Wherever we work, our mission is especially to those people whose condition cries out for salvation and for the hope which only Jesus Christ can fully bring. These are the poor with their many faces; we give them our preference. (Constitution 5)
Saint John Paul 2 captures the meaning of these words in his Encyclical Redemptoris Missio:
“Our times are both momentous and fascinating. While on the one hand people seem to be pursuing material prosperity and to be sinking ever deeper into consumerism and materialism, on the other hand we are witnessing a desperate search for meaning, the need for an inner life, and a desire to learn new forms and methods of meditation and prayer. Not only in cultures with strong religious elements, but also in secularized societies, the spiritual dimension of life is being sought after as an antidote to dehumanization.”
The Oblates gathered at the General Chapter of 2022 pledged, on behalf of the Oblate Charismatic Family:
We make a commitment to go to the aid of the poor with their many faces. They are disfigured by suffering. They are marked by the stigma of war. They are traumatized by abuse and exploitation at work. They are alienated from their own original history. They are scorned in the land of welcome and exile. They are humiliated because of their color, culture, or language.
We take the responsibility to do much more to promote justice and peace. The earth belongs to God, but the fruits of the earth belong to all.
Sometimes we feel so distant from and helpless when confronted by the many faces of the poor. Our missionary charism calls us to respond in whatever way we can materially – but also to remember the ripple effect caused by personal service in our own environment which spreads and multiplies. In the words of the proverb: “Great acts commence with small deeds.”
And so begins Holy Week! This morning I find myself filled with new light, the light of love which will guide us as our spirits come together in the heart of Jesus. Do we become a part of ruling mob, as bystanders who simply watch, or will we walk with Him to certain death and wait at the foot of the cross for the resurrection to new life?
The pledge that arose within the 2022 General Chapter is so much more than just holy sounding words, for accompanying them are the small, barely noticeable works that speak of the how. As members of this beautiful Oblate Charismatic Family, we serve God, the Church, each other and the poorest of the poor. Our deeds may be made up of small moments of preparation for the Triduum, making sure there are enough towels for the Holy Thursday foot washing and others helping the oldest and the lame to be able to approach the cross in veneration on Good Friday. Easter Sunday will find us with new life, just as do the many constitutions and rules, along with the Word of God. Even in the face any sort of violence there will be the joy of Easter sustaining each of us. All those small deeds becoming transformative within us.
Those whose sole endeavour is to make themselves into the greatest of the great and rulers over all will suffer the most, for that which they strive to attain becomes like an addiction: empty and unsustainable. We must pray to God for each of them, for we too know what it is to be lost and in need being rescued…