The past five months have been filled with many more challenges than we could have expected at the beginning of this year. Who was thinking about social-distancing, masks, and stay-at-home orders back in January? Amid all of the surprising and unsettling developments over these months, the challenges surrounding “sticking together,” supporting one another, and extending compassion in new and creative ways have been ever-present.
A central concept in Catholic social teaching since the end of the 19th century has been the conviction that all human beings have a moral duty to work together for the benefit of all. This is implied whenever someone says, “we’re all in this together.” Another word for this is “solidarity.” We have a fundamental spiritual commitment to one another by virtue of the fact that we all belong to God, and therefore to one another. The many ways we have taken it upon ourselves to “act on behalf of others in need” during the past five months has been inspiring. How can we be anything but encouraged by how we have come together? With “solidarity” in mind, here is a personal reflection from Lech Walesa, the Polish laborer who became head of the Solidarity Movement and, eventually, the president of Poland and a Nobel Prize winner:
“After the Second World War, Poland, abandoned by allies and crushed under the overwhelming military power of the Soviet Union, was subjugated to communist totalitarianism along with a half of the European continent. The Polish resistance movement that so effectively fought Nazi Germany for more than five years was brutally wiped out. However, the turning point that empowered our social movement to thrive was the election of the Polish Pope John Paul II and his pilgrimage to Poland in 1979. During the massive gatherings throughout the visit the people realized that they were not alone in their discontent and anger; to the contrary, there were millions who thought alike. The Holy Father demonstrated how numerous we were. He told us not to be afraid. His invocation of faith, courage, and renewal united us and broke us free.”
Let us pray. Almighty and ever-living God, empower your one human family to join hands on our journey of faith. Send us your spirit of hope, so that we may work to alleviate human suffering and foster charity and justice in our world. Amen.
“When we are dreaming alone it is only a dream; when we are dreaming with others it is the beginning of a new reality.” Dom Helder Camara, Bishop of Recife, Brazil 1964-1985
