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In the Creativity of Charity
36. Throughout the centuries, works of charity have
always provided the ambient for the concrete living out of the Gospel. In the
practice of charity, consecrated persons have emphasized the
prophetic nature of their charism and the richness of their spirituality in the
Church and in the world.118 They recognized that they were
called to be the “manifestation of God's love in the world”.119 This
dynamism must continue to be exercised with creative fidelity because it
constitutes an irreplaceable resource in the Church's pastoral work. At a time
when a creativity in charity and an
authentic proof and confirmation of the charity of word and action are called
for,120 consecrated life admirably safeguards the apostolic
creativity which has given rise to thousands of faces of charity and holiness
in specific forms; therefore, it cannot help but feel the urgency to continue,
with the Spirit's creativity, to surprise the world with new forms of effective
evangelical love which respond to the needs of our time.
Consecrated life has manifested the
desire to reflect upon its specific charisms and its own traditions in order to
place them at the service of the new boundaries of evangelization. This means
becoming one with the poor, the aged, the addicted, those suffering with AIDS,
and exiled people who undergo any form of suffering because of the particular
reality in which they find themselves. Attentive to the change in models, since
mere assistance is no longer seen as sufficient, they seek to eradicate the
causes of the needs. Poverty is caused by the ambition and indifference of many
and by sinful structures which must be eliminated through a serious commitment
to the field of education.
Many traditional and new foundations
bring consecrated men and women to places where others usually cannot go. In
recent years consecrated persons were able to leave the security of the known to thrust themselves into
unknown places and works. Thanks to their total consecration they are in fact
free to step in wherever there are critical needs. This has been witnessed in
the recent foundations in new countries which present unique challenges,
involving many provinces at the same time and creating international
communities. With discerning eyes and generous hearts121 they
have responded to the call of many who suffer in a concrete service of
charity. Wherever they are, they have constituted a link between the Church and
marginal groups and those not reached by ordinary pastoral ministry.
Even some charisms which seemed to
have responded to times which have since passed have taken on a renewed vigour
in this world which is experiencing trafficking of women and children into
slavery; at the same time children, often the victims of abuse, run the risk of
abandonment or conscription into armies.
Today there is a greater freedom in
the exercise of the apostolates, a flourishing with greater awareness, a
solidarity expressed through knowing how to stand with the people, assuming
their problems, in order to respond to them, paying close attention to the
signs of the times and to their needs. This multiplication of initiatives has
demonstrated the importance of planning in mission if one desires to act in an
ordered and efficient manner rather than haphazardly.
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