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Journal of Spirituality N. 3
INTRODUCTION
1. FAITH FORMATION
2. DEFENCE OF FAITH AND FAMILY
3. WITNESSING TO THE FAITH TODAY
4. “OBSEQUIUM PAUPERUM”. CHRISTOLOGICAL AND ECCLESIAL
FOUNDATION.
5. THE NEW FORMS OF CHARITY
6. THE EVANGELIC REQUIREMENTS OF THE “OBSEQUIUM
PAUPERUM”
7. CARITATIS MYRICAE
8. ENCOUNTER IN THE NORTH EAST OF BRAZIL
INTRODUCTION
Angelo Acerbi
“Defensio fidei” and “obsequium pauperum” are the two essential
motives that govern the inspiration and the work of the Order of
Malta since its very beginning. The members of the Order, dispersed
throughout the world, live in a society that is marked today by
accelerated transformations that bring about positive achievements
but also cause a concealment of values.
The Apostolic Letter “Novo Millennio Ineunte” invites Christians,
faced with new challenges, to set out into the deep waters of faith
and of updated service of active charity.
Pope Paul VI, in his Apostolic Exhortation “Evangelii Nuntiandi”
(NN. 31-35), indicated the existence of a profound bond between
evangelisation and human promotion. The proclamation and the service
of charity give a joint witness to the faith that is active in
Christian love.
The task of defending and extending the faith in Jesus Christ and in
his Gospel (tuitio fidei) and the work of raising people from
sickness, need and suffering (obsequium pauperum) have always been
perceived in our Order as ideals that stand in intimate conjunction.
These two tasks were set out clearly by Blessed Gerard for the Order
he founded, which has come through the centuries guided by the same
inspiration.
In this Third Journal of Spirituality the members of the Order will
find points for reference and comparison to guide them in the
present times.
The first part is dedicated to the “tuitio fidei”, in which Cardinal
Pio Laghi, Cardinalis Patronus of the Order and former Prefect of
the Congregation for Catholic Education, speaks about Education of
faith (N. I): the Most Reverend Guy Thomazeau, Archbishop of
Montpellier and Head Chaplain of the French Association, looks at
the theme “tuitio fidei” in relation to the family (N. II); the Most
Reverend Maurice Couve de Murville, Emeritus Archbishop of
Birmingham and Head Chaplain of the British Association, speaks on
how to give witness to the faith in today’s society (N. III).
In the second part, “obsequium pauperum”, the Prelate of the Order
offers his contribution to a Christological and ecclesial vision of
the charitable activities of the Order (N. IV). Baron Albrecht von
Boeselager, Grand Hospitaller, illustrates the practical activities
of assistance given by the Order in the new frontiers of charity
(N.V); and Marquis Gian Luca Chiavari, Receiver of the Common
Treasury, outlines in concise way the evangelical requirements of
“obsequium pauperum” (N. VI). Finally Baron Fra’ Franz von Lobstein,
Grand Prior of Rome, and Count Fra’ Roggero Caccia Dominioni, Grand
Prior of Lombardy and Venice, offer some of their practical
experience of charity in action (N. VII and N. VIII).
The best introduction to this Journal could be the prayer which is
to be found in the Maltese Missal: “Lord God, be with the Order of
St. John the Baptist, which you founded; that in it there may always
flourish the defence of the faith and the service of the poor, as a
mark of its members on their journey and a pledge of reaching the
heavenly city”.
A.
Acerbi
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1. FAITH FORMATION
Pio
Laghi
(Translated from Italian)
The obligation to defend the faith (Defensio Fidei) that each Knight
and Dame assumed at the moment of being admitted to our Sovereign
order requires, first of all, that we have not only a good
understanding, but a profound and solid understanding of the truths
of the faith in Christ which we profess. Obviously no one will
defend or support an idea without being convinced that it is well
founded. And to be convinced, we must have an understanding of what
it means and what it involves.
Duty to educate oneself in the faith
Unfortunately, there are not only a few cases of people who were
born and grew up in a Catholic family and received an initial
education in their faith from their parents, followed by preparation
for First Communion and Confirmation, who then remained with the
concepts acquired during childhood and adolescence, advancing in
age, but with scarcely any development or growth in their
understanding of the faith. Many people reach a high level of
culture in the profane sciences while undertaking further study and
maturing through the experiences of life, yet remain at an
elementary school level in their faith. How can they then be public
witnesses and defenders of the faith that they profess? St. Peter,
in his First Letter, Ch. 3, verse 15, exhorts the faithful to
"always be prepared to make a defence to any one who calls you to
account for the hope that is in you."
Today, immersed in a very secularized society, we find ourselves
confronted with many people who question this or that article of our
Creed, this or that norm of our moral law. Wanting to be faithful to
our obligation "Tuitio Fidei ", we are called to give witness to the
truth. We must therefore be well trained in battle, putting on, not
military armour, but the arms of the spirit of which St. Paul speaks
in his Letter to the Ephesians (6:14): gird your loins with truth,
put on the breastplate of righteousness, take up the shield of
faith, put on the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit,
which is the word of God.
A duty which regards everyone
Every member of the Order, Knights or Dames, of whatever rank,
beginning from those who occupy offices of guidance and of
responsibility, has the duty to nourish the flame of the faith in
him or herself. Otherwise, if the faith is not actively nourished,
with the passage of time, it weakens, just like a fire to which no
combustible material is added.
Beyond thinking of our own formation in the faith and our growth in
the theological virtue of faith, we are obliged to commit ourselves
to those who accompany us in our volunteer work, especially young
people, that they might also receive an appropriate faith formation.
Otherwise the assistance they offer risks being only a showcase,
lacking the motivation of true virtue. If our good works are not
done with the intention of giving glory to God, they have no value
in His eyes.
Naturally, a fundamental role in the duty to educate oneself in the
faith belongs to the Chaplains of our Order, who, by their example,
their speech, by spiritual direction and administration of the
Sacraments, confirm others in the faith and open them to the sources
of divine grace.
What is the faith?
The Catechism of the Catholic Church says that faith is "an entirely
free gift that God makes to man" (n. 162) and "a supernatural virtue
infused by [God]" (n. 153). But, at the same time, it is "a personal
act - the free response
of the human person to the initiative of God who reveals himself"
(n. 166). "As personal adherence to God and assent to his truth,
Christian faith differs from our faith in any human person" (n.
150).
Our faith in God and in the truths revealed by Him have, as a
fundamental characteristic, that it is certain, more certain than
any human knowledge, because it is founded on the very Word of God,
who cannot lie. In addition, faith "seeks understanding"; as
believers, we desire to know better Him in whom we have placed our
faith, and understand better that which He has revealed. Although
faith is above reason, there can never be a true divergence between
faith and reason because the same God who revealed his mysteries and
communicates the faith has also given our spirits the light of
reason. The ultimate truth, to which man aspires by nature, is
reached using "both wings", that is, with both Faith and Reason, as
Pope John Paul II wrote in his 13th Encyclical Fides et Ratio.
There are various levels to which people grow in their faith. I will
divide them into three general stages. The first group of people are
those who identify their faith with religious feelings or emotions,
with a vague and generic belief in the existence of God and in some
relationship between God and our life. This is the level of faith of
numerous people in the world of today: a faith of habit and
convention, a faith barely understood and practiced little,
disconnected from the rest of life. It is therefore often heavy and
boring; it is stagnant, neither alive nor dead.
People in the second level of faith find meaning in a sincere
response to the God who speaks to me and reveals himself to me. It
is the "yes" which allows the thought of God to enter my thoughts,
the love of God to nourish my love, and divine grace to support my
actions.
Finally, a third level of faith could be called a permanent attitude
of the soul. In this case, my faith has become a virtue through
years of exercising it. It extends its roots into my conscience and
derives its validity from the mysterious, supernatural action of the
Holy Spirit, by means of the grace infused in me at the moment of
Baptism which has grown within me, slowly, through the reception of
the Sacraments and the exercise of the other two theological virtues
of hope and charity.
How do we educate ourselves in the faith?
There are a number of ways in which we grow in our faith. Of these,
I mention the three of the most essential: prayer, study, and the
practice of the virtues. I will begin with prayer. The classical
definition of prayer is "the elevation of our minds to God, and the
asking of Him suitable goods." It must begin not from the heights of
our self -sufficiency, but from deep within our hearts and from our
humility and littleness. When we pray, we first of all bless the
Lord for the many gifts and favors we have received from Him, we
thank Him and we adore Him, and finally we turn towards Him to ask
for help and for grace, always keeping in mind that the first
request to make is that of pardon for our sins.
Prayer has various forms. It can be expressed with the lips and the
voice, or in silence. It can be make in public or in private.
Meditation, one means of private prayer, is a reflection that brings
to life our thoughts, our imagination, our emotions, our desires.
This "mobilization" of our faculties is necessary to deepen our
conviction of faith, bring about our conversion of heart, and
strengthen our will to follow Christ. There are many methods of
meditation, many teachers of the spiritual life.
Another form of prayer, which can be either private or public,
consists in devotional and pious practices such as the Rosary, the
Stations of the Cross, visits to shrines, etc. These devotions lead
us in reflection and meditation on the life of Christ and serve to
increase our love for Him.
The most valuable form of prayer is that of liturgical celebrations,
especially the Holy Mass, confession, and the recitation of the
Liturgy of the Hours. Participation in these public acts of worship
has a higher value and significance than private prayer or pious
works because it is a participation in the prayer of the Church.
Obviously, however, the value of any prayer depends greatly on how
conscientiously attentive we are to what we are doing and with Whom
we are speaking.
John Paul II tells us in the Apostolic Letter Novo millennio ineunte
that we cannot be content with "a shallow prayer that is unable to
fill [our] whole life. Especially in the face of the many trials to
which today's world subjects faith, [we] would be not only mediocre
Christians but 'Christians at risk'. [We] would run the insidious
risk of seeing [our] faith progressively undermined" (n. 34).
Therefore, we must always seek to deepen our life of prayer.
The second means that I mentioned by which we can educate ourselves
in the faith is through study. It must not be sporadic, but, if
possible, planned out. Study of philosophy is necessary to
understand the foundations of the faith and theology to understand
its principal teachings about God, that is, God as One and God as
Three, God the Creator and Redeemer, Jesus Christ, the Church and
the Last Things. It would be helpful, if time and duties permit, to
enrol in courses or lessons in religious studies, open to laity in
many if not most dioceses. Each Knight and Dame must have, among
books to read, at least the Catechism of the Catholic Church.
Finally, the third means which is necessary as well as being
efficient in enkindling our faith is that of the practice of the
virtues, that is, making an effort to put into harmony the truths of
faith and morals which we profess with our behaviour and the way we
live our lives. Here, in particular, the exercise of the virtue of
charity is essential, for all Christians, but especially for us
since we in the Order have made a commitment "Obsequium Pauperum".
On the Door of Prayer through which one enters the Basilica of St.
Peters, on the back left side behind the door to the Scavi, or
excavations, is engraved the following "Prayer for Faith" dictated
by the Servant of God Paul VI. It would be good for us to recite it
every now and then.
O Lord, I believe; O Lord, I want to believe in You! Make my faith
pure, make my faith free, make my faith certain, make my faith
strong, make my faith joyful, make my faith fruitful. O Lord, make
my faith humble. Amen.
Pio
Cardinal Laghi
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2. DEFENCE
OF FAITH AND FAMILY
Guy
Thomazeau
(Translated from French)
The secular spiritual tradition of the Order of Malta has inherited
a vocabulary marked by its history. As I joined the service of the
Order, I encountered a fundamental word which, in the culture of the
Associations, reminds us that the Order is “hospitable and
military”. It is the word “defence”. Defence of faith, of course.
This word is present in the vocabulary of both Old and New
Testament. When Jesus prepares his disciples for their future
persecutions, he instructs them in these terms: “So make up your
minds not to prepare your defence in advance; for I will give you
words and a wisdom that none of your opponents will be able to
withstand or contradict”(1). As for the Apostle Paul, in the letter
he writes to the Philippians while he is in prison, he encourages
those whom he lead to Christ with these words: “I have been put here
for the defence of the Gospel”(2). A text from John’s Gospel
mentioning the Holy Spirit – a text which is often read for
Confirmations- can also be quoted as another example: “And I will
ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate (Paraclet=
defender)…”
At the beginning, however, I was slightly hesitant in front of this
word. Why was I so? While ordained priest and later bishop, my deep
conviction was that I was ordained to announce the Gospel, not to
denounce things. In reality, our ministerial experience leads us to
better understand that it is not possible to bear witness to the
Good News without, at the same time, denouncing all that opposes the
Gospel. The Saint Patron of the Order, John the Baptist, called
people to conversion with a prophetic vehemence. John’s denunciation
of the injustices of his time was a necessary preparation for the
welcoming of the Messiah.
*
It is in this spirit that I wish to reflect upon a most current
aspect of the defence of the faith in our society: the case and the
defence of the family. A book that I published some years ago is
entitled “The Good News of the Family”. This title reflects my
constant pastoral concern not to remain fearfully entrenched in a
defensive attitude, especially in the broad field of family
questions, while the Church carries the Good News. And was this not
the very concern of Pope John Paul II when he wrote his Encyclical
Letter “The Gospel of Life” in 1995? When confronted with
discussions on family, Christians cannot content themselves with
timid positions while facing controversial topics. There are
initiatives to be taken.
The defence of the faith starts at home, in the family. This is why
the Holy Father, in his teachings, always underlines the importance
of questions related to the family. These questions are indeed
fundamental for the happiness of men and women in our society, not
only in Eastern Europe.
*
The family is at the heart of a new missionary impulse aimed at
witnessing, in the contemporary world, faith in God and in man, who
was created in His image. The Church considers the family as the
fundamental unit of life in society, and –even- of the Church
itself.
But there is a widespread feeling of uncertainty today concerning
the family. Without dwelling on minority ideological currents aimed
at undermining it, one cannot but note that the family is becoming
increasingly fragile. This could lead to a situation of social
desegregation. Frequent divorces, young couples in loose
relationships without real commitment, homosexual couples whose
union is legally recognised by the State (in France), etc. etc.
etc….
Complaining about this situation would be a loss of precious time.
The very lives of parents and children are at stake here. The human
cost for them is great indeed, beside the economic cost for society
having to look after the children of broken families. But first and
foremost one should be aware of the suffering of men, women and
children whose lives have been disrupted. In such a context, what
can we learn from Jesus? Jesus said after his Resurrection: “Reach
out your hand and put it in my side”. These words are incredibly
powerful. I am convinced that the Lord calls us to announce the Good
News of salvation right amidst the wounds and suffering of people.
Just there and nowhere else. In this light, the defence of faith
becomes a non-resignation, a refusal of fatality, a commitment to
the service of life. Love is announced by love, not by fear. Young
people the world over are waiting for this good news. They want to
hear that the joy of a long-lasting love is not a short-lived
mirage, but a project of happiness blessed by God: “God saw that it
was good”.
*
What can we do in order to implement these generous ideas into a
concrete reality? The service to the family has spurred several
initiatives among Christians. The Church has not gone “on the
offensive” in a military sense. She has identified the objectives to
be pursued and the means to be promoted. The main text of reference
is still Pope John Paul II’s exhortation (November 1981) on the
tasks of Christian family in today’s world.
First of all, defending faith in God the Creator is tantamount to
committing oneself to the defence of life, recognising its sacred
nature. The members of the Order join the efforts of the Church in
promoting the respect of life from its origins. It is a very
delicate field, which is not limited to the prevention of abortion
through assistance to young pregnant mothers in distress. Because of
its “hospital” character, the Order of Malta has a duty to
participate in the reflection on medical assistance for procreation,
pre-natal diagnosis, as well as the research carried out by some
biologists on human embryos. Christians should be familiar with and
well prepared in these questions in order to participate actively in
the debate taking place in society, bear witness and better
understand the fundaments of the teachings of the Church. The fact
that the French Association decided to support the maternity of
Bethlehem shows the interest of the Order in working concretely
towards, and promoting respect for the gift of life.
The defence of the family is expressed also in the assistance
offered to parents in their educational duties. Several initiatives
have been taken to help them encouraging their offspring to love, in
the context of an often provocative media environment to which young
people are exposed. Many youth join the charitable activities of the
Order of Malta. The chaplain and members have the important role of
nourishing their reflection and contributing to the ripening of
their emotional life.
Confronted with the dramatic reality of divorce, Christian
communities invest their efforts in trying to help society to
prevent this painful situation upstream. They do so by welcoming as
best as they can the youth coming towards the Church at the moment
of their marriage after not having actively participated in the
Christian community for years. These young couples are coming
towards the Church with a project of happiness which makes them
particularly receptive. Priests are not alone in their task of
accompanying them. This is indeed a domain in which, in conformity
with the indications of the Second Vatican Council, the laity’s
apostolate can carry out its work. Married couples willingly help
young people to prepare for their marital life, without
overshadowing the specific role of the priest. I was glad to learn
of a recent initiative aimed at preparing young families for the
birth of their first child in the context of the “Catholic
Maternities”, with the qualified co-operation of the Daughters of
Charity.
All these efforts towards the founding of new families are
important, but need to be complemented by something else. One priest
has left his deep and lasting contribution to the expression and
development of conjugal spirituality: Father Caffarel. Bestowed with
a gift that I would describe as prophetic, here is a priest who was
not on the offensive and never ceased accompanying families in the
deepening of their marital life even in its mystical dimension. The
spirituality of marriage nourishes and strengthens the happiness and
faithfulness of the Christian couple thanks to a better
understanding of the vocation received through the sacrament of
marriage. It also suggests simple means to keep fidelity. Many have
profited from the “duty to sit down” which was largely promoted and
exported by the Equipes Notre-Dame.
Marital spirituality develops an open and trusting attitude. In this
way families see to that the grace received bears fruit and becomes
a source of evangelisation for their children. This happens in an
associative life inspired by the conjugal spirituality. Such
associations offer educational assistance to parents. Christian
families, strengthened by their spiritual experience, do not
hesitate in taking on the very delicate task of helping couples in
distress or separated parents.
Finally, there is another field where the Order of Malta sees the
duty to act. The defence of the family requires vigilance in the
political domain, since legislation on family matters always risks
being distorted if the law-makers, because of their demagogical
weakness, want the law to adapt to customs excessively. It is clear
that civic law has a great influence on divorce, on the practise of
abortion, on the definition of the limits of research by scientists
in the respect of life. Committees on Ethics and groups of Christian
doctors are dealing with these delicate topics. The members of the
Sovereign Order are citizens whose civic vigilance should help
Christians to be present and active in the field of politics, which
is one of the highest forms of charity according to the teaching of
the Church.
*
I have already mentioned many aspects concerning the family;
however, the list is not complete. It is important to remember that
the family is the first place where the child not only discovers
life with other people, but where his heart can also be awakened to
faith. At the beginning of the third millennium, far from giving in
to the fear of the future, the members of the Order foster a
missionary attitude in the name of their faith in God the Creator,
in Jesus our Saviour. The defence of the faith, the presentation of
faith, in all its strength, to our contemporaries, much depends on
the success of marital life and family. We call this success
“holiness”. The sacrament of marriage, as a conjugal covenant, is
one of its paths. John Paul II keeps underlining that the Gospel is
announced by the holiness of people and families alike. The same can
be said of the defence of faith.
By writing these lines, I am answering the question asked by the
Holy Father in his Apostolic Letter for the new millennium: “The
time has come to re-propose wholeheartedly to everyone this high
standard(3) of ordinary Christian living: the whole life of the
Christian community and of Christian families must lead in this
direction.”(4)
Guy Thomazeau,
Archbishop of Montpellier
1 Luke 21:15.
2 Ph 1:16.
3 The holiness.
4 Novo Millennio Ineunte, § 31.
Top
3.
WITNESSING TO THE FAITH TODAY
Maurice Couve de Murville
When we think about tuitio fidei, the Defence of the faith, our mind
goes readily to the Hospitallers of the past, who defended Palestine
against the Mamluks, or to Grand Master Jean de La Valette who held
out against the Turks in the siege of Malta in 1565. These were
battles that took place for all to see, and today we may compare to
those warriors of old Catholic men and women who defend the Faith in
the media, and in the debates of politicians, or who by their
writing seek to commend the faith to non-believers.
There is also a defence of the Faith at the level of individuals,
and it is to this that I want to draw attention, because members of
the Order of Malta have a particular duty to fulfil in this area
also.
The assurance of things unseen
“Faith is the assurance of things hoped form the conviction of
things not seen”. (Hebrews: 11,1). We must be prepared to witness to
thing unseen as an important part of life but of course it is
difficult to be such a witness, precisely because they are things
unseen, and yet St Paul is insistent on the need for proclaiming the
truths of faith. “How are men to call on him [Jesus] if they have
not come to believe him? And how can they believe in him if they
have never heard of him? And how will they hear of him unless there
is a preacher for them? And how will there be preachers if they be
not sent? ...So faith comes from hearing, and what is heard comes by
the preaching of Christ.” (Romans: 10,14-15,17).
Our duty as Christians in today’s world is to be like the preachers
mentioned in that text. But what does this mean in practice? In the
1930s there was an association in England called the Catholic
Evidence Guild. Its members were well trained in apologetics and
public peaking, but the difficulty was to find them an audience. I
treasure a photograph of Fr. Alfred Gilbey, who was then Chaplain to
Catholic students at Cambridge. The local group of the Catholic
Evidence Guild decided to take Scripture literally and to send a
preacher to the nearby town of Bury St Edmunds. On market day, a
kitchen table was placed in the square; Fr Gilbey stood on it and
spoke eloquently, but no one stopped to listen to him. People just
looked at him in an embarrassed way and went past to buy their meat
and vegetables as usual. The preacher was speaking to nobody.
Perhaps in certain cultures and at certain periods, such a method
would have been successful but I do not think it is for us.
A ready answer
A better starting point for proclaiming the faith is in the comment
in St Peter’s first letter: “Always have your answer ready for
people who ask you the reason for the hope that is in you, but give
it with courtesy and respect.” (I Peter: 3, 15). “Have your answer
ready” is good starting point because it means that someone is
sufficiently interested to ask a question, and this is an
opportunity that must not be missed. But perhaps we feel inadequate
about producing an answer. We should therefore realize that tuitio
fidei requires from members of the Order and adequate knowledge of
the faith; this should be part of the training of a Knight and Dame
of the Order. If we think that this is asking too much, we should
take to heart a remark made by the Pope on this very subject. He
said: “Today the defence of the faith means above all the witness to
the truth of Christianity by what one says and what one does ... I
am glad therefore to recommend to all members of the Order of Malta
the Catechism of the Catholic Church ... To defend the faith often
means, especially in our time, to defend basic values which human
reason, without the light of revelation, is in danger of not being
able to grasp radically or completely enough. Such are, for example,
the dignity of man, the nature of the family, and the fundamental
right to life.” (John Paul II: Speech to the new Ambassador of the
Order of Malta to the Holy See; 13 October 1997).
The Catechism of the Catholic Church
The Catechism of the Catholic Church of 1994 gives us an ideal
starting point for a deeper understanding of the faith: It is not a
“Question and Answer Catechism” but a succinct summary of doctrine,
laid out in short sentences, clearly numbered and indexed, and
summarized at the end of each section. It is a great teaching
instrument. It is also, through the quotations from the great
writers of the Catholic tradition, the Fathers of the Church and the
Saints, an enrichment to spiritual life. It would be of great
benefit to Knights and Dames of Malta to read a passage from it
every day.
In the English language, confusion sometimes arises because faith is
often interpreted as meaning confidence or trust. When we say “Have
faith in God” we often mean “Trust in God”. The distinction is
clearer in French where “Ayez confiance en Dieu” clearly means “Have
trust in God”, whereas “Croyez en Dieu” means “Believe in God”.
Believing in God means accepting that God exists, that he created us
and loves us, that he has taken away our sins through the death of
Jesus on the cross, and that the resurrection of Jesus is the sign
of the eternal life, which he destines for us. Of course, such a
message leads to trust and confidence, but trust is the result of
faith; it is not the same thing as faith.
A reasonable faith
These comments can serve as an introduction to the complexity of
faith: If we reflect on it, tuitio fidei involves a great deal
because faith involves a great deal. First of all, it does involve
the use of our reason. Faith is not a blind leap in the dark. It is
the acceptance of truths which are not obvious in this present life,
but which are brought to us by a witness that is reliable, the
Catholic Church. This is an important aspect of faith, because
witnesses who are not reliable abound in this world, One reads about
self-appointed evangelists, like the prophet from California who
proclaimed that the end of the world was near and led his followers
to Guyana to be ready for the event. When the world refused to end,
he persuaded most of them to take poison. His followers had believed
what he said, but it was not a reasonable thing to do. More
recently, another prophet from Texas took a group of young people to
a remote building in the desert. When the police came looking for
them, the building was set on fire and several people died. This
shows the shortcomings of blind faith. It reminds us that religion
can be a dangerous force if it disregards reason and common sense.
One of the problems of today’s world is the growth of bigoted and
fanatical religious groups. Our faith accepts a message from very
different witnesses – the apostles and their successors. It is the
Catholic Church which transmits that message from age to age, and
the quality of these witnesses too must be assessed.
Super Natural
Another element which makes for the complexity of faith is that we
cannot make the commitment involved in the act of faith without the
help of Cod’s grace. What we believe is not something we have
touched or seen, as the Apostle Thomas did. Many of the statements
in the Creed – that Jesus is the Son of God, the Virgin Birth, the
resurrection of the dead – seem incomprehensible to non-believers.
It is only God himself who can enlighten our minds so that we can
accept his message and say: “ believe”. Once we have made that
commitment, we can make sense of so many things which are
incomprehensible without faith. This present life can be seen as a
long process of education which is shaping us for eternal life. The
love that we experience for human beings (some human beings!) can be
seen to have a quality which is an end in itself, so that St
Augustine can say that we love for no other purpose than love
itself. How mysterious that would be if faith did not teach us that
human love
is a reflection of God’s love in the Blessed Trinity, so that the
eternal character of human love reflects the eternity of God. Of
course, one can hardly talk of things like that to non-believers,
because they have not entered the world to which faith gives access.
This aspect of faith is supernatural; not in the sense of being
“spooky”, but in the sense of being above our own unaided powers
(supra naturam meaning “above nature”). Faith is a gift therefore, a
gift from God which makes it possible to accept without doubting
what he has revealed. What remains mysterious is that some people
believe and some do not, although sometimes their education and
circumstances have been the same. Even when we have the faith, we
cannot argue other people into it. Faith is not just the conclusion
of an intellectual demonstration: It is always a response in the
depth of our heart to a personal action of the God we seek and love.
There is also a freedom about faith, which makes it an act of our
own. God values our freedom so much that he invites us and attracts
us, but he never takes away our freedom. God does not want to be
served and loved by zombies. He wants to be served and loved in
freedom, and, in this life, freedom means the ability to choose
between different course of action. Pressure must never be brought
on people to make them believe. Faith, like friendship, must be
freely chosen.
The Power of Example
There is something else that needs to be said about the tuitio
fidei. The defence of the faith includes its promotion. We must
never forget, therefore, that the best recommendation of the
Christian faith is the quality of the lives that Christians lead.
St Peter wrote: "Always behave honourably among gentiles so that
they can see for themselves what moral lives you lead'. (1 Peter: 2,
11). This is a big responsibility. The sins of Christians cause much
scandal to non-believers, making it harder for them to believe, and
then, instead of tuitio fidei, a terrible direptio fidei takes
place, a "laying waste or the faith". It should be a constant prayer
or ours a1ways to behave honourably, as St. Peter says.
There is a story about a Catholic Scottish lady who had a Protestant
husband. He never gave the slightest indication of wanting to become
a Catholic, and she never made any attempt to lead him in that
direction, though it was often the object of her prayer. Her husband
was a good man who "pursued righteousness"; a rather si1ent man who
did not often say what he was thinking. One day, after twenty years
of marriage, he said to his wife: "I am going to be received into
the Catholic Church on Saturday." She was so surprised that she
nearly fell through the floor. When she had recovered, she asked him
why he had decided to do this. He said: "Well, for the twenty years
that we have been married, you have never ceased to criticize the
various parish priests that we have had at D. (the local parish],
but you have never missed Mass on Sunday, I came to the conclusion
that a religion that could have such an effect on you needed further
investigation, and so I started instruction with Fr X. six months
ago".
I particularly like that story because it seems to correspond
exactly to something else that St Peter says in the letter already
quoted: "... if there are some husbands who do not believe the Word,
they may find themselves won over, without a word spoken, by the way
their wives behave, when they see the reverence and purity of your
way of life. " (1 Peter: 3, 1-2).
The Journey of Faith
I hope that it is apparent from what I have written that tuitio
fidei is something very personal. It implies a journey in faith,
which starts often with the faith of our parents but which has to
become our own faith. It also has to go through crises. Often there
is a crisis at the time of adolescence, because what seemed so
obvious in childhood as past of everyday life is suddenly called
into questions. I remember a first-year student at an English
university who came from a convent school and had always accepted
the Church as something obvious and universal. (English students
usually go to a university a long way from where they live, unlike
students in Latin countries who often life at home during their
“Third Cycle” studies, and go to the university at the bottom of the
boulevard). Suddenly this English student was plunged into a milieu
where she was the only believer. Suddenly she experienced the
freedom of choice required by the act of faith. She felt its
supernatural character and knew that it was above her own, unaided
powers. She realized that one has to pray for faith. It was all too
much for her, and, whenever she thought about the problem, she burst
into floods of tears. She would be in the middle of a tutorial or
having her lunch in the university refectory, when suddenly she
would dissolve into helpless sobs, so that people would rush up,
asking anxiously whether she was unwell. The only way she could get
through the day was not to think about religion at all. It was a
painful time of growth for her.
Mid-Life Crisis
There a1so seen to be a mid-life crisis for many. They feel as if
they have lost the faith because all the enjoyable feelings that
they associated with religion have disappeared. This is probably
part of the Night of the Spirit that mystics write about. That great
master of the spiritual life, Dom John Chapman, Abbot of Downside,
once wrote to a nun who felt that she had lost the faith: "Try to
serve God for his own sake, as he wishes you to, and not fur his
gifts. What does it matter whether you enjoy your prayer, or are
unhappy in it? What does it matter if you have all these feelings of
having no faith? You know quite wel1 that you have faith; for if you
had none, you would not mind having none: but the pain is caused by
your “feeling as if” you had not any.” The Spiritual Letters of Dom
John Chapman, ed. Dom Roger Huddleston (London: Sheed and Ward,
1935), p.164. Letter of 4 September, 1931 to a Benedictine nun.) "
As members of the Order of Malta, we have the privilege of being at
the service of the Faith. The tuitio fidei is an important part of
our service of mankind, because faith helps to see human beings at
their true value, to see them as God sees them. That is why faith
leads to love, and love leads to holiness. The Order puts many means
of holiness at out disposal. 1t is good to renew our intention of
making the best use of them.
Maurice Couve de Murville, Archbishop emeritus of Birmingham
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4. “OBSEQUIUM PAUPERUM”. CHRISTOLOGICAL AND ECCLESIAL
FOUNDATION.
Angelo Acerbi
(Translated from Italian)
The “obsequium pauperum” presents to the Order challenges old and
new. Before listening to some of the charitable activities of the
Order, given by those directly involved, I would like to offer a few
reflections on the basic references which motivate and qualify them.
A Christological Reference
A clear and continuous Christological reference is needed so as to
keep the charitable works on the evangelical ground and to give to
the various activities of the Order a clear Christian framework.
In a few weeks Teresa of Calcutta will be raised to the honour of
the altars. Mother Teresa spread her tent of charity in many
countries, in which poor people of all kinds found refuge. When one
visits the chapels of the Missionary sisters of Charity, founded by
Mother Teresa, one is impressed by a word, written in unadorned
letters at the side of the Crucifix on the end-wall: “sitio”. To the
invocation of extreme need formulated by the suffering Christ,
Mother Teresa and her daughters respond by placing themselves at the
service of the poorest in which they find his face.
In the letter to the Hebrews we read the exhortation to “look to
Jesus the pioneer and perfecter of our faith” (Heb 12:2). Blessed
Gerard and his companions gave life to the new institution at
Jerusalem. There was no lack of illness or of poverty or of pilgrims
in Europe at the time. If our Order is “of Jerusalem” it means that,
historically and constitutionally, the service given to pilgrims,
the sick and the needy began with a Christological motivation.
Gerard and his companions had made their way to the Holy Sepulchre.
Their eyes and their hearts were fixed on the life and Passion of
Christ; they were captivated by his love. It was the encounter with
Christ at the Holy Places that made them capable of encountering the
poor and those in need of relief.
Today too the care given to the poor by members of the Order, in
activities geared to the vast variety of needy situations, must find
its original inspiration from the person and the work of Jesus
Christ.
The roots of Christian love
Beginning again from Christ, as recommended by the Holy Father in
his “Novo Millennio Ineunte”, means above all going to the roots of
Christian love. In his first letter, John indicates the source of
charity: “By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us;
and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.” (1 Jn 3:16).
From which the Apostle draws immediately a practical conclusion:
“But if anyone has the world’s goods and sees his brother in need,
yet closes his heart against him, how does God’s love abide in him?”
(1 Jn 3:17).
The Gospel is permeated by a current of charity. Jesus proclaims
love as a “new commandment” and bestows it on his own during his
farewell address: “A new commandment I give to you, that you love
one another; even as I have loved you” (Jn 13,34).
The love of our neighbour is depicted graphically in the parable of
the Good Samaritan who makes himself a neighbour to the traveller
wounded and mistreated by robbers. It is also expressed as a supreme
requirement in the Final Judgement: Christ the Judge identifies
himself with the poor, the sick, those in prison. Seeing the face of
Jesus in the needy and in those who suffer has been the powerful
inner impulse of the saints of charity: St. Vincent De Paul, St.
John of God, Saint Camillus, the Cottolengo, Blessed Damian, Mother
Teresa of Calcutta.
In the school of the Gospel
No other school can surpass the Gospel for teaching charity. The
reality and the characteristics of Jesus’ love are an inexhaustible
lesson. Transiit benefaciendo et sanando omnes (Acts 10:38).
Compassion towards those in need even brings Jesus to work miracles.
With them he intends to reach the heart of the benefited persons,
renewing a relationship of faith with God and bringing them to
participate again in the normal life of the community. We may think
of the miracle of the paralytic whom Jesus raises from his pallet or
of the cure of lepers who return to a normal life of the human
society.
Christian charity, the active charity practiced by the members of
the Order, is not satisfied with the simple gesture of offering some
money; it knows how to place oneself at the service of one’s
neighbour to whom it wishes to give, with relief, moments of hope
and freedom, as in the case of certain sick people, of vagrants, of
drug addicts. The dying, picked up by Mother Teresa, died in peace
because they felt for the first time that their dignity as human
persons was recognised.
Active charity “propter Deum”
The most noble characteristic of Christ’s love was the fact that the
principle of divine love, proper to the Son of God, was operating
through the fibers of his humanity. Christian charity is not
exhausted in an impetus of altruism or human solidarity. To human
compassion it adds a superior motivation and finality: propter Deum.
In St. Paul’s First Letter to the Corinthians, the hymn to charity
begins with the negative lesson of those who attempt do good without
charity: “If I give away all I have, and if I deliver my body to be
burned, but have not love, I gain nothing” (1 Cor 13:3). Charity in
fact is above all love of God, whose grace is needed for a person to
produce fruits: a branch, broken off from the vine, dries up.
Obviously good works done to one’s neighbour in need can move
towards conversion. Indeed, who can fathom the depth of divine
mercy? April last, in Paris, while I was visiting the Order of
Malta’s splendid health institution for severely handicapped people,
I met a health worker who was assisting the sick with great patience
and tenderness. I praised him for his charitable service, but he
replied: I am not a believer; I do this out of a humanitarian
spirit.
Certain heroic deeds of charity are proper to Christians. From my
stay in Japan, many years ago now, I remember how the Catholic
Sisters who dedicated their lives to assist mentally retarded
children caused surprise and admiration. I was told that Buddhism,
while not without compassion, did not know those forms of charity.
For Christians they possess a reference to the suffering Christ. At
the time of the first Christian communities, their way of life,
based on fraternal sharing of goods, did not pass unnoticed to
Pagans who were surprised.
“May charity make you a slave”
St. Augustine has a beautiful expression: “May charity make you a
slave, now that truth has made you free” (Epist. on Psalm 99,7). The
Maltese works of charity are contained in compendium in the
expression “obsequium pauperum”. The very word “obsequium” indicates
an attitude of service. One of the most bewildering Gospel episodes
is the one of Jesus washing the feet of his Apostles. It speaks to
us of the unheard-of Mystery of “God’s humility”. It is then that
Jesus gives to his disciples his “new commandment” of love. He had
just given the example of this kind of love by his humble gesture of
service and charity which he illustrated with his words: “If I then,
your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash
one another’s feet. For I have given you an example, that you also
should do as I have done to you.” (Jn 13:14-15). Truth makes free.
The Truth is Jesus: he teaches humility and frees from pride and
from the search for power. These are the conditions for an authentic
service of charity. “Exemplum dedi vobis … you also ought to wash
one another’s feet. The others are above all the members of the
Order, who must be included in the service of charity.
“May charity make you a slave”. The expression reflects the
commandment of Jesus. Truth, humility, charity, service are combined
in an evangelical harmony which is demanding and gratifying. May
they be a cause for reflection and self-examination and may they be
fulfilled in the behaviour of every member of the Order of Malta.
Then will the “obsequium pauperum” professed by the Order find its
correspondence in authentic slaves of charity.
The Church and the diakonia of charity
While in Hungary, just after the fall of communism, I was in a
position to observe the mutilations that had been inflicted upon the
church. The communist Regime had attempted to immobilize it by
cutting off the two wings that sustain its action: education and
works of charity. At that time the church was beginning slowly to
re-establish Catholic schools and the different works of assistance
so as to safeguard the integrity of the Church’s mission. I remember
that a pioneer in this task of reconstructing organized charity, was
the “Malteser-Hilfsdienst” of the German Association, which had its
base in a parish that I used to frequent.
Pope John XXIII said that the Church because it is Catholic is “the
Church of everyone and particularly of the poor” (Radio-message
previous to the Council). There is a structural link between the
Church and poverty. The service of charity is something that the
Church must do in order to be faithful to its own nature.
The Order of Malta by means of its works of charity is incorporated
into this mission of the Church. It is important to note that the
activities and the centres of the Order dedicated to assisting the
poor and the sick, even the specialized institutions, are not
separated from the ecclesial body.
The apostolic times themselves give witness to the fact that service
to the poor was considered a part of the Church’s mission. The
institution of the Deacons came about from the need to free the
apostles from the “table service”, from the daily distribution of
relief to those in need. Saint Paul on his journeys takes upon
himself the task of promoting among the Churches collections in
favour of the Jerusalem poor. The diakonia of charity, belonging as
it does to the structure and institution of the church, has
nevertheless known historical ups and downs. Recently, thanks to the
teachings of Vatican II, it has known a new revival and has become a
basic programmatic decision: the preferential option for the poor.
This means that the poor should find themselves in the Church as in
their own home.
It is not our task to enumerate the many novelties in this area that
have appeared in the world scene, from organised voluntary services
to humanitarian interventions in cases of armed conflict and natural
disasters. The presence of the Order of Malta is everywhere greatly
appreciated. The Order is characteristically distinct from many
other private associations or public entities dedicated to giving
assistance on account of its own proper style, but above all on
account of its Christological and ecclesial reference and
foundation. Its institutions and charitable activities, by obeying
the “new commandment” of Jesus, are inserted into the history of the
Church’s diakonia of charity. This is the light in which the
fundamental aims of the Order, as expressed in Article 2,2 of the
Constitutional charter, should be read.
Angelo Acerbi,
Arcivescovo tit. di Zella
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5. THE NEW
FORMS OF CHARITY
Albrecht Freiherr von Boeselager
In his Apostolic Letter “Novo Millennio Ineunte” (No.50) the Holy
Father calls on the Church for a “new creativity of charity”. As
members of the Order of Malta, we should see this appeal as being
particularly addressed to us. If we take seriously our
responsibility as servants in the service of “our Lords, the sick”,
we are constantly called upon to use our creativity and all our
talents to improve our service and adapt it to the times. Like all
Orders of the Church, the Order of Malta also has the
responsibility, through the Order’s Charisma and Mission, to carry
out pioneer work for the Church. I can see various fields in which
we are called upon.
In many countries medical and social care and provision has become
largely separated from its originally Christian background. Its
supporting principles are no longer the Christian love of neighbour,
but “humanitarian” motives. Important connections are thus in danger
of becoming lost. Current medico-ethical and bio-ethical debates
illustrate this danger, when for example even the killing of an
incurably sick person is justified by reference to humanitarian
motives. More clearly than in the past, we must therefore select our
fields of activity with a view to taking a clear position in this
discussion. Care of the dying and their families by various branches
of the Order in hospices and at home is an example of this new
priority. And in all our institutions, concern for the teachings of
the Church on ethical questions must take on a more central role
than was necessary in the past.
Care of mothers and children represents another priority. 80 per
cent of persons living below the poverty line are women with their
children. Often, children are no longer a source of wealth but a
cause of poverty. The maternity hospital in Bethlehem, the
programmes to prevent the transmission of Aids from infected
pregnant mothers to their children, the focus on mothers and
children in disaster and emergency relief, the manifold
mother-and-child programmes run by the Latin American Associations,
all take this orientation into account.
Thus the Order is taking a clear position in defence of the dignity
of the beginning and ending of life, in its special vulnerability.
Many non-Christian organisations do the same work as us, and in good
quality. We must concern ourselves with how our actions based on
Christian love of neighbour also make the caring and healing love of
God visible to humanity, and can thus also offer witness to God’s
love in the future. Our actions in the works of the Order must be
seen to follow in the footsteps of Christ and be an answer to God’s
love, so that their character as witness and the connection to
“tuitio fidei” is maintained.
The greater the immediate connection, the easier this is. This is
why, in our recent history, pilgrimages with the sick and
handicapped, especially to Lourdes, have been of such central
importance. The majority of the Order’s recent initiatives have
their source in Lourdes in one way or another. With its care for
needy pilgrims, the Order has found its way back to its first
founding task in its most visible way, thus fulfilling the duty
conferred on the Order in the Council Decree “Perfectae caritatis”
to reflect upon its founding Charisma. In an utilitarian world
devoid of meaning, the Order thus helps both sufferers and their
helpers to experience the Christian meaning of suffering about which
it is so difficult to preach.
With other activities it is less easy to make the connections clear.
The maintenance of a supporting Christian culture in our hospitals
and homes requires greater effort, because it is becoming more and
more difficult to find Christian-motivated Catholic staff, and in
certain countries the employment laws forbid the selection of staff
based on religious grounds as “discrimination”. But at least we must
take care to ensure that the management staff are able to
convincingly represent the binding teachings of Catholic faith and
living both within and outside the institution.
We face similar challenges in the field of international disaster
relief. We are witnessing a strong globalisation and centralisation
in disaster relief, coupled with a clear trend towards greater
professionalism and standardisation. Christian values play no
visible role in this development. But Article 2 Paragraph 2 of the
Constitution of the Order presents us with a very concrete
responsibility for disaster relief, and does not offer us the option
to withdraw from it. With the founding of the Emergency Corps of the
Order of Malta (ECOM), we have taken account of this responsibility
and recent developments, even though the challenge facing this sole
Catholic international relief organisation is enormous. It is also
necessary - in a world in which an extensive code of good rules
regarding humanitarian international law, human rights and aid
standards exists on the one hand, while on the other hand these
values are losing their natural and cultural anchoring and they are
therefore breached more often than in the past - to stand up for
Christian values. A further challenge in this context is presented
by our obligation under our Constitution to offer our aid to every
person, regardless of religion or race. In situations in which
others concentrate their aid as a matter of course on fellow tribe
members and co-religionists, we have to make clear that God’s love
applies to all, without at the same time neglecting our solidarity
with the Christians in the effected region.
The internationalism of the Order and its international
responsibility oblige us not to limit our mission to “charity begins
at home”, but to extend our relief services beyond the borders of
our own countries, where possible in international cooperation. This
applies in particular to the poor countries, whose populations
suffer from the objectively unjust distribution of resources and
development possibilities. Manifold healthcare programmes, clinics,
deliveries of medicaments and aid to refugees bear witness to the
growing awareness of this responsibility, to which the Holy Father
never tires of drawing attention. An important task after the fall
of the Iron Curtain was the re-establishment of the Order’s
activities and relief services in the East European countries, which
continue to require support.
As well as physical and material need, spiritual and religious need
provides an important yardstick for our choice of fields of
activity. Precisely these needs are undergoing major changes and
demand great attention and flexibility. The victims of social
exclusion or rejection are especially dependent on the circumstances
where they find themselves. In many places, the Order devotes itself
to the homeless. Care for victims of drug addiction is taking on an
ever-greater importance. Despite all governmental aid programmes in
the countries of the First World, the handicapped still suffer from
exclusion and lack of social acceptance. In particular, the
significance of vacation activities with the handicapped by young
people under the banners of our Order can scarcely be exaggerated.
These open up an entirely new dimension for the young people in
respect to the loveliness and dignity of human existence,
independent of the yardsticks of achievement and enjoyment set by
the modern world.
An aspect of our service which must never be neglected is the
technical quality of our aid. Goodwill and Christian love are not
enough on their own. The first hospital rules of the Order from the
12th century indicate how much care was taken of this dimension. For
“our Lords, the sick”, only the best was good enough.
To strengthen the sources of our Charisma, we must win new faith in
the promise that Christ in is present in those who are suffering. We
must prepare ourselves to interpret the encounter with Christ in the
service of the sick and poor to those who do not yet believe. The
point is to enable the missionary dimension of the encounter with
Christ in the service of the Order to yield even greater fruit.
In my view, a priority here lies in the contribution which the Order
makes to the new evangelisation. From this point of view, too, the
employment of non-Catholics and even non-Christians as volunteers in
the relief services or as staff in the institutions of the Order
finds not only its justification but also an argument in its favour.
Since the beginning, the Order of Malta has invited people of
goodwill to accompany it on its way and to support its services.
With its clear rooting in the Catholic Church, it has the freedom to
cooperate in its works with all those who wish to participate in its
task and who are open to its purposes. The Order thus offers space
to the individual to find his or her own calling in the encounter
with Jesus Christ in the service of the weak and sick. However we
must ensure that we can find sufficient strength in personnel and
organisation to really pervade our works with this sense of meaning.
In No. 49 of his Letter “Novo Millennio Ineunte”, the Holy Father
forcefully reminds us of one of the central biblical fundamentals of
the Charisma of our Order in Mt 25,35-36: "I was hungry and you gave
me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and
you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you
visited me, I was in prison and you came to me". And he continues:
“This Gospel text is not a simple invitation to charity: it is a
page of Christology which sheds a ray of light on the mystery of
Christ. By these words, no less than by the orthodoxy of her
doctrine, the Church measures her fidelity as the Bride of Christ.”
For this reason, the Holy Father hopes that the new century and
millennium will see, to an even greater extent than before, the
degree of devotion of which love of the poorest is capable. We hope
and pray that the members and helpers of our Order may also be among
the witnesses to this.
Albrecht Freiherr von Boeselager
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6. THE EVANGELIC REQUIREMENTS OF THE “OBSEQUIUM
PAUPERUM”
Gian
Luca Chiavari
(Translated from Italian)
Modern society, unhappily proud of its laicism, refuses to be guided
by religious and moral values and every day urges valid solutions
and options.
So the mission of today’s’ Knights and Dames may be regarded as a
“full range” mission of testimony and support.
The sword militant is replaced by the zeal and protection of Faith,
intended as the stone on which every existence is grounded.
In the prevailing uncertainty of our present days, to recognize the
Lord as the Primeval Good and the Ultimate End of the Creation is
already a way to give a meaning to the path followed by humankind.
Obsequium Pauperum in its diverse expressions stems from the love
and peace of this premise to life.
Man does not hunger for the food he is missing: he also starves for
advice, courtesy, company, listening, consolation, sharing of
options and times, prayers.
Belonging to the Order is never something to boast about for a
Knight or Dame – it is the awareness of a special gift: the call to
live closer to the Gospel’s Beatitudes.
The Gospel’s invitation to love pushes us towards people in
different conditions: the ill, the elderly, the marginalized, the
refugees, those who are neglected and lonely become our dear travel
companions full of humanity.
Knights or Dames do not merely approach them spiritually, but live
“strongly” together with them, certain that there may be no
happiness unless it is shared.
And in their prayers they raise a choral praise to the Lord and
invoke the Consoler Holy Spirit to guide, heal and enlighten human
existence.
Obsequium Pauperum must therefore be experienced within the Order by
example. The example given by the Blessed Gerard, Founder of the
Order, when he soothed the plagues of pilgrims in the Holy Land, or
by Mother Theresa of Calcutta, when she carried over her fragile
shoulders the dying, forlorn people along the streets of India. The
example given every day by the Professed Knights of the Order when
they pray for the poor and the sick in the silence of their rooms.
The example given in these very days in Afghanistan, Congo or Iraq,
where so many volunteers under the flags of the Order are helping
entire populations at a loose, translating into their action the
words of the Constitutional Charter: “The Order affirms and
propagates the Christian virtues of charity and brotherhood. The
Order carries out its charitable works for the sick, the needy and
the refugees”.
And this mission is always in the mind and heart of those confreres
and sisters of the Order that in the torn-apart territories of
Palestine and Israel help many children to be born, there, in the
Order’s Maternity Hospital of the Holy Family in Bethlehem.
Knight or Dame of the Order, look down in this very moment .... you
will see plenty of hands stretching out. Take one, and help that
creature to rise. Together you will reach Heaven.
Gian
Luca Chiavari
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7. CARITATIS MYRICAE
Fra’
Franz von Lobstein
(Translated from Italian)
Raids by Night and More
Christmas Eve: it is bitterly cold and those from my volunteer group
who, like myself, have their heads uncovered are well aware of it.
Every word – hardly any to tell the truth – is accompanied by a puff
of white vapour. Words are quite unnecessary: human suffering is the
protagonist.
Rome Central Station (underground): a curved and very old woman
pushes – or pulls? – a sort of trolley loaded with parcels of rags:
her precious belongings. Her fingernails, coloured deep red, stand
out against hands that haven’t been washed with soap for God knows
how long. “It’s the Countess”, whispers a young volunteer and,
against my wishes, tells her: “Countess, may I introduce the Grand
Prior of Rome?” This is followed by a perfect curtsey and, in very
good and friendly-sounding Italian: “How do you do Sir”.
The woman accepts our gifts of hot milk, a shawl, a cap, a woolen
blanket and a small Italian Christmas cake with elegant aloofness.
Who could she possibly be? Our respect for her privacy restrains our
curiosity.
Some metres away, another woman, also of a certain age, walks up and
down, to and fro, relentlessly…. nervously. She holds a large
plastic bag in each hand. I approach her, in an uncertain manner,
and realise that the large plastic bags symmetrically placed along
her sides are filled to the brim with smaller plastic ones – all
neatly folded. I try to make conversation: “Merry Christmas,
Signora! May I offer you some hot chocolate? I also have for you, a
blanket, a shawl, a woollen skirt….”. She interrupts with the words:
“…. can’t you see how many things I have already?…. don’t you
understand that I need nothing?….” I try again: “…. but, Signora,
it’s so cold, please take ….”. Her only reply, a decisive and
prolonged “Good evening”, brings our meeting to a halt.
We go down the left subway. It is full of beggars and paupers. Some
of them look at us blankly. Others emit a monotonous singsong and
some simply lie on pieces of cardboard. The cold gusts of wind make
you shiver. We distribute what we have all around. We also offer
words: of friendship, understanding, love. Few thank us but many
shake our hands and a few embrace us.
A man of over fifty lies on the floor. I approach him, hopefully:
“…. a Merry Christmas, Signore. Please allow me to offer you ….”,
and I add: “…. some hot milk?….”. He looks at me, perplexed, and
then says: “But what I would like is some sparkling wine”. And I,
somewhat mortified, say: “I’m afraid I haven’t brought any!” He
consoles me with the words: “…. oh, very well then. Just give me
whatever you have”.
******
The events that took place on 11th September have, to a certain
extent, even weighed upon our voluntary work in favour of those
tramps and vagrants who wander by night and who, over recent years,
have come to include a considerable number of representatives of the
Islamic world.
With regard to this, my volunteers and I always bear in mind that
most beautiful and relevant phrase of many years ago, pronounced by
Dr. Schweitzer, the lay Apostle of Lambarené: “…. I care not about
the colour of your skin, I am not interested in your religious
creed, I don’t mind your political convictions. I ask you only: what
are you suffering from?”
And, to go on: on several occasions the little Italian Christmas
cakes we usually offer have been declined by tramps professing the
Islamic faith. Little did I know that lard (pig fat!) is
unfortunately used in their preparation.
Late one night in November after the fateful 11th September, a night
in which I was running a temperature and just hadn’t the energy to
go out myself, one of my volunteers who was wearing, like all my
volunteers do, a red armband with the white eight-pointed cross on
his left arm, was roughly, even aggressively, addressed by a Muslim
tramp: “…. that cross you wear on your arm offends me …. . Remove
it, then I can accept your hot milk….”. My volunteer promptly
answered: “…. if you wish I can remove that cross from on my arm, in
any case I carry it engraved upon my heart….”.
The armband, of course, was not removed. A moment of uncertainty
followed. Then my volunteer and the Muslim embraced one another.
******
Christmas luncheon was offered by us on 26th December that year.
Several tables decorated with red tablecloths fill the side aisles
of the Grillo Palatine Chapel in Rome: 180 tramps, our brothers,
take their places at the tables. Instead of place cards, each place
is distinguished by a little useful gift. Some dames, some
confreres, a large number of volunteers, our dear Monsignor and I
serve the meal.
Oven baked pasta, meat (strictly veal), vegetables, pudding, coffee
and mineral water.
Towards the end, a long and haunting song of thanksgiving and of
praise to the Lord is raised from three tables occupied by
Georgians.
One of our volunteers, gifted with a most beautiful voice, sings
Neapolitan songs accompanied by recorded background music.
******
It is February and the cold together with the strong North winds are
no laughing matter. The long night “round”, along the Roman
Tuscolana road and thereabouts, has proved most exhausting for one
amongst us, far from young in age and afflicted with severe
arthrosis of the knees. Even my young volunteers are somewhat tried.
We cannot bear it any longer. Without anyone seeing us, the dear
Priest, who for years has followed and encouraged me, and I hide,
worn out. We sit on the ground behind a low wall. We become
invisible …. and listen. We hear that the others are looking for us
but we want to be on our own, to reflect, just a little bit longer.
We hear that the others are beginning to worry about us, not having
seen us any more. We listen carefully and hear a sentence that
sounds like music to our ears when a very young volunteer tells
another: “…. you know, I feel dead tired but tonight I feel better
than when in a disco….”.
Praise be to You, my Lord: we do not, therefore, live in vain!
Rome: a December hunt by night
It is Friday, 9.30 p.m. The month is January and if it were not so
commonplace to say so in these circumstances, I would add that it is
simply “filthy weather”. The point is that we’re getting ice-cold
rain: it’s incessant, and raining hard, and the wind is trying its
utmost to slap our faces strongly.
There are around thirty of us volunteers, young and not so young,
and we’re going hunting. A rather special hunt, to tell the truth:
we want to find and to help those who live on the street, our less
fortunate brothers, the tramps. It’s raining. It’s still raining:
the sky is leaden and the air is freezing.
Scalo San Lorenzo: sheltered, as it were, by an unsafe cardboard
canopy wet through. Here’s a group: all are from extra-EU countries.
One of them, who looks more or less forty years old, groans feebly.
A filthy bandage does nothing to hide the swelling on his left calf.
Andrea, our young volunteer, is a physician or rather, a surgeon. He
looks at me with a grave expression on his face and sets to work:
after cleaning the skin on the lower limb, he removes a stinking
large black crust from the cut - and a bad cut it is - and
disinfects the wound carefully. He then administers a penicillin
injection and bandages it up and will be returning the day after to
check on the progress. Our brother who has just undergone treatment
says nothing: his unspoken smile is, however, full of light and an
expression of thanks. He enjoys the bowl of hot soup we offer him. I
ask him over and over again why he didn’t go to Casualty Department.
His face darkens and he shakes his head in refusal. It dawns on me
that the fear of being expelled from Italy is an absolute deterrent
from doing something like that.
We move from one group to another offering hot food: coffee with
milk, hot chocolate, tea, vegetable soup as well as blankets, more
blankets and even more blankets.
Under the arcades around Piazza Vittorio lies another sixty-year-old
man (is that really his age?), crouching and cuddling up, so to
speak, under a light piece of cloth of an undefined colour. I
quickly cover him up with one of our soft woolen blankets and out of
his eyes, which remain closed, slowly roll two large teardrops down
his face.
And at 10.30 p.m., in that dark corner under the arcades around
Piazza Vittorio while it is still raining hard, why ever does the
sun suddenly shine for us humble itinerants?
Eighty children at Santa Maria del Priorato
Instigated by two of my dames, unrestrained and indefatigable in
their works of charity, I invited around eighty children, normally
assisted by our Roman Centro di Assistenza del Laurentino 38, to the
villa at the Santa Maria del Priorato complex.
The Laurentino 38 district is notoriously ill-famed: every home is a
microtheatre of misery, a story of sadness, degradation, distress.
Distress.
These very young guests of mine all come from “difficult” families.
For them we have prepared, with much love, bread rolls – delicious
ones – and cold drinks.
The first meeting with them, however, is in the cool and white
Piranesi church which, on this glorious sunny morning (11 o’clock on
a very hot 26th June) is filled with spear-like rays of light. The
whole is of the brightest possible shade of white. The young are all
“sitting”, or should I say “squatting”?, on the red fitted-carpet,
since the benches have been removed after the celebrations, for the
members of the Diplomatic Corps, in honour of the feast of St. John
the Baptist. The carpet is now covered with the inquisitive faces of
young children. The buzzing sound they make reminds one of the
chirping of birds. We distribute amongst them specially-made caps
which carry the white eight-pointed cross on the peak and, as
always, a novelty proves to be a sure success. Many questions and
much laughter can now be heard.
Questions as if in a quiz-programme, not so much on the history of
the Order as on its meaning in the world of today.
Suddenly, a very thin little boy, aged about five or six, springs
up. I am later told he is seven and a half years old, but being so
undernourished he looks younger than he really is. He pulls at one
of my sleeves, demanding and getting the attention he desires. He
shows me the muscles (sic) of his slender arm and tells me with an
authoritative yet imploring tone: “Why don’t you make me one of your
knights? I’m young and I can defend you….”.
We “listen to” the deep silence which has fallen all around: is it
the hurried beating of our heart?
Fra’
Franz von Lobstein
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8. ENCOUNTER IN
THE NORTH EAST OF BRAZIL
Fra’
Roggero Caccia Dominioni
(Translated from Italian)
Leprosy. Pronouncing this word produces in the majority of people a
sensation of disgust and repulsion. In spite of that, Hansen’s
disease – this is the scientific name – is an illness that is easy
to cure and heal at very low costs. Its increasing spread in the
developing countries is due most of all to serious lack of hygiene,
ignorance and the well-rooted and ancestral prejudices linked to
this of pathology. The patient is a prey to fear and to an
instinctive guilt complex that leads him into isolation, while the
relatives are pervaded by a sense of shame that prevents them from
informing the health authorities of the disease.
When I am standing before a patient, I think of Jesus, who healed
the lepers just by touching them – that Jesus, who knew the human
soul so well (and especially the soul of the lepers, the outcasts,
the isolated or damned people, who knew how much this kind of
patients needed understanding, friendship, and physical contact with
other human beings. He could have healed them also from a distance,
but by “touching” them, he showed them who much he loved them for
the very reason of their misery: those who nobody wanted to see or
meet.
I remember a little episode that happened to me at the beginning of
my aid activity in North-eastern Brazil. I was visiting the parish
priest of Jaicós, a little town about 50 km from Picos in the state
of Piauí. They had spoken to me of a sick man, who was supposed to
have contracted leprosy, but he very seldom went around and
therefore only very few people had met or got acquainted to him. I
found out where he lived – just behind the house of his wife and
children – and saw a shanty built with dried mud and covered with
straw. Two pieces of wood served as a door, and there were no
windows. I approached the shanty and shouted: “Adao, are you home?”.
In the half-light I saw a figure hiding behind some rags hanging on
a rope. A voice answered: “Don’t enter, you can’t enter! I’m sick”.
I tried to calm him down and said: “You mustn’t be afraid. I’m not
afraid of you, and you needn’t be afraid of me. I know what disease
you have, and there’s no danger. Come show yourself”.
He overcame his fear, caused by my unexpected visit, and came out of
the shanty. He had neither fingers nor toes. The external signs of
leprosy – which had reached and advanced stage – were all too
evident. We began to talk after he’d made me enter the hut, which
resembled more a poultry pen than the house of a human being, and
then he told me his story. I convinced him to see a doctor. He took
off his few rags, and I could see how the disease had changed the
skin on his body: It was fully of pustules, patches and erythemas. I
asked him if he felt pain when I squeezed his skin with my fingers.
We had a conversations on various subjects for about half an hour,
and I promised him that I would be back. I also gave him a few
cruzeiros, so he could buy himself something to eat, since his
families would give only give him some rice two or three times a
week. Then I wanted to leave, but at that point he began to cry. So
I tried to comfort him, saying that the worst was over, that he’d
receive medicines and that he had found a friend to assist him. He
told me: “You know why I am crying? Because I have been ill for
twenty-five years, and this is the first time anybody has ever
touched me”.
Now it is on this front that we are fighting the hardest battle. We
are working to eradicate many sorts of prejudices and to overcome
the fear and shame clutching the sick and their families, in order
to create a new kind of mentality. This will allow to discover any
new cases more easily and early, so that the further spread of a
plague, which may be defeated by modern science, may be avoided.
Fra’ Roggero
Caccia Dominioni
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