Serve Educate Represent – Reflections: Cardijn Today

7 March 20238 March 2023

They do not practice what they preach

*See, Judge, Act.* Artwork generated by DALL.E

Today’s Gospel (Matt. 23:1 – 12) is harsh. Jesus spares little as he criticises the scribes and the Pharisees.

Today’s Gospel is an excellent way to reflect on ourselves as Australia’s Christians – are we modern-day scribes and Pharisees, Jesus, something in between, or something else altogether?

We read that there are 1,755 Catholic schools in Australia, educating more than 785,000 students in Australia. In other words, one in five Australian students go to a Catholic school.

We read that, in 2016, Australia’s more than 3,000 organisations employed around 220,000 people. In other words, one in fifty-five employed persons in Australia worked for an Australian Catholic organisation.

We also read that, statistically, for the first time since Census was taken, most Australians no longer profess to be Christians. Christians are now 44% of the Australian population.

Is something lacking in Australian Catholics and Catholicism – despite Australian Catholic organisations’ significant influence in society through education and employment – contributing to this decline?

Perhaps, we, Australian Catholics, are missing something?

Perhaps, we, Australian Catholics, have forgotten or misunderstood what being a Catholic means.

Perhaps, we Australian Catholics “…do not practice what we preach.”

SEE

Yesterday, Richard Pütz’s reflection was on Reverend Louis J. Putz, C.S.C.

Rev. Louis J. Putz, C.S.C., had some profound things to say.

“YOU, the people, are the Church, not the hierarchy.”

“God is using us. God needs us to accomplish the work; this is a great joy. Without our help, God cannot bring about the miracle that God intends to affect in each of us; through us but not without us.”

Do I believe the statements above?

JUDGE

“The apostolate must not be thought of as “religion”; but a life of charity in all phases of daily behaviour is the objective to be achieved.”

ACT

Can I start today by using the See-Judge-Act methodology to achieve a life of charity in all phases of my daily behaviour?

Author

Greg Lopez

6 February 20237 February 2023

All that He created was good, and all those who touched Him were cured

In yesterday’s reflection, Stefan explained how Cardinal Cardijn saw the role of the Young Christian Workers (YCW) and the parish. The foundation of the YCW was the parish, and the social action that the YCW undertook was part of parish life.

Pope Francis, in 2022, would develop further what Cardinal Cardijn said in 1925 when speaking to the French social organisation, “Village de Francois (Village of Francis).”

“Jesus Christ alone fills our thirsty hearts,” Pope Francis stressed to members of the Village of Francis.

The Village of Francis develops and runs innovative shared living spaces, i.e. the Village. It brings together vulnerable people and those who care for them, focusing on three areas: living together, economic activity and integral ecology.

The Village of Francis, the Pope said, “is an ecclesial place that goes out of the usual framework to propose something else.”

“It is the Church as a ‘field hospital,’ concerned more with those who suffer than defending its interests, taking the risk of novelty to be more faithful to the Gospel.”

“I hope that the Village of Francis will contribute to rediscovering what a true village is: a fabric of concrete human relations, in mutual support, in attention to those in need, in the coexistence of generations and the concern to respect the Creation that surrounds us.”

After reading Cardinal Cardijn’s and Pope Francis’s views on the role of the Church (parishes and parishioners), can we conceive parish life as reduced to only going to mass and receiving sacraments?

SEE

Why do I go to Church?

Why do the people I know go to Church?

Is my parish actively involved in the life of the community where my parish is located?

Is my parish “a fabric of concrete human relations, in mutual support, in attention to those in need – within and outside the parish?”

JUDGE

God saw that it was good. The first reading (Genesis 1:1-19) is the creation story. What God created was good, and more importantly, He created the universe, the world, and everything in it in abundance and for everyone.

All those who touched Him were cured. Today’s Gospel (Mark 6:53-56) shows a broken world filled with suffering, and Jesus is the healer. Those who touched Him were cured.

ACT

How can my parish – followers of Jesus Christ – help restore God’s creation?

How can my parish – followers of Jesus Christ – be an instrument of His healing?

Author

Greg Lopez

26 January 202318 February 2023

Australia’s young Catholics

Today, the Church celebrates the Feast of Saints Timothy and Titus. Timothy and Titus were converted to Christianity by St. Paul and became his friend and helpers. Timothy took care of Christians in Ephesus and Titus of Christians in Crete.

Yesterday, Pat reflected on the relationship between the mission of the Church and that of the young people in the Church. The day before, on making the love of God visible in Catholic schools.

How do we form Australia’s young Catholics?

In general, we could say that they are formed through their family life, school life, Church life, and life in the broader community.

SEE

How strong is the influence of Catholics and Catholic institutions on young Australian Catholics?

Twenty per cent of Australians are Catholics. In other words, one in five Australians is Catholic.

1,755 Catholic schools are educating more than 785,000 students in Australia. In other words, one in five Australian students go to a Catholic school.

There are 1388 Catholic Churches in Australia, including 93 Eastern Catholic Churches.

JUDGE

In the first reading today, Paul reminds Timothy to “fan into a flame, the gift that God gave you….”

Returning, to Cardijn’s keynote address to the World Congress for the Lay Apostolate, in 1951, he demanded that,

“Each Christian, each Catholic, by his or her baptism, must be an apostle and a missionary – he has an apostolic and missionary vocation. Each one is called by God to Existence, to life, and to a collaboration in His creative and redemptive work. The earthly vocation is an apostolic and missionary vocation.”

ACT

As Catholic parents, are we forming our children to be apostles and missionaries as a way of living their lives?

As Catholic educators, are we forming our students to be apostles and missionaries as a way of living their lives?

As Catholic adults, do we fulfil our apostolic and missionary duties in our daily lives?

What could we, as lay apostles, do today to form our young to be apostles and missionaries as a way of living their lives?

9 January 202318 February 2023

Our place in God’s plan

In yesterday’s reflection on the Feast of Epiphany, Stefan Gigacz noted that the people of God, religious and lay people, shared in the triple ministry of Jesus – priest, prophet and king.

Today the Church celebrates the Baptism of the Lord.

The baptism is administered to Jesus by John the Baptist. Imagine an ordinary person baptising Jesus – the beloved Son of God. Ordinary people – like you and me – certainly have a place in God’s plan.

The baptism is also the beginning of Jesus’ public ministry – the mission in the world to do His Father’s will – to spread the good news and manifest God’s love to all. This is our – yours and mine – mission when we are baptised. In other words, we are baptised to share in the triple ministry of Jesus – priest, prophet and king.

See

Do we believe that we have a place in God’s plan?

Do we sincerely and genuinely believe that we are baptised to share in this triple ministry of Jesus?

As noted in yesterday’s reflection, can we Serve, Educate and Represent?

Judge

If we believe in the above, how might our public ministry look like – how might we act in our ordinary lives?

Act

Like yesterday’s Act – can we decide on just one activity each week where we will do our best to:

Serve (volunteer our time for a good cause or help a member of the family or friend in need),
Educate (spread the good news – spiritual and temporal – in our family, at work, among our friends, etc.),
Represent (take part, or lead a collective action for an individual or a group in need — perhaps a colleague who is bullied at work needs help ((see comment by Stefan Gigacz about how school leavers are being mistreated)), perhaps there is a local community issue that requires a collective effort, etc.)

Author

Greg Lopez

Image

Dave Zelenka / Wikipedia