Journeying together as companions

Dear Sisters and Brothers,

We are entering a season that is not essentially for fasting and penance. The Season of Lent calls us to embark on a journey of authentic conversion, which means it is not confined to our intellect. We are called to engage in a deepening movement of metanoia coming from our hearts. Once our hearts and intellect experience conversion, our spirits will also be transformed, especially when we contemplate on the calling in the silence of our prayer.

A significant indicator of conversion is recognising that the Kingdom of God is neither an abstract concept nor far removed from the immediate context of our lives. It is at the heart of our own realities. The Kingdom of God is manifested in justice, peace, and charity, features that are understood according to the Gospel of our Lord.

“Justice” is reflected in the love of the vineyard owner who gives the same wages to all his hires, including the weakest and unwanted (c.f. Matthew 20:1-16). “Peace” is founded on the humility of who is the greatest among the disciples (c.f. Luke 22:24-30) and the unity manifested through the Holy Communion (c.f. 1 Corinthians 10:14-17). “Charity” is perfectly demonstrated with the washing of the disciples’ feet (c.f. John 13:1-17) and Jesus’ merciful love towards the marginalised Samaritan woman at the well (c.f. John 4:5-30). How do we recognise these three features in our own contexts? And how can we implement these features in our specific contexts?

The call on us to introduce the Kingdom of God in our changing contexts requires us to engage in conscientious discernment. What should we embrace or let go so as to give room for the reality of God’s kingdom among us?

“Communal discernment” with Conversation in the Spirit as its integral foundation, is a recommended channel to discern what to let go, what to keep or what to set up so to allow our Church to realise her mission in complex contexts woven with tensions. The People of God as the Church need both the wisdom of the Tradition of the Church and the creativity of the Spirit speaking to us in these contexts. Hence, it is more than desirable for us to learn how to carry out empathic dialogue using communal discernment in our own contexts.

Yet, we are aware that there is a desire to dominate others as well as a temptation to entrench oneself in a privileged position, regardless of the price. Sadly, such desires and temptations are becoming part of our cultural norm. However, this should not be so with our Christian living, though the secular culture is telling us otherwise. Where our hearts lie will lead us to where we will be in the future, including life after this earthly sojourn. Therefore, it is only wise to examine our hearts and re-orient them to where we want to be in eternity.

Of course, there are other forces contesting for our souls, such as fears, anxiety, envy, resentment, plus other life-sapping energies. They restrict us from taking the much-needed leap of faith for growth and for the greater good. The elder brother in the story of the Prodigal Son is an example par excellence (c.f. Luke 15: 25-30). He lived not with joy but in fear and anxiety with his father. Being an obedient son to his father and never disobeying him was his only permitted option. Sadly though, he could not see himself as a loving and trusting son to his father. Otherwise, he would have had confidence and felt free to ask for a good feast to celebrate with his friends.

So, what images of our Father in heaven are we referencing in our personal consciousness? Can we really accept and appreciate a God who is ever merciful to sinners, including those whom we despise, those we keep our distance from or those who lack remorse and are seen unfit to receive God’s mercy? Being a synodal Church and people journeying with others, including those we have rejected or ignored, we are asked to listen to the voice of the Spirit within us. So, letting our hearts be converted by the Spirit of life and love, we become true pilgrims of hope.

Our Christian hope is founded on the unconditional love of God, whose salvific promise is fulfilled through the self-sacrificial acts of the Son of God for all. Hence, we have every reason to have hope, to remain hopeful, and to share the hope with those who are struggling to see hope. In fact, if we go beyond the restrictive feelings and thoughts generated by the life-sapping energies of the evil spirits around or in us, we can move ever deeper into our relationship with God and others with a greater inclusive love. With that, we will become freer, and we can see Hope is just around the corner.

Finally, many of us love the scene of fireflies dancing together in the air. What a magnificent sight! Together, they brighten the darkness around them, giving joy and hope to the perceivers in the dark. A synodal Church with Pilgrims of Hope can, indeed, be this magnificent sight for our world today.

+ Stephen Chow, S.J.