not for us to hoard, but to be shared. It is a fact, while some nations hoard up tons and tons of food, others go through famines. The gap between the haves and have-nots widen.
When such big divide happens the deprived ones naturally pursue better opportunities and migrate to other places. While doing so, the global society which one falls prey to, does harm to local cultures. The migrants lose their unique cultures. Therefore, care must be taken to provide good opportunities in the places that people are born. If that does not happen, migrants have to be welcomed with respect and friendships and not treating them as nuisance and act violently against them (FT 132-133). We need to act locally with a universal worldview. There has to be a movement towards peace and universal brotherhood.
This is what Francis calls a culture based on encounter, involving listening, accepting, and ‘reimagining the structures’ that cause people to suffer. This means, giving strangers time like the Good Samaritan on an international level. It means listening to poor nations, involving them in decision-making, to find what is best for all people. As brothers and sisters we need to come out better by ridding ourselves of our individualistic attitudes and build a culture of collaboration, dialogue and encounter.
Jesus summarises the greatest commandment in the Bible: “You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your being, with all your strength, and with all your mind, and your neighbour as yourself “(Lk 10:40). All of religion and humanity is about having a loving heart for God and for creation, including men and women, filled with compassion and care. This is so, because Jesus is Christ, who is God-man, in whom divinity and humanity meet. Therefore, the love of God, with logical consistency and spiritual integrity, necessarily draws us to a love for all our brothers and sisters – the whole human race.
Next Week: Better Kind of Politics at the Service of the Common Good
Fr. Soroj Mullick, SDB is a Salesian priest from the Kolkata Province. He has a Licentiate in Catechetics and a Doctorate (Christian Education) from UPS, Italy. He has number of years of teaching experience in college and in the formation of future priests. Besides, he has written number of research papers and articles, and has 25 years of Ministry in India and abroad as Educator, Formator, Retreat Preacher, Editor and engaged in School, Parish Catechetical & Youth Ministry. He is now an assistant priest in Bandel Basilica, rendering pastoral and catechetical ministry to the parishioners and to the pilgrims. He can be contacted at [email protected].