“An authentic faith, which is never comfortable or completely personal,
always involves a deep desire to change the world, to transmit values,
to leave this earth somehow better that we found it. We love this
magnificent planet on which God has put us, and we love the human
family which dwells here, with all its tragedies and struggles, its
hopes and aspirations, its strengths and weaknesses. The earth is our
common home and all of us are brothers and sisters.
“All Christians, their pastors included, are called to show concern for
the building of a better world. This is essential, for the church’s social
thought is primarily positive: it offers proposals, it works for change,
and in this sense it constantly points to the hope born of the loving
heart of Jesus” (183).
The Gospel and the personal encounter with Christ, the Holy Father
reminds us, alone are life-giving and saving. The deeds of justice and
holiness and compassion we undertake on behalf of others flow from
the loving heart of Jesus and the merciful hand of the Father through
our hearts and hands.
Saint Peter Julian Eymard, the Apostle of the Eucharist whose feast
is August 2, was equally at home in the sanctuary, celebrating and
preaching the mystery of God’s love in the Eucharist, and in the streets
of Paris, catechizing the young and rekindling the faith of his fellow
Catholics in nineteenth-century France. He and so many others teach
us to love God deeply and to do justice perseveringly.
In This Issue
The summer issue of Emmanuel focuses on the relationship between the
Eucharist and justice, something we have done now for many years.
I suggest you begin with Jesuit Peter Schineller’s take on those with
whom Jesus spent time and to whom he ministered. The Gospel
of Luke is our point of entry into the world of Jesus’ preaching and
ministry. Owen Cummings, deacon and academic dean at Oregon’s
Mount Angel Seminary, shares a very powerful reflection on the
meaning of mercy. And Victor Parachin writes of the determination of
the late Cesar Chavez to ensure better working conditions and pay for
the thousands of field laborers who harvest the fruits and vegetables
and crops we enjoy so abundantly, in season and out of season. These,
and so much more, await you!
Anthony Schueller, SSS
Editor
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