An Open World

Chapter 3 of the Encyclical Letter - Fratelli Tutti by Pope Francis is titled: Envisaging and Engendering an Open World.  The definition of envisaging is "to contemplate, to conceive."  Engendering means "to make people have a particular feeling or make a situation start to exist."  The idea of an Open World may conjure ideas of no borders or countries without boundaries.  However, that is not what Pope Francis is proposing in this letter.  

We are Brothers!

As noted in my previous articles, Pope Francis emphasizes the understanding that we are all created by God.  Therefore, a brotherhood exists that transcends all boundaries.   As human beings, we are a "gift of self to others."  We are also made for relationship with each other and with God.  We are challenged daily to move beyond ourselves.  Our tendency, especially when determined to establish a relationship with God, is to separate ourselves from others.  However, Pope Francis shares the importance of the "sacred duty of hospitality "as recognized in the Rule of Saint Benedict and states that "the monks realized that the values they sought to cultivate had to be accompanied by a readiness to move beyond themselves in openness to others."  Saint Augustine, Saint Bonaventure, and Saint Thomas Aquinas are also quoted in this chapter regarding the importance of sharing love and service to others.  "Love," according to Pope Francis, "also impels us to universal communion ... growth in openness, and the ability to accept others as part of a continuing adventure."  We are brothers as Jesus tells us in the Gospel of Matthew (Matt 23:8).  

Pope Francis states that "every brother in need, when abandoned or ignored by the society... becomes an existential foreigner, even though born in the same country."  He continues by stating that people "may be citizens with full rights, yet they are treated like foreigners in their own country."  Pope Francis refers to racism as a virus but then immediately identifies the "hidden exiles" who are "treated as foreign bodies in society."  The two categories of individuals he refers to are people with disabilities and the elderly.   This was an eye opener for me.  I did not consider the injustice of the disabled and elderly as racism.  Even the Webster dictionary defines racism with a focus on racial or ethnic background in its definition.  However, the words marginalized, minority, and discrimination do apply, more often than not, to these two groups of people.  Perhaps Pope Francis is challenging us to understand that these two groups exist in all racial and ethnic groups and that we will be held accountable for how we love, serve, and interact with these groups.  

This part of the letter made me think of my youngest son, Danny who lived his life with extensive disabilities due to meningitis at six months of age.  For 25 years, we encountered the maze of bureaucracy that existed in the disability world.  It was a heart wrenching experience full of people who wanted to do the right thing, but many times did not know how to make it happen.  We also encountered many people who after years of service in a government system became callous and ineffective.  Only with God's help, despite the bureaucracy, were we able to attain support for our son and family.

The Good Samaritan is mentioned again in this chapter.  This time, Pope Francis shows how the ones who passed by the victim were concerned with "their duties, social status, and professional position within society" to stop and help the one in need.  The Good Samaritan, as pointed out by Pope Francis, was a nobody.   He was "a foreigner without a place in society ... free of label and position."  This allowed him to "change his plans" and provide assistance.  Equality, according to Pope Francis, is more than a proclamation.   It is "the result of the conscious and careful cultivation of fraternity."  Like racism, Pope Francis refers to radical individualism as a virus and "makes us believe that everything consists in giving free rein to our own ambitions."  Universal fraternity requires acknowledgment of the worth of every human person including the disabled and elderly.  

Our Responsibility

Society has a responsibility to ensure that its values are passed on. If this is ignored, what will persist, according to Pope Francis, is "selfishness, violence, corruption, indifference, and a life entrenched in individual interests."  Solidarity is more than "sporadic acts of generosity.”  According to Pope Francis, solidarity is a "way of making history" to ensure every person "lives with dignity and has sufficient opportunities."  We rob the poor, which include the disabled and the elderly, by not sharing our wealth with them.  Both Saint John Chrysostom and Saint Gregory the Great teach us this truth and are quoted in this letter.  Also quoted is Saint John Paul II who reminds us that "God gave the earth to the whole human race ... without excluding or favoring anyone."  Pope Francis reminds us of the "immense potential" available to us in the world God has created.  Because of this, Pope Francis encourages us to "develop the talents He gave us."  

More to Come

The next chapter of this important letter focuses on the heart.  How do we implement all that we learned in this document?  It is important that we lead with our heart, and I am sure this next chapter will continue to provide insight.  Stay tuned for the next article.  Click here to read Fratelli Tutti in its entirety.