"The Great Commandments"by Bishop William S. Skylstad (From the Oct. 4, 2001 edition of the Inland Register)
Immediately, stories of faith surface. Who can forget the picture of Father Judge, a Franciscan who was the chaplain of the New York City Fire Department, as the firemen carried his body away from the scene of the disaster? He was killed by falling debris as he celebrated the sacrament of the sick for one of the victims. People of all faiths flocked to their churches, synagogues, and mosques for prayer and mutual support. Intuitively, it seems, faith community becomes exceedingly important as we face disaster in the present and uncertainty about the future. Perhaps more than ever we can appreciate that our lives are lived in faith on our earthly journey together. The two great commandments of Jesus first of all call us to love God with our whole heart, mind, and strength. Tragedies quickly bring us to the full reality of life. But as one bishop friend told me when we were on the way home from Washington D.C., the heightened sense of prayerfulness and fervor will probably pass quickly. I don’t like to think that’s true. On the other hand, we constantly need to examine our lives to see how committed we are to our God, to our faith community, and the day-in, day-out, practical witness of faith. Thank goodness for those who generously and faithfully participate in Church life so that when evil things do happen, our Churches and faith communities become like beacons of light and guidance during a time of gloom. For all of us, the challenge continues to be faithful to God’s presence and to love God as Jesus tells us to. We not only are listeners of the Word, but doers as well. The second part of the great commandments is that we are to love our neighbor as ourselves. Presuming that we do love ourselves, we must love neighbor, and be neighbor. People have a great sense of solidarity in a tragedy. With modern media capability, we are immediately drawn to tragic happenings on the other side of the globe. It’s easy to feel compassion and be generous for those victims of such events. But ongoing relationships with the world community are also of extreme importance. No longer as a nation can we write off in policy and attitude a part of this world or a people who may not agree with us. We can no longer forget about people who simply are not in the immediate interests of the U.S. I hope we have learned that that kind of rhetoric needs to cease. Every person in this world should be of concern to us. The Vatican II document Pastoral Constitution of the Church in the Modern World begins with this profound message: “The hopes and joys, the grief and anxieties of the people of this age, especially those who are poor or afflicted in any way, these are the joys and hopes, the grief and anxieties of the followers of Christ.” In the kingdom of Jesus, we are all bonded together in the human family. If there is one thing this terrible disaster in our country has pointed out, it is that some people in our world have a terrible hatred toward us as a nation. We can no longer afford to isolate them or disregard them, as we so painfully know. Our lack of sensitivity, of course, does not excuse the violence. But the situation does call us to soul-searching as a church community and as a nation. Why do people hate us? Have we sufficiently listened to people, to a nation’s hurt and pain, to the injustice real or imagined they have experienced? When people become desperate, they can do terribly evil things. We don’t have to look beyond our national boundaries to figure that out. This moment in our nation gives us a wonderful opportunity to embark upon the way of the Gospel, the way of Jesus. We can do so many marvelous things in a technological way. Maybe the next big contribution to the world is the skill and commitment of relationship to one another as brothers and sisters in the Lord Jesus. That challenge may be the most difficult of all, but as followers of Jesus, as members of the Catholic Church, we should be more than up to it. This should be a vision that can inspire and give excitement about who we can become as the human family, as God’s family. Most importantly, we acknowledge that the saving presence of Jesus is just as real today as he was two millennia ago. May God bless us and give us courage to be faithful to the two great commandments.
Bishop Skylstad’s Schedule
Oct. 5-6: Diocesan Pastoral Council
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These past two weeks since the suicide attacks in New York City and
in Washington D.C. have left us stunned. The impact — human,
economic, and political — has been without precedent in our nation’s
history. Immediately, a sense of solidarity has captured the country
like never before. Numerous accounts of caring and generosity have
risen from and above this tragedy, and these have become part of our
own stories. Although periodically negative incidents surface, by
far the response has been overwhelmingly positive as people show a
magnanimous spirit that inspires while leaving us deeply humbled.