“Some men see things as they are, and ask why. I dream of things that never were, and ask why not.” (Robert Kennedy Jr.)
The world has been stopped in its tracks. Many people long for a return to “normal.” Others are asking whether we should look for a “new normal”, even a “better normal”.
Antonio Spadaro, SJ clearly situates Pope Francis among the latter group. He is the Editor -in-Chief of La Civilta Catolica. This periodical has published continuously since 1850[1] It is the only one to be directly reviewed by the Secretariat of State of the Holy See to receive its approval before being published.[3]
Here are some major points that struck me from “A New Imagination of the Possible..”
- The pope sees this crisis period caused by the Covid-19 pandemic as “ a propitious time to find the courage for a new imagination of the possible, with the realism that only the Gospel can offer us.”
- We need a “realism” that breaks our “fixed or failing patterns, modes and structures” and inspires us to imagine a different world, “making all things new,” as the Book of Revelation says. “Are we willing to change our lifestyles?” the pope asks.
- It is also clear that we must first of all understand what we have done wrong.
- The call is to open our eyes, to see: “To ‘see’ the poor means to restore their humanity. They are not things, not garbage; they are people. We can’t settle for a welfare policy such as we have for rescued animals.”
- The pandemic itself as a metaphor for diseases in general and for the evils of the world. “But there are so many other pandemics that make people die and we don’t notice – said Francis in Santa Marta on May 14, 2020 – we look the other way.” And, after recalling some data, he continued: “May God have mercy on us and stop the other awful pandemics: of hunger, of war, of children without education.” …the “pandemic” detected by the pope was that of the virus called “indifferent selfishness.” There is a sort of pandemic of the spirit and of social relations, of which the coronavirus has become a symbol and image.
- For Francis, “understanding what God is saying to us at this time of pandemic also represents a challenge for the Church’s mission.”[2]
- Francis looks at the world as the vicar of Christ, that is, with the eyes of Christ; and he does so theologically, combining an apocalyptic interpretation, an invitation to conversion and an Easter perspective of death and resurrection.[12]
- Believers are not called to multiply pious words, but to give Gospel solutions, moved and inspired by Revelation. This is the social doctrine of the Church. This is the conversion of the gaze. And this is the time of a different world, which requires both the recognition of global vulnerability and the imagination proper to Gospel realism.
Imagining
- How daring am I with imaging a new future?
- Can it be a future that is deeply rooted in Jesus’ vision of the kingdom?
- What changes might the new future ask of me?
Click below for an audio version of this Vincentian Mindwalk.
The above is a companion piece to “Can’t you see I am doing something new?”
See also “A Plan to rise again”
Pope Francis will sign new encyclical, ‘Fratelli tutti,’ Oct. 3
Vatican City — Pope Francis will travel to Assisi Oct. 3 to sign an encyclical on the social, political and economic obligations that flow from a belief that all people are children of God and therefore brothers and sisters to one another.
The Vatican press office, confirming the pope’s trip, said the document will be titled “Fratelli Tutti” in Italian or “Brothers and Sisters All.”
Conventual Franciscan Fr. Mauro Gambetti, custodian of the Assisi convent, said the document “will indicate to the world a style for the future and will give the church and people of goodwill the responsibility for building it together.”
“The pope is clearly inspired by Francis of Assisi who, in following Jesus, recognized in fraternity, lived under the sign of mutual and loving service, the horizon of a fulfilled and happy humanity,” Gambetti added.
Francis is scheduled to arrive at the Assisi convent at 3 p.m. to celebrate Mass at the tomb of St. Francis and sign the document.
Because of ongoing concerns and restrictions due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Mass and the rest of the pope’s visit will be private, the Vatican press office said.
The encyclical is expected to echo many of the themes Francis has been discussing in his general audience talks on Catholic social teaching in light of the pandemic: human fraternity, the equal dignity of all people, the preferential option for the poor, the universal destination of goods and the obligation of solidarity. Care for the environment and the virtue of peacemaking also are expected to be part of the encyclical.
After the pope signs the document on the eve of the feast of St. Francis, the text is expected to be published in a variety of languages the first week of October.
National Catholic Reporter
I wonder what Fr. James Altman, and bishops who are supportive of him, would say about “A New Imagination of the Possible” (https://www.ncronline.org/news/politics/texas-bishop-endorses-video-claiming-faithful-catholics-can-t-support-democratic). Would they even want or entertain the possibility of something new? Could they possibly see the new that is already sprouting?
If God is in charge in the Kingdom of God, then free will is a given and choosing to take up a responsibility will remain the same. What changes in the new is for me to decide to live in solidarity with those who are not as fortunate as I currently am. This means real discernment on my part to see how I enter the flow of decisions that will actually bring a better life to those who are currently marginalized from it. And being a believer this means also how to effectively communicate the invitation to others who are not believers to join in on the fullness of the Kingdom.