While Pope Francis’ apostolic exhortation Rejoice and Be Glad was not written to address the effect of trumpism in our nation (though trump’s enormous ego might like to think it), Pope Francis is calling us to be holy as Jesus is holy.
In light of the immigration horror that trump has instituted in our nation since his inauguration, starting first with his ban on immigrants from certain Middle East nations, his labeling of some 3rd world nations as “shithole” nations from whom no one is welcome, and his recent ordering of migrant children to be separated from their parents and placed into prison, Rejoice and Be Glad is MUST READING FOR ALL WHO CALL THEMSELVES ROMAN CATHOLICS!!!
The following is a summation of the third chapter from Rejoice and Be Glad that I wrote for the local Knights of Columbus newsletter. I urge all to read in its entirety the whole of that chapter. Lest one think that reading church documents is akin to the mind numbing exercise of reading insurance forms (It is true that some church documents are cures for insomnia), in the case of Rejoice and Be Glad, this is far from the truth.
Here is the article I composed for the Knights SEE SEE newsletter for July.
“In the 3rd chapter of Pope Francis’ apostolic exhortation, “Rejoice and Be Glad”, he uses the Beatitudes Jesus preached in the Gospel of Matthew (5:3-12) as the road map to holiness. He writes that Jesus’ words in the Beatitudes are meant to unsettle us, challenge us, and demand a change in the way we are living. To receive the most benefit from this chapter, it is best for you to read the entire chapter and reflect on it. However, here are some highlights from the chapter.
- Being poor of heart: that is holiness.
- Reacting with meekness and humility: that is holiness.
- Knowing how to mourn with others: that is holiness.
- Hungering and thirsting for righteousness: that is holiness.
- Seeing and acting with mercy: that is holiness.
- Keeping a heart free of all that tarnishes love: that is holiness.
- Sowing peace all around us: that is holiness.
Pope Francis states that the great criterion for holiness is found in Matthew’s Gospel, Chapter 25:31-46. This is the scene of the Last Judgment in which Jesus will ask each of us as to whether we fed the hungry, gave drink to those who were thirsty, clothed the naked, took care of the sick, visited the imprisoned, and welcome the stranger. It is upon our response to the person of Jesus present in all those most in need that our eternal salvation is based. Pope Francis writes, “In this call to recognize him in the poor and the suffering, we see revealed the very heart of Christ, his deepest feelings and choices, which every saint seeks to imitate.” It is not only in our prayer and worship, or following a set of ethical norms in which we give glory to God. The true test of the authenticity of our prayer and worship is seen in the way we respond to the needs of the hungry, the thirsty, the naked, the sick, the imprisoned and the immigrant. “107. Those who really wish to give glory to God by their lives, who truly long to grow in holiness, are called to be single-minded and tenacious in their practice of the works of mercy.”
