Introduction
About twenty-five years ago, the Australian Young Christian Workers National Chaplain commended the young leaders he visited for their commitment to reviewing their lives; however, he noted that their actions never moved from being personal to taking on a collective or communal character. The chaplain’s concern finds support in Cardijn’s description of action as “the apostolic, missionary spirit, always turned out towards others, never turned in on himself.”
Cardijn’s method is apostolic, that is, from the very first moment in an enquiry or a review, the intention is, or should be, to respond affirmatively to the great commission that Jesus gives to his apostles (Matthew 28:19-20). The first apostles were commissioned to make disciples and this is the commission given to every baptised person when they become a member of the Body of Christ.
The Act stage of the See, Judge, Act method is really about God’s initiative, God’s action in the world. And that action is always about uniting creation, not about creating division. As Pope Francis said in his address to members of Italian Catholic Action in 2021, we are called to support and encourage “the action of God in hearts.”
Therefore, when we engage in the use of See, Judge, Act as a decision-making method, we are really undertaking our Baptismal promise to be disciples of Jesus and to be co-workers with him in transforming the world and ourselves. And the Act stage of the enquiry or review must always be about God’s action; and our actions must conform to God’s action.
The Gospel
The disciples came to Jesus and said, ‘Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?’ So he called a little child to him and set the child in front of them. Then he said, ‘I tell you solemnly, unless you change and become like littler children you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. And so, the one who makes himself as little as this little child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.
‘Anyone who welcomes a little child like this in my name welcomes me. See that you never despise any of these little ones, for I tell you that their angels in heaven are continually in the presence of my Father in heaven.’ (Matthew 18:1-5,10)
The Enquiry
See
What have you learned about Jesus’ teaching method from this Gospel story?
Look around you. What do you see that you attribute to Jesus’ teaching?
Why is it necessary to “change and become like little children”?
Judge
What do you think about Jesus’ teaching and the method he uses? Do you take him literally?
What would the world be like if everyone became like “little children”?
Which part of Jesus’ teaching challenges you? In which aspects of your life do you experience this challenge the most?
Act
So, judging from the Gospel, what does Jesus want to change in the world and in you?
What small action can you carry out that will contribute to the change that Jesus seeks?
Who can you involve in your action, when, where and how often?
Image Source: Scott Granneman (Creator), Waiting for Grace: An Uncle’s Story of Loss and Rebirth, Michael Evans Photography, Medium.com, CC BY-SA 2.0
Worth reading: Each young worker has a vocation, Part 1 of “The young worker faces life”: The 1949 Godinne Lecture Series. In Challenge to Action: Forming Leaders for Transformation. You can download a copy of this book from here.