I would like to start with the global reality in which we are immersed. The social and economic crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic has deep and irreversible consequences, especially for the most vulnerable countries; people’s livelihoods have been affected. It is now difficult to put food on the table every day, access health care, and get vaccines and education for all. Inequality, which I believe is the biggest problem facing the world today has been put out in the open and has become even more evident.
The pandemic is not the only cause. The wars in various parts of our Common House, in Syria, Afghanistan, Ukraine... the Earth is suffering. Humanity is suffering! The selfishness of those who have wealth and who amass economic power is disproportionate. No group of people can escape its consequences. Like the pandemic, war generates poverty, hunger, and inequality.
In the encyclical Fratelli Tutti, Pope Francis calls for fraternity and social friendship; he describes war as a constant threat. And he argues that every war leaves the world in a worse state than before. War is a failure of politics and humanity, a shameful surrender, and a defeat to the forces of evil... He calls for the total abolition of arms and proposes to use the money to end hunger and improve the lives of the poorest countries.
In times of crisis, prophetic cries announcing life for all or denouncing what harms life often go unheard or are discredited.
I ask myself if we are sufficiently awake, or are we trapped in a lethargic state caused by individualism, uncontrolled consumerism, overwhelmed by the cult of money, too blind and paralyzed to do good?
All this prompts us to cry out, “Wake up! “Awake, oh! you who sleep, rise from the dead, and Christ will enlighten you” (Eph. 5:14). We must listen to the cry of the Kingdom that calls us to mobilise ourselves, we who claim to be disciples of Jesus Christ. We must be sufficiently awake to have an impact on those around us, not giving up, because it is possible to transform reality with our eyes fixed on Jesus Christ and the extension of his Kingdom.
Through our practice as Assumption sisters, we have the possibility to reflect upon and reveal that another economy is possible. An economy that promotes community, cooperation, responsible consumption, fair trade, the well-being of every human being, and respect for the environment.
There are rich experiences of different types of solidarity and social economy that have as their premise the care of life in its integrity. In different countries where we are present, experiences exist, but unfortunately, in most cases, they are stifled by the dominant economy. However, we cannot give up. Another economy is possible.
These experiences emanate from concrete choices made by men and women who have rediscovered the value of the common good, of caring for the Earth, who have become aware that we cannot weave a network on our own, that we must recognise the other, that everyone has abilities and something to contribute. As a result, organisations have been created that, despite their weaknesses, actively influence social transformation. Various experiences have emerged at critical moments, in marginalised areas and among ancestral peoples whose culture is based on reciprocity and community work.
In order to live the Kingdom, we must strive for a social economy of solidarity. I repeat, we must wake up and strive to live differently.
The nutritional bread of listening that is broken and shared in dialogue nourishes hope. In these times of uncertainty, we must not let our spirit and our existence be destroyed by the meaningless noise and shrieking that prevent us from distinguishing them from genuine grievances, weeping, and laughter, or the person next to us who is entreating us to respond.
The bread of bonding is broken and shared through strong gestures which nourish the soul. In these times marked by tremendous selfishness, let us not allow the bread of our hearts to become hardened by irrelevant toughness that does not nurture life, and prevents us from feeling the heartbeat, the warmth, and the solidarity of the person next to us who is reaching out to us.
SISTER Leonarda Hoeler
Bursar of the South Atlantic Province
Original Spanish