Fr. Amado L. Picardal, CSsR, writes about the global situation and long-term challenges for the Church and the Redemptorist Congregation in the Post-COVID-19 world.

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El panorama general y la visión a largo plazo

Al enfrentarnos a la peor crisis de nuestra vida, es necesario ejercer un liderazgo estratégico que requiere mirarlo desde el panorama general y a largo plazo. Esto significa mirar lo que está sucediendo en el presente desde una perspectiva más amplia, considerando las diversas dimensiones interrelacionadas (señalando las amenazas y oportunidades). Esto también significa responder a los desafíos a largo plazo – la visión a largo plazo.

El P. Amado L. Picardal, CSsR, escribe sobre la situación global y los desafíos a largo plazo para la Iglesia y la Congregación de los Redentoristas en el mundo post-COVID-19.

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In this difficult time, when anxiety, uncertainty and fear are creeping into the lives and minds of people, where do we situate our missionary presence? How do we direct our pastoral endeavors? When God’s people are restless due to the presence of an invisible villain that seems to haunt us down individually and as a community, what comfort could we ever give to ease the suffering of the faithful? More importantly, what is the Lord telling us as disciples of hope and witnesses of the Redeemer in a world wounded more than it already is?

These are some of the questions that the Vice-Province of Manila has to grapple with when the COVID-19 pandemic has escalated into a major health crisis in the country. And like the story of the early years of our congregation, we responded where the Lord calls. Or, at least we try.

Preach the Gospel at All Times; Use Food, It’s Necessary

When most of the provinces were put into lockdown and government and health institutions were scrambling to respond to an arguably unforeseen health crisis, the immediate concern that surfaced was food provision for medical frontline workers and food security for the vulnerable population. The medical frontline workers were in need of food assistance as they were overwhelmingly occupied attending to suspected and infected patients while restaurants, fast foods, and food stalls were closed. Vulnerable sectors, like the urban poor and the daily wage earners, have to find ways as well to put food on their tables and this has been made even more difficult when non-essential works and businesses were closed to mitigate the spread of the virus.

To respond to this pressing need, the communities of the Vice-Province mobilized its personnel and financial resources through the Permanent Commission on Social Mission Apostolate (PCSMA).

The Lipa community established its Mobile Kitchen serving meals for 6 hospitals in Batangas Province. The Baclaran community set up the Perpetual Help Kitchen providing meals for 7 hospitals and 1 COVID testing laboratory in Metro Manila. These two mobile kitchens prepare an average of 1000 meals a day. Following their lead, the Laoag community opened the St. Gerard Community Kitchen serving meals for the 2 frontline hospitals in Ilocos Norte. The Legazpi community has also put in place the DRIVE Mobile Community Kitchen for hospitals in the Bicol region providing medical care to COVID-19 patients.

Public safety officers and law enforcers manning checkpoints, government workers and volunteers, and other essential personnel were also recipients of hot meals. But as the community quarantine continued, the number of locally stranded individuals, Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs), seafarers, homeless persons, and families has significantly surged urging us to respond to their plea for food as well. What was initially a community kitchen intended for the medical frontline workers has eventually expanded to cater to other sectors affected by the lockdown due to the pandemic.

From the first day when Lipa community launched the mobile kitchen initiative, a total of 163,169 meals have been served, broken down as follows: 48,376 food packs from Lipa; 101,462 from Baclaran; 3,331 from Laoag and more or less 10,000 from Legazpi.

Relief Packs for God’s Flock

Providing hot meals was a temporary relief to a hungry stomach. And since most of the wage earners of families in the low middle-class income bracket have no source of income due to the existing lockdown, providing for a week’s food supply is difficult if not impossible.

To address this concern, relief packs containing food aid and basic hygiene kit were also distributed to indigent families and individuals. Each pack containing rice, canned goods and other basic food items will lessen the family’s burden for at least three days or a week depending on the number of family members. Although the government’s social welfare arm has been giving financial and relief assistance, these were not enough. Many did not receive any because, for one reason or another, they were not on the list of beneficiaries.

Baclaran community through the Solidarity Assistance Committee (SAC) was able to distribute 5,119 relief packs to various impoverished communities, stranded workers and to one urban poor community that was reduced to ashes when a fire broke out leaving hundreds of families homeless amid lockdown. Lipa community through its Adapt a Family Program eased the burden of struggling families and distributed 1,913 relief packs coming from 61 communities. Legazpi community also gave away 1,086 relief packs to indigent families and jeepney drivers. Laoag community, through the Redemptorist Amianan Response Team (RART) also dispensed 856 relief packs to underserved sectors that were jobless during the pandemic — tricycle drivers, fisherfolks, farmers and stranded construction workers. All in all, the Vice-Province distributed 8,974 relief packs.

Aside from providing relief packs, there were other efforts to support indigent families and the struggling agricultural sector like establishing a make-shift market in our Divino Amor compound in Lipa City to assist the Cordillera and Benguet farmers while providing fresh and affordable fruit and vegetables to nearby communities, procurement and distribution of milk for 427 children in various barangays in Lipa, and facilitating distribution of donations in kind and in cash. Lipa community has also provided logistical support for distribution of medical equipment to 56 hospitals and rural health units of the provinces of Oriental and Occidental Mindoro, Batangas, Laguna, Quezon and some areas in Metro Manila.

Finding Refuge in the Home of Our Mother

The community quarantine has left individuals stranded and some homeless even. As there was no available public transportation, going home to provinces is almost impossible. Some people, out of desperation, opted to walk hundreds of kilometer just to be able to go out of the metro and be with their families. These people believe that life in the province is way manageable than staying in Metro Manila during this continuing pandemic. This situation has impelled us once again to respond and find ways to lighten the misery of these people.

In cooperation with the Office of the Vice President of the Philippines (OVP) and with the provincial offices where these locally stranded individuals (LSIs) are constituents of, we were able to facilitate their travel to their respective provinces. Baclaran Church served as the rendezvous point for buses and LSIs. To ensure that health protocols were observed, rapid COVID tests are being conducted before passengers are allowed to board the buses. Meals are also provided by the Perpetual Help Kitchen while our medical staff conducts the testing with assistance from the office of Brgy. Baclaran and with testing kits courtesy of private donors and organizations. Laoag community has also managed to assist in transporting stranded and jobless construction workers going back to their provinces. As of this writing, we have already assisted a total of 7,360 LSIs that are residents of Bicol region, Southern Tagalog, Visayas and as far as Mindanao.

Because of the strict implementation of lockdown with varying classifications in various provinces in the country, there are those who cannot travel yet. We have instead accommodated them in our shrines in Baclaran and Lipa while making the necessary travel arrangements. With the loving gaze of the icon of Our Mother of Perpetual Help enshrined in our churches, they have found temporary refuge in our Mother Mary’s home.

New Media Evangelization Towards a New Normal

Under normal circumstances, hundreds of thousands of devotees flock our churches and shrines especially on Wednesdays, the novena day to OMPH. The coronavirus lockdown, however, has prompted government authorities to suspend the public celebration of masses and other religious services. Even when lockdown protocols have been relaxed, the practice of communal worship was only allowed on a 10% capacity because sadly, as some church authorities opine, public celebration of worship is one of the least considered essential necessities by the government.

In a time when people are undergoing more emotional and spiritual stress, the more that the Church and her expressions of faith has to be made more visible. But how do we do that when circumstances restrict the dynamic and communal expression of faith?

To respond to this novel situation, live streaming of our shrine services were intensified. The already existing online platform for novena and masses both in Baclaran and Lipa has increased in its viewership challenging us to be more creative in utilizing multimedia and be more constant in our presence online. One expression of this is our effort to encourage devotees to express their prayers of thanksgiving and petition thru online submission in Facebook to which many have responded positively.

An evening interactive talk show in Baclaran dubbed “ICONnect” that run for more than a month during the height of the lockdown in Manila was a brilliant platform to interact with devotees online while delivering thematic discussions that are relevant to the faithful’s experience in the midst of a challenging situation. The feast day celebration of Our Mother of Perpetual Help last June 27 was a testament of an integrated physical and online celebration: limited attendance in our national shrine was complemented by a good number of attendees in the live streaming platform.

The Redemptorist Youth Mission program has also taken a different turn. We have taken the opportunity to engage our young people in social media. Because mass gatherings are not allowed in this time of lockdown, youth formation activities were held online while encouraging the young people to express their creativities as well through music and video production for the service of evangelization and mission to fellow young people. Closed group conferences were also held in an effort to journey with the young people in their share of struggles and difficulties amid the COVID-19 pandemic. But, of course, the downside is that not everyone has access to internet and social media.

Prophets Amidst Pandemic

The way the government is handling the COVID-19 pandemic has raised the eyebrows of many Filipinos. From a militaristic approach instead of a health crisis response to a lack of serious plans and misled priorities, Filipinos are left to fend for themselves. While coronavirus is wreaking havoc in the country, politicians in power are ravaging democracy and press freedom. The conviction of a journalist via a cyber-libel case, the non-renewal of the franchise of the biggest television network in the country and the passing of the Anti-Terrorism Law with seriously questionable provisions show how self-serving political decisions are being made, in the middle of a pandemic.

It is in this context that we were challenged to take on the Christian role as prophets in our age and time, in the middle of a pandemic. And so while we were busy responding to the needs of the poor and underserved, we also engaged ourselves in advocacies to protect and uphold values for good governance and public service. Calling out the government for lack of compassionate and competent response to the current crisis and participating in mass protests in social media and even within our church’s ground to express our dissent towards the ill-timed Anti-Terror Law are our ways of lending our prophetic voices to the voiceless in our society.

Collaboration for the Sake of Mission

All of these efforts are never done in isolation. God’s projects are only made possible because of generous people and like-minded organizations that have heard the cry of God’s people and have decided to share positive contributions in various capacities.

The relief efforts conducted and other assistance provided by all the Redemptorist communities in the Vice-Province were a product of collaboration with government offices, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), religious institutions, people’s organizations (POs) and even private individuals who in the midst of a challenging situation have chosen to step up to be of service to the poor and the most abandoned.

In a special way, we thank the Art Relief Mobile Kitchen (ARMK) for the inspiration and partnership in our mobile community kitchens, especially in Lipa and Baclaran. We are grateful to all the donors and devotees who continue to contribute to sustain our social mission programs. We also owe a debt of gratitude to the many volunteers and staff who went out of their way to deliver kindness and be in solidarity with the vulnerable sectors in this time of pandemic.

Truly, these people have made the Church truly alive by becoming bearers of Good News to others, better yet, by becoming the Good News themselves. Their passionate involvement in Redemptorist mission inspires us to be more faithful and persevering in our vocation as witnesses of the Redeemer, always in solidarity for the mission to a wounded world.

“Ut Unum Sint”

The battle against this pandemic is far from over. As our country continues to fight against COVID-19, we will carry on with our collective effort of kindness conscious of the fact that we are called to live out the Redemptorist charism today more than ever. We must be relentless in our efforts and must never waver in our desire to be in solidarity with the world shaken by fear, anxiety, indifference and doubt.

As Redemptorists, we must continue to find ways to be ever alive and relevant in today’s world, with or without the pandemic. Let us together believe and act on our faith that we can overcome this crisis together. We are all in this together, and no one, especially the poor, should ever be left behind. As Pope Francis emphatically mentioned in his address during the Extraordinary Urbi et Orbi blessing, “We have realized that we are on the same boat, all of us fragile and disoriented, but at the same time important and needed, all of us called to row together, each of us in need of comforting the other.”

Let us be reminded of the Thrust and Direction of the Vice-Province in this quadrennium. “May We All Be One” in carrying Christ’s light in the midst of darkness, in singing songs of hope amidst the lamentations of uncertainties, in sharing the Redeemer’s love to all.

May St. Alphonsus continue to inspire us to be witnesses of Christ’s redemption and may our Mother Mary intercede for us as we strive to be God’s perpetual help to the poor and the most abandoned.

Fr. Rico John Bilangel, C.Ss.R.

Surely, you’ve heard of being bipolar. It’s very common nowadays that if a person changes their mood, they are called that. It is a misnomer.

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Bipolar disorder is a mental disorder, and it is not as common as people think. The spectrum of bipolar disease is 5% of the population. And 83% of those with the condition will have four or more episodes a year. In relation to gender, two women for every one man have the disease. The causes are genetic and neurobiological changes in the brain.

By definition, it is an affective psychosis where its functioning is at a psychotic level with affective symptoms, disorders of the needs, of the thought, and  motor activity.  The psychotic level is considered to be any person whose consciousness is outside of reality. The patient evolves with outbreaks or episodes, with periods of total remission and satisfactory evolution. The prognosis is good in terms of the regression of symptoms once the episode is over. In other words, the person who has a bipolar disorder in crisis, that is, in episodes, will need treatment with psychoactive drugs or hospitalization. Outside of the crises, they are fully functional people and will only maintain maintenance treatment.

We speak of the bipolar spectrum since it has been observed that they present clinical varieties, such as mania and depression, depression alone (unipolar depression), mixed type (with symptoms of mania and depression at the same time), rapid cycle and cyclothymic personality disorder.

At the diagnostic level, when the patient is in mania, the symptoms are euphoria, hyperactivity, insomnia, ideas of grandiosity, accelerated thinking, and perform many activities at once, but do not finish any. For example: in mania, they give away precious and personal objects, without measuring the consequences, they buy a lot, exaggerate, etc.

In depression, it is quite the opposite, they find themselves depressed, morning insomnia, that is to say, that they wake up in the morning, suicidal ideas, anorexia, do not want to carry out activities, nihilistic ideas, and others.

In both conditions, they should be medicated by psychiatry, in an adequate manner.  Sometimes, after the patient comes out of the crisis, there is no adherence to the treatment, as they feel well, do not take their medications, and relapses return.

The bipolar is very often affected by psychosocial problems. It is possible that at this time with the Coronavirus (COVID-19), many of these patients are in crisis, because of the difficult situation at this time.

There are several treatment modalities, psychopharmaceuticals, psychotherapy, and neurostimulation with the Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation.

Today the patient with Bipolar Disorder has all the possible options to achieve a healthy and functional life.

Reference:

1. Nina, RE. Advances in the Treatment of Bipolar Disorder. Master Conference Nov 2017. Consulted June 15^th, 2020.

Author: Dr. Rose Nina, Ph.D., psychiatrist
Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic
email: roseninaestrella@gmail.com

El Trastorno Bipolar ¿Qué es?

Dra. Rose E. Nina, Ph.D., Solidaridad a distancing, Núm. 10

Seguro has oído hablar de que si eres ¿bipolar? Hoy día es muy común que si una persona cambia de estado de ánimo le llamen así. Es un decir erróneo.

El trastorno Bipolar, es un trastorno mental y no es tan común como la gente cree. El espectro de la enfermedad bipolar es de 5% en la población. Y quien padezca de la condición en un 83% presentaran de cuatro episodios o más al año. Con relación al sexo, dos mujeres por cada un hombre padecen la enfermedad. Las causas son genéticas y cambios neurobiológicos en el cerebro.

Por definición es una psicosis afectiva donde su funcionamiento es a nivel psicótico con síntomas afectivos, trastornos de las necesidades, del pensamiento y de la actividad motora.  Se considera el nivel psicótico a toda persona que se encuentre su conciencia fuera de la realidad. El paciente evoluciona con brotes o episodios, con periodos de remisión total y evolución satisfactoria. El pronóstico es bueno en lo relativo a la regresión de los síntomas una vez superados el episodio. En otras palabras, la persona que tiene un trastorno bipolar en crisis, es decir en episodios, necesitará tratamiento con psicofármacos o internamiento. Fuera de las crisis son personas totalmente funcionales y solo mantendrá un tratamiento de mantenimiento.

Se habla del espectro bipolar, pues se ha observado que presentan variedades clínicas, como de manía y depresion, solo de depresion (depresion unipolar), tipo Mixto (con síntomas de manía y depresion a la vez), ciclo rápido y trastorno de la personalidad ciclotímica.

A nivel diagnostico cuando el paciente se encuentra en manía, los síntomas son de euforia, hiperactividad, insomnio, ideas de grandiosidad, aceleración de pensamiento, y realizan muchas actividades a la vez, pero no terminan ninguna. Por ejemplo: en manía, regalan objetos preciados y personales, sin medir las consecuencias, compran mucho, exagerados, etc.

En depresion, es todo lo contrario, se encuentra depresivo, insomnio matinal, es decir que se despierta en la madrugada, ideas suicidas, anorexia, no desea realizar actividades, ideas nihilistas y otros.

En ambas condiciones se les debe medicar por psiquiatría, de manera adecuada.  A veces, después que el paciente sale de la crisis, no hay adherencia al tratamiento, como se sienten bien, no toman sus medicamentos y vuelven las recaídas.

A los bipolares les afectan mucho los problemas psicosociales. Es posible que en estos momentos con el Coronavirus (COVID-19) muchos de estos pacientes se encuentren en crisis, por lo difícil de la situación en estos momentos.

Existen diversas modalidades de tratamientos, los psicofármacos, la psicoterapia y la neuroestimulación con la Estimulación Magnética Transcraneal repetitiva.

Hoy día el paciente con Trastorno Bipolar tiene todas las opciones posibles para que pueda lograr  una vida saludable y funcional.

Referencia:

1. Nina, RE. Avances en el tratamiento del trastorno Bipolar. Conferencia Magistral, nov. 2017. Consultado el 15 de junio de 2020.

Autora: Dra. Rose Nina, PhD, psiquiatra
Santo Domingo, República Dominicana
email: roseninaestrella@gmail.com

The abuse of older people is a global social problem that affects the health and human rights of millions of older people worldwide.  It is a problem that deserves the attention of the international community. Abuse of older persons is expected to increase as many countries experience rapid population aging.

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Since the various European countries, then the United States and Latin America have taken steps with quarantine or confinement to prevent the Coronavirus (Covid-19),  the population that has been most affected by the Coronavirus has been the elderly, being vulnerable to infection and increased mortality. It has also been observed that abuse has increased with quarantine.

In Spain, there have been many reports of abuse in institutions and in the homes of this population, which is so vulnerable at the present moment.  For example, in Barcelona, the Provea Foundation (Pro-Vejez Autónoma) has regretted in a statement that this crisis and the consequent confinement has caused an abandonment “that has a special impact on the most vulnerable elderly, with disability, dependence and who have no family or social network”.

The United Nations (UN) expressed through its expert Rosa Kornfeld-Matte : “society has a duty to show solidarity and better protect older people, one of the groups most affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.”

She noted that while older people have become visible because of their vulnerability to the pandemic, their concerns or views have not been heard. On the contrary, societies’ disregard for old age has been evident. “We have seen this in the cruel and dehumanizing language circulating in social networks, which emphasizes vulnerability and ignores the autonomy of the elderly.” 

The Coronavirus has brought new problems to this population.  In addition to their vulnerability to the disease, many live alone and are abandoned, others are in nursing homes, where they have also been abandoned. In this regard, the expert stated: special concern for the elderly who have underlying conditions or ailments and for those who have been excluded from society and live in poverty, with limited access to health services or in confined spaces such as prisons or nursing homes.

We must be very careful that the concept of social or physical detachment does not become exclusion.  We must take creative steps to communicate with them, whether by telephone, social networks, contact via the Internet, even those living in nursing homes or in remote areas.

This June 15^th is the World Day of Awareness of Ageing Abuse. Join our campaign “JUST 19 for Older People”.  Choose an older person who lives alone, on Sunday June 14^th, dedicate 19 minutes of your time, either by phone call or through social networks. Write to us on June 15^th, with the messages you expressed, and they will be published.

We must stop the abuse in old age, and now with the Coronavirus, the commitment is greater.

References:

1. Some 60 entities report elder abuse during the COVID-19 crisis. Editorial staff April 2^nd 2020. La Vanguardia. Consulted on June 7^th, 2020. Available at: https://www.lavanguardia.com/vida/20200402/48273906999/unas-60-entidades-denuncian-maltrato-a-ancianos-durante-crisis-de-la-covid-19.html

2. The abandonment of elderly people in nursing homes during the coronavirus pandemic cannot be allowed. UN News. Accessed June 7^th, 2020. Available at: https://news.un.org/es/story/2020/03/1471932

Author: Dr. Rose Nina, Ph.D., psychiatrist
Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic
email: roseninaestrella@gmail.com

El coronavirus y el maltrato en adultos mayores

Dra. Rose E. Nina, Ph.D., Solidaridad a distancing, Núm. 09

El maltrato de las personas mayores es un problema social mundial que afecta la salud y los derechos humanos de millones de personas mayores en todo el mundo y es un problema que merece la atención de la comunidad internacional. Los malos tratos a las personas de edad se prevé que aumentarán dado que en muchos países el envejecimiento de la población es rápido.

Desde que, en los diversos países europeos, luego Estados Unidos y Latinoamericana se tomaron medidas con la cuarentena o confinamiento para prevenir el Coronavirus (Covid-19), la población que ha sido más afectada con el Coronavirus  ha sido la vejez,  siendo vulnerable al  contagio y al aumento de la mortalidad. También se ha observado que los malos tratos han aumentado con la cuarentena.

En España han sido muchas las denuncias del maltrato en instituciones y en los hogares de esta población tan vulnerable en estos momentos.  Por ejemplo, en Barcelona la Fundación Provea (Pro-Vejez Autónoma) ha lamentado en un comunicado que esta crisis y el consecuente confinamiento ha provocado un abandono “que tiene especial impacto en las personas mayores más vulnerables, con discapacidad, dependencia y que no tienen red familiar ni social”.

La Organización de las Naciones Unidas (ONU) expresa a través de su experta Rosa Kornfeld-Matte :   “la sociedad tiene el deber de ser solidaria y proteger mejor a las personas mayores, uno de los grupos más afectados por la pandemia del COVID-19.”

Ella señaló que, si bien las personas mayores se han hecho visibles por su vulnerabilidad frente a la pandemia, no se han escuchado sus preocupaciones u opiniones. Al contrario, se ha evidenciado el desprecio de las sociedades por la vejez. “Esto lo hemos visto en el lenguaje cruel y deshumanizado que circula en las redes sociales, que hace énfasis en la vulnerabilidad e ignora la autonomía de los ancianos.” 

El coronavirus ha traído nuevos problemas en esta población.  Además de su vulnerabilidad a la enfermedad, muchos viven solos y están abandonados, otros se encuentran en hogares de ancianos, donde también han sido abandonados. En este sentido, manifestó la experta: preocupación especial por los ancianos que tienen padecimientos o condiciones subyacentes y por los que han sido excluidos de la sociedad y viven en la pobreza, con acceso limitado a los servicios de salud o en espacios de confinamiento como prisiones o asilos.

Debemos tener mucho cuidado con el concepto de distanciamiento social o físico no debe convertirse en exclusión.  Debemos tomar medidas de forma creativa de mantener una comunicación con ellos, ya sea por teléfono, redes sociales, contacto vía internet, incluso aquellas personas que viven en residencias geriátricas o en áreas remotas.

Este 15 de junio es el Día Mundial de Toma de Conciencia del Abuso y Maltrato en la Vejez. Únete a nuestra campaña “SOLO 19 por la vejez”. Escoge una persona mayor que viva sola, el domingo 14 de junio dedícale 19 minutos de tu tiempo, ya sea por llamada telefónica, por las redes sociales. Escríbenos el 15 de junio, con los mensajes que le expresaste y serán publicados.

Debemos detener el maltrato en la vejez y ahora con el Coronavirus el compromiso es mayor.

Referencias:

1. Unas 60 entidades denuncian maltrato a ancianos durante crisis de la COVID-19. Redacción 2 de abril de 2020. La Vanguardia. Consultado el 7 de junio de 2020.Disponible en:       https://www.lavanguardia.com/vida/20200402/48273906999/unas-60-entidades-denuncian-maltrato-a-ancianos-durante-crisis-de-la-covid-19.html

2. El abandono de personas mayores en las residencias durante la pandemia del coronavirus no puede permitirse. Noticias ONU. Consultado 7de junio de 2020. Disponible en: https://news.un.org/es/story/2020/03/1471932

Autora: Dra. Rose Nina, PhD, psiquiatra
Santo Domingo, República Dominicana
email: roseninaestrella@gmail.com

If I think back to the things I learned about Church and religion as a child, I know that one of the first things I learned was how to genuflect.  Once I was able to walk steady, my parents taught me how to genuflect before I entered the pew.  I was taught that I was genuflecting to Jesus in the tabernacle.  As a child, I did what I was told and really didn’t think much else about it.  It was only much later did I begin to learn more about the meaning behind genuflection:  it was a sign of reverence and respect for the real presence of Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament; how special it was that the real presence was reserved in our parish Church; and, that when we gathered in Church to pray and worship, we did so before the real presence of Christ our God.  Now, it comes as second nature to me to genuflect or bow before the real presence.  And like all things that become second nature, we can come to take it for granted, doing the gesture without giving it much thought.

That is, until, one has an experience of the gesture in an entirely new context.  Last week, on Confederation Hill here in St. John’s –  upon which stands Confederation Building which is the seat of the provincial government and the House of Assembly of our elected representatives – several thousand people gathered in a peaceful protest to show support for the movement that is sweeping around the globe, called #Black Lives Matter.  As you know, this latest manifestation of this movement arose from the terrible murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA.  I attended the protest, all the while maintaining proper physical distance and wearing a mask in this time of pandemic!  There was a moment during the protest that everyone was encouraged to “take a knee” for 8 min and 46 sec, the time that the police officer kept his knee on George Floyd’s neck, thus ending his life.  During that long genuflection, it occurred to me that this same gesture of which I was so familiar, was now being used as a symbol of reverence, respect and protest on behalf of this man who recently died.  Same gesture, very different context.

But then again, was it so completely different?  George Floyd was an innocent man, killed by representatives of the state because of a potent mixture of racism, intolerance, judgementalism, indifference to the sanctity of all life, and abuse of power.  To show our reverence for the importance of his life, to show respect to the dead, to make a statement against racism and abuse of power millions of people around the world are “taking a knee.”  I am not trying to canonize the dead, but when Jesus suffered and died, he did so because religious and political figures abused their power and took an innocent life.  Their worldview was intolerant of someone who lived and thought differently, and so they removed him from life in the most brutal way.  There are some similarities indeed!

When we genuflect to the real presence, we are demonstrating our reverence for Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross.  We are holding dear the incarnation of God in Jesus who became one of us to share our life:  a life of hope, dreams, joy, and a life of pain, suffering, injustice, and death.  We genuflect to our belief that Jesus is God with us, at every moment.  We genuflect to acknowledge that in Jesus, each person matters. However, especially when one life is in danger, when any brother or sister or any group of members of the human family is under threat from racism, abuse of power, lack of reverence and respect, then we must as an act of faith, acknowledge that life … those lives … matter.  We must give voice to that and we must take a knee.    At this moment in our history, the human family says loud and clear in both word and gesture, that Black Lives Matter.  At other moments, in our human history, the human family has spoken about others who have suffered and who matter:  children in poverty and are victims of abuse by those in power, women who suffer abuse, migrants, ethnic groups, people who suffer because of their sexual orientation, members of religion who are persecuted for their faith and, sadly, the list goes on.

When we celebrate Eucharist, the priest will say the ancient words of consecration, he will break the host, the Body of Christ, he will share it with those that gather.  Even in this time of pandemic when many can only pray the prayer of spiritual communion, we still share in this mystery to some extent.  It should not be lost on us that the act of breaking bread and sharing it among us is a profound way in which we share in the suffering, death and resurrection of Christ.   

Jesus’ instruction was to ‘Do this in memory of him’.  But it is not enough to just do Eucharist.  It is not enough to just attend mass. It is not enough just to receive Eucharist into our bodies.  We have to do more.  When we receive the Blessed Sacrament, we must be open to allowing the real presence of Jesus in the Eucharist to change us.  To make us more into the image and likeness of God.  That means taking on the heart of God, the mind of God.  It means remembering those whom Jesus loved:  the marginalized of his day such as woman who had no status and suffered because of their gender, children who also had little status or rights, those who suffered racism and prejudice such as Samaritans, the sick and developmentally and physically challenged who were literally left beyond the walls of family or pushed to the side of the road by their communities, faith and families.  ‘Do this in memory of him’, means we take on His heart, mind and values and ask ourselves who are the marginalized today in our world, and what will we do about it?  How will we give voice and action to their cause?   If we, rightly genuflect before the real presence of Christ in the Eucharist, then we much ask ourselves, who else must we rightly take a knee for in our world today?

read the Italian version (original)

Without illusion we have to accept that other dangerous viruses are lurking in the world panorama of relations between peoples, in the political vision: the efficiency model at the expense of democracy, sovereignty, and populist closures, are viruses that pollute and destabilize the peaceful coexistence of peoples. During this season we have heard statements at the limit of tolerability when, with a smugness, even some heads of state have tried to deny the scientific results in relation to the dangers we run. It is criminal to praise the “immunization of the flock”, thus remaining inoperable waiting for the virus to dissipate on its own. Thankfully, albeit belatedly, he became aware of the tragedy.

Pope Francis, in a recent interview, spoke courageous words: “I am worried about the hypocrisy of certain political figures who say they want to face the crisis, who talk about hunger in the world, and while they talk about it they manufacture weapons. It’s time to convert us from this hypocrisy to action”.

There are world leaders who have dissociated themselves from the call to heal Mother Earth. They did not want to respect the agreements, nor demand consensus and coordination for the future of the planet; they even mocked scientists who, with their knowledge, alarmed us about the sick conditions of our environment. Global warming promises the multiplication of tropical pandemics, as environmental scientists say. Pope Francis, quoting a Spanish proverb, recalls: “God always forgives us, we forgive sometimes, nature never”; and he continues: “We have not listened to partial catastrophes”. It is typical of an individualistic culture and a neo-liberal economy to affirm as truth what history, science, and the present consider to be anything but the truth. We need to rediscover the welfare state, the national public service, and access to care for every citizen because the health of everyone is linked to the health of everyone.

In some countries, the instrumentalization of the social-health emergency situation to allow the populist virus to attack the governability of a country has also begun, through the disintermediation of forms of participation and the demand for special powers. Thus the democracy of a people is dangerously suspended! The virus of political, economic, cultural, and racial fragmentation hovers over Europe, and if it took root it would only produce profit and interest for those who generate this sovereign contagion. The great achievements of the European continent on freedom, human dignity, solidarity, and acceptance, cooperation, are indispensable values. “Without a new patriotism, the decline of the Union is inevitable”, European academics recalled. Against these viruses, there is no need for weapons or armies and, perhaps, not even the incomprehensible claim of some who would demand access to rites and celebrations – the latter deprivation is precisely an act of love – instead, what is needed is the solidarity and transcendent knowledge that generates a widespread and renewed humanism. What is alive if it is not regenerated degenerates.

Msgr. Antonio de Luca, C.Ss.R., bishop of Teggiano-Policastro (SA), Italy

Non allentare la vigilanza

Paradossalmente, stando a casa, abbiamo vissuto anche un singolare esilio. Mi piace quanto ha scritto recentemente un giornalista: «È negli esili che si fanno i sogni più grandi». Nella costrizione delle mura domestica, abbiamo riscoperto legami e modalità alternative per trascorrere questo tempo sospeso. Ma abbiamo anche percepito la pesantezza di ritmi ai quali eravamo completamente disabituati, ci sono mancate le passeggiate, le frequentazioni, la domenica. In questi esili si comincia a valorizzare la gioia delle cose semplici, che un tempo abbiamo vissuto con disarmante abitudinarietà. Proprio nella privazione cominciamo a scoprire la bellezza delle cose che aiutano a vivere. Ma l’allerta non finisce, esiste il pericolo in agguato e abbiamo la responsabilità di non abbassare la guardia. 

Senza illusione dobbiamo accettare che altri pericolosi virus si aggirano nel panorama mondiale delle relazioni tra i popoli, nella visione politica: il modello efficientista a discapito anche della democrazia, i sovranismi e le chiusure populiste, sono virus che inquinano e destabilizzano la convivenza pacifica dei popoli. ln questa stagione abbiamo ascoltato affermazioni al limite della sopportabilità quando con tronfia sicumera, anche qualche capo di stato ha tentato di smentire i risultati scientifici in rapporto ai pericoli che corriamo. È criminale inneggiare alla «immunizzazione di gregge», restando così inoperosi attendendo che il virus si dissipi da solo. Per fortuna, anche se con ritardo, si è preso coscienza della tragedia. 

Papa Francesco, in una recente intervista, ha pronunciato parole coraggiose: «Mi preoccupa l’ipocrisia di certi personaggi politici che dicono di voler affrontare la crisi, che parlano della fame nel mondo, e mentre ne parlano fabbricano armi. È il momento di convertirci da quest’ipocrisia all’opera». 

Ci sono dei leader mondiali che si sono dissociati di fronte all’appello per risanare la madre terra. Non hanno inteso rispettare gli accordi, né richiedere consensi e coordinamento per il futuro del pianeta, hanno persino irriso scienziati, che con il loro sapere, ci hanno allarmati sulle condizioni di malattia del nostro ambiente. Il riscaldamento globale promette la moltiplicazione delle pandemie tropicali, come affermano gli studiosi dei fenomeni ambientali. Papa Francesco, citando un proverbio spagnolo, ricorda: «Dio perdona sempre, noi qualche volta, la natura mai»; e continua: «Non abbiamo dato ascolto alle catastrofi parziali ». È tipico di una cultura individualista e di una economia neoliberista affermare come verità quanto invece la storia, la scienza, e il presente ritengono tutt’altro. Dobbiamo riscoprire lo stato sociale, il servizio pubblico nazionale e l’accesso alle cure per ogni cittadino, perché la salute di tutti è connessa alla salute di ciascuno. 

ln alcuni paesi è cominciata anche la strumentalizzazione della situazione di emergenza socio-sanitaria per permettere al virus populista di attaccare la governabilità di un paese, attraverso la disintermediazione delle forme di partecipazione e la richiesta di poteri speciali. Così la democrazia di un popolo viene pericolosamente sospesa! Il virus della frammentazione politica, economica, culturale e razziale aleggia sull’Europa, e se attecchisse produrrebbe guadagno e interesse solo per chi genera questo contagio sovranista. Le grandi conquiste del continente europeo sulla libertà, la dignità umana, la solidarietà e l’accoglienza, la cooperazione, sono valori irrinunciabili. “Senza un nuovo patriottismo, il declino dell’Unione è inevitabile”, hanno ricordato gli  accademici europei. Contro questi virus non servono né armi, né eserciti e, forse, neanche l’incomprensibile rivendicazione di alcuni che pretenderebbero l’accesso ai riti e alle celebrazioni – quest’ultima privazione è proprio un atto di amore – serve invece il sapere solidale e Trascendente che genera un diffuso e rinnovato umanesimo. Ciò che è vivo se non si rigenera degenera.

Antonio de Luca, C.Ss.R. è vescovo di Teggiano-Policastro (SA)

I’ve been invited to be a panelist for an inter-denominational Zoom gathering focusing on what ecclesial hospitality does or can look like in this time of learning to live with the Covid-19 coronavirus among us. This invitation has really got me thinking, questioning, and pondering. Perhaps some of my reflections may strike a chord with you.

go to SPANISH version

What is “hospitality”?

I am a Canadian, a Newfoundlander, Irish by ethnicity and culture. When I hear the word “hospitality,” I think of place. I think of welcoming people into a space. My mind goes immediately to large family gatherings and the preparations for those gatherings. In the preparations for these family gatherings, one can discern a longing, a real anticipatory joy as we contemplate being together. When we are preparing for the gatherings of our large family, we first of all, clean the house and move back the furniture, so that the physical space is made ready to receive guests. Next, come the shopping and cooking. A constitutive element of hospitality, for my family and people, is having plenty of food and drink to fill the stomach and warm both body and spirit.

On the day (or, more likely, the evening) of the gathering, there are joyous and noisy greetings as family members and guests arrive. There is loud joking and re-connecting on one level, involving many people entering into the fray. At the same time, on another level, in corners and doorways, there are the one-to-one quiet conversations as people check in on a deeper level. The food is served, and, with it, stories are served as well, as we call to mind those who have gone before us and tell stories that capture their spirit and bring them into the present. Stories are told, too, of the present day, of our experiences and the people we’ve encountered. Dishes are done quickly, so as to be ready for when the music begins. My family loves music, and at family gatherings, we sing the songs that bind us together and tell us of who we are and whose we are.

All too soon, these gatherings are over, and the families disperse into the night with promises of, “Let’s do this again soon.” And the memory of the gathering becomes an element of the hospitality itself, prompting us to re-gather before long.

My office, in the “old rectory” of the Redemptorist parish in St. John’s, has always seemed like an extension of my home, and the way that I have welcomed visitors, there has always seemed like an extension of the hospitality that they would experience in my home. The office is bright and sunny, with welcoming chairs and a small table, and decorated with the memorabilia of the places I have been and the people I have known. I love to welcome people to my office.

Like many people, since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, I’ve been working from my home. Every day for the past eight weeks, I’ve been communicating with people from my kitchen-table office or, if I’m in need of something a bit more formal, my dining room table! I started at the desk in my basement office but, as the awareness dawned that this was going to be more long-term, I moved upstairs, where there is more light, and where the trees outside my kitchen window tell me a daily story of Winter turning to Spring, and buds long-dormant bursting into new life.

From this kitchen table, I’ve been in touch with our Redemptorist family and others- from Africa, Europe, Latin America, North America, and Asia-Oceania– every day, by Zoom and Go-to-Meeting, telephone, FaceBook, and FaceBook Messenger, FaceTime, e-mail and old-fashioned letters and cards.

What have I earned through this experience of “working from home?” The first and most important realization for me is that “hospitality” actually doesn’t have much to do with “place” at all. Far more basic than the aspect of physical space is the fundamental element of the generosity of spirit, and a desire to reach out and connect in meaningful ways with others. This generosity of spirit is love in action. It reflects the love of the Creator, who, in Jesus Christ, made plentiful love and redemption present in the world. “And the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us.” In Jesus, God reached out to connect with humanity, to walk with us, to become one of us. We. Made in the image and likeness of God, share that same drive to reach out, to become one with, and to share the journey with others. Our attitude in entering into and building an online community must fundamentally be one of sharing the openness and generosity of spirit that is God’s.

Next, I’ve learned that this hospitality that involves creating a space within myself where the ideas of the other are welcomed, even if they are foreign to my own. A friend of mine often says that she finds Jesus’ command to “welcome the stranger” easy to follow, but it’s much more difficult to “welcome the strange!” Tom Groome calls this aspect of hospitality “psychological hospitality” and, although I think that it is always a feature of our presence to one another, it is drawn to the fore even more in these days when people are worried, anxious, and afraid. How important it is—as we engage others by Zoom, FaceTime, or any of the other digital means available to us– to listen, seeking to understand, rather than be understood.

My experience of learning to build and express hospitality through digital outreach during this pandemic has been paradoxical in this sense: I understand myself to be in self-isolation, exercising social distancing, and yet I am quite busy, and feel busy. Part of the paradox, for me, is that although the extrovert me is self-isolating and working from home, I am probably in touch with more people than ever through e-mails, texts, FaceBook, Messenger and Zoom. More people than ever seem to want and need to reach out and make contact. And it’s not casual contact that people are seeking, but real, deep, and meaningful contact, in which people seek to make meaning of their lives at this pivotal and unprecedented moment. The listening ear and the warm acceptance that we offer to these seekers express yet another aspect of hospitality—I’ll call it “spiritual hospitality.” When we welcome people in their questioning and searching, creating virtual “Emmaus moments,” once again, we mirror the way our God accompanies, embodying plentiful love, plentiful acceptance, plentiful patience, and, yes, plentiful redemption.

The last aspect of hospitality that I’ve been pondering as I sit in my kitchen throughout this pandemic I’ll call “missionary hospitality.” I am fascinated with how my perspective has changed from once being concerned with delivering programs, retreats, sessions, and events for those who come to designing and offering programs, activities, sessions, retreats and other events that are open to all. Our intent is to proclaim the Good News to those who most need to hear it today, to offer solace to the weary, hurting, or disillusioned heart. When members of our Redemptorist Family offer events and opportunities online, when we post inspirational, encouraging, or thought-provoking quotes for the day or upload videos on FaceBook or YouTube, I would now understand these activities to be missionary in nature. Where St Alphonsus and our forebears in the Redemptorist Family took to the highways and footpaths to proclaim the Good News, in this current milieu, we have taken with new gusto to a new missionary field.

I entered into this time of pandemic thinking of hospitality as welcoming people into my space. I am learning that hospitality has much more missionary dynamism than I knew. What about you? What has been your experience?

Cómo el mundo llegó a mi cocina: la hospitalidad en la época del coronavirus

Anne Walsh, Misionera Laica del Santísimo Redentor, Provincia de Canadá

He sido invitado a ser panelista de un encuentro Inter denominacional de Zoom enfocado en cómo es o puede ser la hospitalidad eclesial en esta época de aprender a vivir con el coronavirus Covid-19 entre nosotros. Esta invitación me ha hecho pensar, cuestionar y reflexionar. Tal vez algunas de mis reflexiones puedan tocarle una fibra sensible de nuestros lectores.

¿Qué es la “hospitalidad”?

Soy canadiense, de Newfoundland, e irlandés por etnia y cultura. Cuando escucho la palabra “hospitalidad”, pienso en el lugar. Pienso en dar la bienvenida a la gente a un espacio. Mi mente va inmediatamente a las grandes reuniones familiares y a los preparativos para esas reuniones. En los preparativos de estas reuniones familiares, uno puede discernir un anhelo, una verdadera alegría anticipada al pensar el estar juntos. Cuando nos preparamos para las reuniones de nuestra gran familia, primero limpiamos la casa y movemos los muebles, para que el espacio físico esté listo para recibir a los invitados. Luego vienen las compras y la cocina. Un elemento constitutivo de la hospitalidad, para mi familia y mi gente, es tener mucha comida y bebida para llenar el estómago y calentar tanto el cuerpo como el espíritu.

En el día (o, más probablemente, en la noche) de la reunión, hay saludos alegres y ruidosos cuando llegan los miembros de la familia y los invitados. Hay fuertes bromas y reconexión en un nivel, involucrando a muchas personas que entran en la alboroto. Al mismo tiempo, en otro nivel, en los rincones y puertas, hay conversaciones tranquilas uno a uno mientras la gente se registra en un nivel más profundo. Se sirve la comida y, con ella, también se sirven historias, ya que recordamos a aquellos que se han ido antes que nosotros y contamos historias que capturan su espíritu y los traen al presente. También se cuentan historias del presente, de nuestras experiencias y de la gente que hemos encontrado. Los platos se preparan rápidamente, para estar listos para cuando empiece la música. A mi familia le encanta la música, y en las reuniones familiares, cantamos las canciones que nos unen y nos dicen quiénes somos y de quiénes somos.

Demasiado pronto, estas reuniones terminan, y las familias se dispersan en la noche con promesas de, “Hagamos esto de nuevo pronto”. Y el recuerdo de la reunión se convierte en un elemento de la propia hospitalidad, impulsándonos a volver a reunirnos en poco tiempo.

Mi oficina, en la “vieja rectoría” de la parroquia redentorista de St. John’s, siempre ha parecido una extensión de mi casa, y la forma en que he recibido a los visitantes, siempre ha parecido una extensión de la hospitalidad que experimentarían en mi casa. La oficina es luminosa y soleada, con sillas de bienvenida y una pequeña mesa, y decorada con los recuerdos de los lugares en los que he estado y las personas que he conocido. Me encanta dar la bienvenida a la gente a mi oficina.

Como mucha gente, desde el comienzo de la pandemia COVID-19, he estado trabajando desde mi casa. Todos los días durante las últimas ocho semanas, me he comunicado con la gente de mi oficina de la mesa, de la cocina o, si necesito algo un poco más formal, ¡la mesa del comedor! Comencé en el escritorio de mi oficina del sótano, pero, cuando se dio cuenta de que esto iba a ser a más largo plazo, me mudé al piso de arriba, donde hay más luz y donde los árboles de la ventana de la cocina me cuentan una historia diaria de que el invierno se convierte en primavera y que los brotes, largamente dormidos, irrumpen en una nueva vida.

Desde esta mesa de la cocina, he estado en contacto con nuestra familia redentorista y otros – de África, Europa, América Latina, América del Norte, y Asia-Oceanía – todos los días, por Zoom y Go-to-Meeting, teléfono, FaceBook, y FaceBook Messenger, FaceTime, correo electrónico y cartas y tarjetas anticuadas.

¿Qué he ganado con esta experiencia de “trabajar desde casa”? La primera y más importante realización para mí es que la “hospitalidad” en realidad no tiene mucho que ver con el “lugar” en absoluto. Mucho más básico que el aspecto del espacio físico es el elemento fundamental de la generosidad de espíritu, y el deseo de alcanzar y conectar de forma significativa con los demás. Esta generosidad de espíritu es el amor en acción. Refleja el amor del Creador, quien, en Jesucristo, hizo presente en el mundo un abundante amor y redención. “Y el Verbo se hizo carne y habitó entre nosotros”. En Jesús, Dios se extendió para conectarse con la humanidad, para caminar con nosotros, para convertirse en uno de nosotros. Nosotros, hechos a imagen y semejanza de Dios, compartimos ese mismo impulso de llegar, de ser uno con, y de compartir el viaje con otros. Nuestra actitud al entrar y construir una comunidad online debe ser fundamentalmente la de compartir la apertura y generosidad de espíritu que es la de Dios.

Luego, he aprendido que esta hospitalidad que implica crear un espacio dentro de mí mismo donde las ideas del otro son bienvenidas, aunque sean ajenas a las mías. Una amiga mía a menudo dice que encuentra fácil de seguir el mandato de Jesús de “acoger al extraño”, pero es mucho más difícil “acoger lo extraño”. Tom Groome llama a este aspecto de la hospitalidad “hospitalidad psicológica” y, aunque creo que siempre es un rasgo de nuestra presencia entre nosotros, se destaca aún más en estos días en que la gente está preocupada, ansiosa y asustada. Cuán importante es, mientras nos involucramos con otros por medio del Zoom, FaceTime, o cualquiera de los otros medios digitales disponibles para nosotros, escuchar, buscando entender, en lugar de ser entendidos.

Mi experiencia de aprender a construir y expresar la hospitalidad a través del alcance digital durante esta pandemia ha sido paradójica en este sentido: me entiendo a mí mismo en el autoaislamiento, ejerciendo el distanciamiento social, y sin embargo estoy bastante ocupado, y me siento ocupado. Parte de la paradoja, para mí, es que, aunque el extrovertido yo se auto aísla y trabaja desde casa, probablemente estoy en contacto con más gente que nunca a través de e-mails, textos, FaceBook, Messenger y Zoom. Más gente que nunca parece querer y necesitar alcanzar y hacer contacto. Y no es un contacto casual lo que la gente busca, sino un contacto real, profundo y significativo, en el que la gente busca dar sentido a sus vidas en este momento crucial y sin precedentes. El oído atento y la cálida aceptación que ofrecemos a estos buscadores expresan otro aspecto de la hospitalidad, que llamaré “hospitalidad espiritual”. Cuando acogemos a la gente en sus preguntas y búsquedas, creando “momentos Emaús” virtuales, una vez más, reflejamos la forma en que nuestro Dios acompaña, encarnando un abundante amor, una abundante aceptación, una abundante paciencia y, sí, una abundante redención.

El último aspecto de la hospitalidad que he estado contemplando mientras me siento en mi cocina durante esta pandemia lo llamaré “hospitalidad misionera”. Estoy fascinado con la forma en que mi perspectiva ha cambiado de una vez estar preocupado por ofrecer programas, retiros, sesiones y eventos para aquellos que vienen a diseñar y ofrecer programas, actividades, sesiones, retiros y otros eventos que están abiertos a todos. Nuestra intención es proclamar la Buena Nueva a aquellos que más necesitan escucharla hoy, para ofrecer consuelo al corazón cansado, herido o desilusionado. Cuando los miembros de nuestra Familia Redentorista ofrecen eventos y oportunidades en línea, cuando publicamos citas inspiradoras, alentadoras o que invitan a la reflexión para el día o cargamos videos en FaceBook o YouTube, ahora entendería que estas actividades son de naturaleza misionera. Donde San Alfonso y nuestros antepasados en la Familia Redentorista tomaron las carreteras y senderos para proclamar la Buena Nueva, con estas oportunidades actuales de la media, estamos empleando con renovado gusto un nuevo impulso misionero.

Entré en esta época de pandemia pensando en la hospitalidad como en la acogida de personas en mi espacio. Estoy aprendiendo que la hospitalidad tiene mucho más dinamismo misionero del que yo sabía. ¿Y qué hay de ti? ¿Cuál ha sido tu experiencia?

Left to right: Redemptorist student Steven Urban prepares sack lunches for students; the school lunch staff; and Steven loading bags of food into a vehicle.

Courtesy: DenverLink, update May 22, 2020
Article and photos submitted by Steven Urban

go to SPANISH version

What is the basis of this possibility?  Many years ago, in the late ‘80s, a well-known Jesuit ministering in the Dominican Republic, Fr. Jorge Cela, S.J., anthropologist, gave the Redemptorist formators a talk on vocations   He mentioned first of all that young people are idealistic and dream of a better, more just world. In historical times when governments, economics, military, and other social wellbeing services fail a population, the lives of Religious, as credible agents of change, became extremely attractive.  This was very evident after the French revolution in 1789, after the Second World War, and in many countries of Latin America after the era of dictatorships.  Of course, an essential element of this phenomenon are families who offer strong testimony of living faith, and not limited to the parents, but also grandparents, aunts, uncles, godparents, etc.

As we analyze what is and has happened during the pandemic COVID-19, we see that the “first responders” and health professions have been recognized for their dedication and bravery on the front lines of defense and service to their fellow human beings.  Many youths now find these professions attractive, as agents of change, and testimony of the higher values of humankind, among them, being the service to and the love of neighbor.  Many youths will now aspire to these professions.

As we look around the world and the response of Religious to COVID-19, we can be proud of how our Redemptorist family has responded.  Each continent and each Redemptorist Conference have given strong testimonial examples.

Of the many media outlets, for example, Facebook, YouTube, webpages, bulletins, etc., that have communicated some of the Redemptorist actions, we add examples written about and published on the Redemptorist blog-page, https://www.cssr.news//blog/1/   In this article, just two of the many responses from each Conference are presented.

For those who are directly ministering and those interested in the vocation ministry of the Redemptorist Family, may we suggest the promotion and making known these worldwide Redemptorist responses.  These actions reflect the dynamic and attractive credibility of the Redemptorist Charism and Spirituality of serving and preaching the good news to the poor and abandoned.

CONFERENCE OF EUROPE

• Hospital ministry, Warsaw, Poland

• Homeless ministry in London, England

CONFERENCE OF NORTH AMERICA

• Preaching the Good News: Missions, “Padre Migrante”, Mike Andrews, C.Ss.R.

• Hospital Chaplaincy,
  St. John’s NL,  Canada

CONFERENCE OF LATIN AMERICA AND THE CARIBBEAN

• The distribution of food, hygiene kit, and educational materials, Venezuela.

• Invitation to rethink the way we live in our common home, the way we produce, consume, and relate to each other and the environment, Paragua

CONFERENCE OF ASIA AND OCEANIA

• Organization and publication of pastoral guidelines, Cebu Province, Philippines

• The distribution of hygiene kits and food packs to street dwellers and others in need by the Redemptorist Formation Community of Davao, Philippines

• Food distribution, Thailand

CONFERENCE OF AFRICA

• Distribution of food items, (Vice) Province of Nigeria

• Kenia and Bukina Faso, Africa

Ministry of the “pen”, following the example of Saint Alphonsus:

• Series of articles on mental health during COVID-19 by Dr. Rose Nina, Ph.D., psychiatrist, and Redemptorist lay collaborator
• Series of articles by Dr. Anne Walsh, Redemptorist Lay Missionary
• St. Alphonsus in times of famine and epidemic, by Fr. Grimaldo Garay, C.Ss.R.
• Good Shepherd Pictures today by Fr. Tony Bidgood, C.Ss.R.
• Series of inspirational articles by Fr. John McKenna, C.Ss.R.
• Series of articles on Moral Theology and Spirituality by Fr. Rogerio Gomes, C.Ss.R.,  General Consultor
• The Alphonsian Academy in Rome has published in their bulletin a series of relevant moral theology and spirituality articles during this time of COVID-19 (newsletter@alfonsiana.org).
• The many, many articles of Redemptorist in action in the bulletins and webpages of the Congregation’s Units.

The use of modern communications media:

• ScalaNews web page has an abundance of articles, videos, and resources relating to the Redemptorist response to COVID-19.
• Practically every Unit has made liturgical services available through the internet during the time of closure of our Churches and Shrines, including the Church of St. Alphonsus in Rome, the Shrine of the original icon of Our Mother of Perpetual Help which has transmitted by YouTube not only the Shrine’s liturgical services but also, for contemplation and prayer, a 24-hour streaming service of the original icon of Our Mother of Perpetual Help.
• For World – a multimedia project of the students of the Redemptorist Major Seminary in Tuchow, Poland to promote the Redemptorist spirituality and mission. The project was launched a few weeks before the  Covid-19 outbreak.

VIDEOS:

• Series of message videos by Fr. General, Michael Brehl, C.Ss.R.
• The message of Hope from Bolivia
• Reflections offer Hope during the Pandemic, St. Gerard community in Baton Rouge
• Stations of the Cross – Then and Now by Fr. Denis McBride C.Ss.R.
• Series of Lenten and Pascal time Retreats, Baltimore and San Juan Province
• Response to Fear, Fr. José Rached, C.Ss.R.

Manuel Rodríguez Delgado, C.Ss.R.

Manuel Rodríguez Delgado, C.Ss.R., from the San Juan Province, is the executive secretary of the General Secretariat of Formation.  He, with Father Grzegorz Ruszaj, C.Ss.R., Director of the Congregation´s Office of Communications, have dedicated many hours to the construction of the blog/webpage (Facing COVID-19…) and the translations of articles.

La pastoral vocational y el acompañamento

Hay una posibilidad real de que surjan vocaciones a la vida sacerdotal y religiosa, especialmente vocaciones redentoristas, después de este tiempo de COVID-19. 

¿Cuál es la base de esta posibilidad?  Hace muchos años, a finales de los años ‘80, un conocido jesuita que ejercía el ministerio en la República Dominicana, el Padre Jorge Cela, S.J., antropólogo, dio a los formadores redentoristas una charla sobre las vocaciones. Mencionó, en primer lugar, que los jóvenes son idealistas y sueñan con un mundo mejor y más justo. En tiempos históricos en los que los gobiernos, la economía, el ejército y otros servicios de bienestar social fallan a una población, la vida de los religiosos, como agentes creíbles de cambio, se volvió extremadamente atractiva.  Esto fue muy evidente después de la Revolución Francesa en 1789, después de la Segunda Guerra Mundial, y en muchos países de América Latina después de la época de las dictaduras.  Por supuesto, un elemento esencial de este fenómeno son las familias que ofrecen un fuerte testimonio de fe viva, y no se limita a los padres, sino también a los abuelos, tías, tíos, padrinos, etc.

Al analizar lo que es y ha sucedido durante la pandemia COVID-19, vemos que los “socorristas” y los profesionales de la salud han sido reconocidos por su dedicación y valentía en las primeras líneas de defensa y servicio a sus semejantes.  Muchos jóvenes ahora encuentran atractivas estas profesiones, como agentes de cambio y testimonio de los valores más elevados de la humanidad, entre ellos, el servicio y el amor al prójimo.  Muchos jóvenes aspirarán ahora a estas profesiones.

Al mirar alrededor del mundo y la respuesta de los Religiosos a COVID-19, podemos estar orgullosos de cómo nuestra familia Redentorista ha respondido.  Cada continente y cada Conferencia Redentorista han dado fuertes ejemplos testimoniales.

De los muchos medios de comunicación, por ejemplo, Facebook, YouTube, páginas web, boletines, etc., que han comunicado algunas de las acciones redentoristas, añadimos ejemplos escritos y publicados en la página del blog de los Redentoristas, https://www.cssr.news//blog/1/. En este artículo, se presentan sólo dos de las muchas respuestas de cada Conferencia. 

Para aquellos que ejercen directamente el ministerio vocacional de la Familia Redentorista y otros interesados, sugerimos la promoción y la difusión de estas respuestas redentoristas a nivel mundial.  Estas acciones reflejan la dinámica y atractiva credibilidad del carisma y de la espiritualidad redentorista de servir y anunciar la buena nueva a los pobres y a los abandonados.

CONFERENCIA DE EUROPA

• Ministerio del Hospital, Varsovia, Polonia

• Los sin techo de Londres

CONFERENCIA DE AMÉRICA DEL NORTE

• Predicando la Buena Nueva: Misiones, “Padre Migrante”, Mike Andrews, C.S.S.R.

• Capellanía del Hospital, St. John’s NL, Canadá  

CONFERENCIA DE AMÉRICA LATINA Y EL CARIBE

• La distribución de alimentos, kit de higiene y materiales educativos, Venezuela.

• Invitación a repensar la forma en que vivimos en nuestra casa común, la forma en que producimos, consumimos y nos relacionamos entre nosotros y el medio ambiente, Paraguay.

CONFERENCIA DE ASIA Y OCEANÍA

• Organización y publicación de directrices pastorales, Provincia de Cebú, Filipinas;
  
• La distribución de kits de higiene y paquetes de alimentos a los habitantes de la calle y otros necesitados por la Comunidad de Formación Redentorista de Davao, Filipinas

• Distribución de alimentos, Tailandia

CONFERENCIA DE ÁFRICA

• Distribución de alimentos, (Vice) Provincia de Nigeria

• Kenia y Bukina Faso, África   

Ministerio de la “pluma”, siguiendo el ejemplo de San Alfonso:

• Serie de artículos sobre salud mental durante COVID-19 por la Dra. Rose Nina, Ph.D., psiquiatra y colaborador laico redentorista
• Serie de artículos de la Dra. Anne Walsh, Misionera Laica Redentorista
• San Alfonso en tiempos de hambruna y epidemia, por el P. Grimaldo Garay, C.Ss.R.
• Fotos del Buen Pastor hoy por el P. Tony Bidgood, C.Ss.R.
• Serie de artículos inspiradores del P. John McKenna, C.Ss.R.
• Serie de artículos sobre Teología Moral y Espiritualidad por el P. Rogerio Gomes, C.Ss.R., Consultor General
• La Academia Alfonsiana de Roma ha publicado en su boletín una serie de artículos relevantes de teología moral y espiritualidad durante esta época de COVID-19 (newsletter@alfonsiana.org).
• Los muchos, muchos artículos de los Redentoristas en acción en los boletines y páginas web de las Unidades de la Congregación.  

El uso de los modernos medios de comunicación:

• La página web de ScalaNews tiene una abundancia de artículos, videos y recursos relacionados con la respuesta de los Redentoristas a COVID-19.
• Prácticamente todas las Unidades han puesto a disposición servicios litúrgicos a través de Internet durante el tiempo de clausura de nuestras Iglesias y Santuarios, incluyendo la Iglesia de San Alfonso en Roma, el Santuario del icono original de Nuestra Madre del Perpetuo Socorro que ha transmitido por YouTube no sólo los servicios litúrgicos del Santuario sino también, para la contemplación y la oración, un servicio de streaming de 24 horas del icono original de Nuestra Madre del Perpetuo Socorro. 
• For World – un proyecto multimedia de los estudiantes del Seminario Mayor Redentorista de Tuchow, Polonia, para promover la espiritualidad y la misión redentorista. El proyecto se puso en marcha unas semanas antes del brote de Covid-19.

VIDEOS:

• Mensaje de Esperanza de Bolivia
• Serie de videos de mensajes del P. General, Michael Brehl, C.Ss.R.
• Las reflexiones ofrecen esperanza durante la pandemia, la comunidad de St. Gerard en Baton Rouge
• Estaciones de la Cruz – Entonces y Ahora por el P. Denis McBride C.Ss.R.
• Serie de retiros de Cuaresma y Pascua, Provincia de Baltimore y San Juan
• Respuesta al Miedo, P. José Rached, C.Ss.R.

Manuel Rodríguez Delgado, C.Ss.R.

Manuel Rodríguez Delgado, C.Ss.R., de la Provincia de San Juan, es el secretario ejecutivo del Secretariado General de Formación.  Él, junto con el Padre Grzegorz Ruszaj, C.Ss.R., Director de la Oficina de Comunicaciones de la Congregación, ha dedicado muchas horas a la construcción del blog/página web (Frente a COVID-19…) y a las traducciones de los artículos.

go to ITALIAN original

A spiritual resource that we cannot ignore is the removal of barriers. The virus did not respect geographical boundaries, it was invisible, it threateningly moved on planetary latitudes with worrying speed. It made no distinction between races and peoples. It has affected everyone, so we are bound by a single destiny of well-being or failure and everything is irreducibly connected, health, economy, education, politics, environmental protection, the migration of peoples. –Everything is connected! Having this awareness propels us towards globalized and shared responsibilities.

In the sad experience of the world pandemic, a flourishing of voluntary work and services that have imprinted the mark of true humanity in hospitals, nursing homes, in the aftermath of sad experiences of death, there has been a general mobilization to offer the sick, the lonely, the dying the experience of a Christian humanism that never ceases to indicate the divine and the transcendent. It is true, in the loneliness of social distancing we have learned to travel on social channels, but we have also understood that they can be a substitute and temporary solution, we need concrete, visual relationships, we need an embrace, a handshake, a smile, today sadly veiled by the presence of a mask. An excellent precautionary discovery, but who has not felt it at least for a moment as a heavy boulder or a very painful blow suffered!

The forced inoperability has also pushed us to put order not only in the papers and junk stored in the bottom of our drawers. The real order concerned life, conscience, God’s place, reflection on life and death, and above all on the task incumbent on each one to build true and authentic relationships marked by acceptance and mutual respect. In the crisis, we have felt the urgency of solidarity and decisive choices for the values and options that really matter beyond ephemeral mirages and wishful thinking. There are goods that are priceless and that cannot be purchased except at a high price and of renunciation, sacrifice, and day-to-day work.

The window of a wounded and sick world has opened before us. With the bare nerve of the arms race and the subsistence of a killing economy. A human family that must rediscover the now unavoidable ties of a planetarity that saves or destroys everyone. A challenge in which we must absolutely feel involved with discernment on the technocratic paradigms that have deceived man to be capable of everything, and to realize every form of capricious conquest even when this not only does not fall within the parameters of true development but even contradicts and annuls it.

We will start again with the awareness that we cannot do without the work and collaborations of men and women employed in the food chain, in the care of our elderly and sick people. We have them in our homes, in our companies and yet we still call them illegal immigrants. They deserve respect and recognition of their rights, only in this way will it be possible for them to monitor health care, organize remittances to their countries of origin and what is most important, and remove these workers from the unfair and squalid markets where the shadow of criminal organizations looms over them. “Now, as we think of a slow and laborious recovery from the pandemic, this very danger creeps in: forgetting who is left behind. The risk is that we will be hit by an even worse virus, that of indifferent selfishness”, these words of Pope Francis help us to understand that, in order to really start again, we must leave behind us the selfishness and the indifference that kills.

We need a new alliance with Mother Earth. The ecological conversion so much invoked by Pope Francis is still waiting for significant results; it is a question of renouncing the advantageous profits that are built at the expense of minorities and the exploitation of poorly paid work that does not always respect the necessary environmental precautions. The giants of an economy of profit and undistributed interests continue to produce traces of hunger and death. They start again, yes, but with the awareness that we need new horizons.

Teggiano 17 May 2020
Msgr. Antonio De Luca

Image by Daniel Nebreda from Pixabay 

Ricominciare con affanno

Dopo le forzate chiusure, finalmente con esitazione e con tanta perplessità, bisogna ripartire. È necessario ricominciare con nuovo entusiasmo, con nuova sensibilità. Non si tratta di ripartire dal punto dove avevamo interrotto, la crisi socio-sanitaria mondiale ci ha lentamente addomesticati. Ci ha ricondotti nei limiti di una fragilità diffusa, della quale fino ad oggi ci eravamo illusi di essere immuni. Invece no! Ecco la prima risorsa che ci aiuta a rialzarci, la consapevolezza che siamo vulnerabili, ed inoltre abbiamo anche compreso che non ci sarà mai consentito di stare bene e di vivere sani se continuiamo a fare scelte che ammalano il pianeta.

Una risorsa spirituale che non possiamo ignorare è l’annullamento delle barriere. Il virus non ha rispettato i confini geografici, invisibile, minaccioso si è mosso sulle latitudini planetarie con preoccupante rapidità. Non ha fatto distinzioni di razze e di popoli. Ha colpito tutti, dunque siamo legati da un unico destino di benessere o di fallimento e tutto si presenta irriducibilmente connesso, la sanità, l’economia, l’educazione, la politica, la custodia dell’ambiente, le migrazioni dei popoli. –Tutto è connesso! Avere questa consapevolezza ci proietta verso responsabilità globalizzate e condivise.

Nella triste esperienza della pandemia mondiale è venuta fuori una fioritura di volontariato e di servizi che hanno impresso il marchio della vera umanità negli ospedali, nelle case di riposo, all’indomani di tristi esperienze di morte, vi è stata la mobilitazione generale per offrire ai malati, alle persone sole, ai morenti l’esperienza di un umanesimo cristiano che mai smette di indicare il divino ed il trascendente. È vero, nella solitudine del distanziamento sociale abbiamo imparato a viaggiare sui canali social, ma abbiamo anche compreso che essi possono costituire una soluzione sostitutiva e temporanea, abbiamo bisogno delle relazioni concrete, visive, abbiamo bisogno di un abbraccio, una stretta di mano, di un sorriso, oggi tristemente velato dalla presenza di una mascherina. Ottimo ritrovato precauzionale, ma chi non l’ha avvertito almeno per un momento come pesante macigno o dolorosissimo colpo subìto!

La forzata inoperosità ci ha spinto anche a metter ordine non solo nelle carte e nelle cianfrusaglie accantonate nel fondo dei nostri cassetti. Il vero ordine ha riguardato la vita, la coscienza, il posto di Dio, la riflessione sulla vita e sulla morte, e soprattutto sul compito che incombe su ciascuno di costruire relazioni vere e autentiche improntate all’accoglienza e al rispetto vicendevole. Nella crisi abbiamo avvertito l’urgenza della solidarietà e delle scelte decisive per i valori e per le opzioni che veramente contano al di là di effimeri miraggi e di velleitarie conquiste. Esistono beni che non hanno prezzo e che non possono essere acquistati se non a caro prezzo e di rinunce, sacrifici e lavorio diuturno.

Dinanzi a noi si è spalancata la finestra di una mondialità ferita e malata. Con il nervo scoperto della corsa agli armamenti e la sussistenza di una economia che uccide. Una famiglia umana che deve riscoprire i legami ormai ineludibili di una planetarietà che salva o distrugge tutti. Una sfida nella quale dobbiamo assolutamente sentirci coinvolti con il discernimento sui paradigmi tecnocratici che hanno illuso l’uomo di essere capace di tutto, e di realizzare ogni forma di capricciosa conquista anche quando questa non solo non rientra nei parametri del vero sviluppo, ma addirittura lo contraddice e lo annulla.

Ripartiremo con la consapevolezza che non possiamo fare a meno del lavoro e delle collaborazioni di uomini e donne impiegati nella filiera agroalimentare, nel settore dell’assistenza ai nostri anziani e malati. Li abbiamo nelle nostre case, nelle nostre aziende eppure li definiamo ancora clandestini. Essi meritano rispetto e riconoscimento dei diritti, solo così sarà possibile anche per loro monitorare la sanità, organizzare le rimesse verso i paesi di provenienza e quello che più conta, sottrarre questi lavoratori da iniqui e squallidi mercati sui quali incombe l’ombra di organizzazioni malavitose. «Ora, mentre pensiamo a una lenta e faticosa ripresa dalla pandemia, si insinua proprio questo pericolo: dimenticare chi è rimasto indietro. Il rischio è che ci colpisca un virus ancora peggiore, quello dell’egoismo indifferente», queste parole di Papa Francesco ci sono di aiuto a comprendere che, per ripartire veramente, dobbiamo lasciarci alle spalle l’egoismo e l’indifferenza che uccide.

Serve una nuova alleanza con la madre terra. La conversione ecologica tanto invocata da Papa Francesco attende ancora significativi riscontri, si tratta di rinunciare ai profitti vantaggiosi che si costruiscono a scapito di minoranze e nello sfruttamento di un lavoro mal pagato e non sempre rispettoso delle necessarie cautele ambientali. I giganti di una economia di profitto e di interessi non ridistribuiti continuano a produrre tracciati di fame e di morte. Ripartire sì, ma con la consapevolezza che abbiamo bisogno di nuovi orizzonti.

Teggiano 17 maggio 2020

+ P. Antonio De Luca