AN EXPERIENCE OF MINISTRY IN THE THIRD WORLD: THE FRANCISCAN COMMUNITY SERVICES AND THE INBREAKING OF GOD'S KINGDOM. A PASTORAL REFLECTION PAPER SUBMITTED TO THE FACULTY OF THE WASHINGTON THEOLOGICAL UNION IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF DIVINITY, BY TIMOTHY PATRICK DORE, OFM CONV., APRIL 1992
CHAPTER SIX
CHAPTER SIX
Effect of the Internship, New Perspectives and Implications for Future Ministry
The Significance of Africa and Lessons for the First World
It is not difficult for an outsider to be lulled by the simple and apparently idyllic pace of life in Africa. It is a pace far removed from the complex and hurried one typical in the West. It is from this perspective that Paul Vallely describes Africa. He writes:
"Africa is not just another continent, it is another time. Most water there is drawn still from the well or the river. Most food is reaped with simple blades from land that was sown by hand and turned laboriously without the aid of any beast. Fruit still grows wild, when the weather is kind, to be plucked in season from the bushes and trees. Wheat is ground between two stones and bread baked, unleaven, on top of a wood fire. Men and women rise with the sun and count the hours in single progression through the midday until dusk when they sleep. . . . nowhere evokes the presence of the biblical age in the way that Africa does. The single-bladed hoes used to turn the hard land are only slightly larger and squatter than the spears which the hunters and warriors still carry in the more remote areas; to think of weapons being beaten into ploughshares requires a smaller leap of imagination than would be called for with the sophisticated agricultural and military technologies of the developed world. Here Christ's parables, drawn from the life of the land and from the daily realities of rural existence, have a new immediacy." (90)
My own experience of Africa coincides with Vallely's description. Yet behind this idyllic picture is a continent plagued by poverty and the lack of authentic human development (i.e., a development which, while transcending pure materialism, improves the standard of living for all and seeks to raise the value and dignity of each human person).
Because Ghana, like most of Africa, is part of the Third World, it is a place where human development has faltered; consequently, in Ghana, poverty prevails. Malawian bishop Patrick Kalilombe claims that "Africa. . .is a continent of poverty." (91) The poor in Africa, he writes, are "all those individuals and groups who, in one way or another, are deprived of what makes for a decent and happy human life: life-subsistence (food, water, land), security, freedom and control over their life." (92) Kalilombe notes that this situation of poverty "constitutes a fearful problem because it is created by and increases with powerlessness." (93) Recognition of the true dignity and value of each human person is often neglected by the power brokers of the world. Because of this, those who live in underdeveloped nations are often denied a proper share of the world's resources. The poor of the world have no voice (i.e., power), and consequently find themselves unable to enjoy "a decent and happy human life."
The internship provided me with the opportunity to be immersed in the environment of an underdeveloped nation. At first, I did not understand that the poverty of Ghana has a great deal to do with the lack of authentic human development; I did not understand that the accumulation of material goods is secondary to development. Because my concept of poverty was seen through the optic of my Western presuppositions, I believed the situation there to be one of "extreme poverty." It was shocking to discover the tremendous lack of material wealth in Ghana. This made an intense impression on me and has caused me to reflect on the meaning of poverty, the importance of authentic human development and its connection to the inbreaking of God's Kingdom.
Reflecting on the material poverty of Ghana, I wrote the following in my journal shortly after my arrival in the country: "I am amazed by the utter poverty in which these people live. . .It is difficult to see such living conditions without making comparisons with Western standards. Should I be appalled by the utter squalor in which these people live?" A few weeks later, I wrote: "The poverty of this country is tremendous. Things that we take for granted in the U.S. are absolute luxuries here--such things as indoor plumbing, electricity, telephone service, televisions, paved roads, fire protection, etc., are in some places nowhere to be found."
Looking back on these reflections, I am aware that my ideas about the lack of material wealth and my experience of an underdeveloped country, have profoundly affected my current theological perspectives. I now realize that the absence of material wealth is not as significant as underdevelopment which denies the human person his or her true value and dignity (which includes life-subsistence, security, freedom and power).
A Christian response to real poverty is authentic human development. In the words of African theologian Daniel Kilem-Mbila, development is "focused on the human being and human community. . . [It] respects the rights and the freedom of people; [it] gives priority to the satisfaction of people's needs, to the promotion of their well-being and to the safeguard of their interests. . . [It] is different and sometimes the opposite of the gross national product growth. . ."(94)
In spite of its underdevelopment, Africa has much to teach the First World--especially those who are guided by the challenges of the Gospel. There, the challenge of the Gospel is urgent because the demand is so obvious. Because people in the Third World needlessly suffer the effects of First World neglect, underdeveloped nations can rouse the collective consciousness of the developed nations. Christians who are aware of the conditions of the Third World cannot evade their responsibility to do something about it. A primary response to the reality of underdevelopment is to be more conscious of each person's right to self-fulfillment and integral self-development.
Although there is a great need for the First World to aid and assist developing nations, this must not simply be reduced to a materialistic notion of human progress. A responsible alternative to mere materialism must attempt to redefine poverty and the lack of material goods. The result of this redefinition will help to focus a Christian meaning of development.
Paul VI stated in Populorum Progressio that development is "the transition from less human conditions to those which are more human." (95) Poverty, then, has something to do with conditions that deny people their basic human dignity--not necessarily conditions that deprive them of "standard First World conveniences." On this point, Piero Gheddo notes that "it is necessary to avoid judging progress on the basis of economic and technical success. . .The basic criterion of development is therefore the opportunity that the person has for self-fulfillment and integral self-development in a given society. . ." (96)
This means that the primary focus must be, in the words of John Paul II, the "real and unique human persons (emphasis added) who are suffering under the intolerable burden of poverty." (97) In other words, while the alleviation of poverty caused by unjust economic, political and social conditions must be addressed by ministers of the Gospel, developing the quality of life and the dignity of the human person is of paramount importance.
It is my conclusion that ministers in the Church promote such development when they effectively proclaim God's Kingdom on earth. Those who actively participate in the inbreaking of the Kingdom must serve those causes which uphold the dignity and true worth of every human person. The FCS is a ministry that responds to this challenge. Because the FCS seeks to "exalt those of low degree" (Cf. Luke 1:52), it promotes human development and actively participates in the inbreaking of God's Kingdom. I was privileged to be a part of the FCS--even for the short time that I was in Ghana.
Effect of the Internship on My Theological Orientation
Prior to the internship, my introduction to mission theology and Catholic Social Teaching had been elementary at best. Because my preparation for the cultural, economic, and theological situation in Ghana had been limited, the whole of my time in Ghana was a unique theological and pastoral learning experience. My experience there has motivated me to develop a personal sense of responsibility in the face of human injustice. My experience in Ghana has given me a strong desire to embrace a mission theology grounded in the social teaching of the Church.
Incorporation of New Insights
The Kingdom of God, as presented in the Gospel of Matthew, does not welcome those who fail to provide for the needs of the poor and needy. The King says: "As you did it to one of the least of these my [brothers and sisters], you did it to me" (Matthew 25:40). Gaudium et Spes echoes this theme when it states: "Today there is an inescapable duty to make ourselves the neighbor of every man [and woman], no matter who he [or she] is, and if we meet him [or her], to come to his [or her] aid in a positive way. . ." (98) This insight is critical to my own understanding of mission and ministry. I have learned that the world is truly a "global village;" the attitudes that I have, and my actions, will have some effect on others in the world who may be less fortunate than myself. My faith, now more than ever, challenges me to reach out to those most in need. In this way I can dynamically participate in transforming the world--a transformation that, guided by the principles of justice, reflects the Kingdom of God.
Implications for Future Ministry
In the future, I hope to be involved in ministries which actively participate in the inbreaking of God's Kingdom on Earth. As such, I desire to be engaged in ministries that promote authentic human development. In serving the just demands of the poor, I hope to champion those causes which promote each person's right to self-fulfillment and integral self-development. I am committed to working with those who are the marginalized of the world, and as such, I desire to be a credible witness to Christian faith in action. In my ministry, I hope to align myself with the God who calls all people to himself, the God who "casts down the mighty from their thrones, fills the hungry with good things and sends the rich away empty" (Cf. Luke 1:52-53). In my Christian life, and in my ministry, I hope that I will always promote the dignity and true worth of every human person.
Conclusion
My pastoral internship with the FCS was the most profound and meaningful ministerial experience that I have had since becoming a Franciscan Friar. Because I had the privilege of being part of a leprosy rehabilitation project, I came face to face with the poorest of the world's poor. This experience has significantly altered my world-view. I now have a renewed sense of my own desire to work for/with the poor and other marginalized people.
Because of what I encountered in Ghana, I have been inspired to better understand the Church's social teaching. As such, I hope to enthusiastically embrace those causes which foster authentic human development. As a minister in the Church, it is my desire to promote the true dignity and worth of each and every human person; I hope to be engaged in ministries which rouse the consciousness of those who are complacent in their abundance; I hope to be engaged in ministries which strive to raise the standard of living for those who are poor and marginalized.
FOOTNOTES:
(90) Paul Vallely, Bad Samaritans: First World Ethics and Third World Debt (Maryknoll, New York: Orbis, 1990) 30.
(91) Patrick A. Kalilombe, "Cry of the Poor in Africa," African Ecclesial Review 29 (August 1987) 202.
(92) Ibid, 202.
(93) Ibid, 202.
(94) Daniel Kilem-Mbila, "Overview and Perspectives," in African Churches and People's Development: Africa Network on Churches' Participation in Development held in Nairobi 9-14 April 1984, (Geneva: World Council of Churches, 1985), 4.
(95) Populorum Progressio, #20, in Claudia Carlen, ed, The Papal Encyclicals 1958-1981 PAGE?.
(96) Piero Gheddo, Why is the Third World Poor (Maryknoll, New York: Orbis, 1979) 9.
(97) John Paul II, Sollicitudo Rei Socialis, Chapter 3, number 13. (3 March, 1988) in Origens 17, 646.
(98) Gaudium et Spes, Chapter 2, paragraph 27. in Flannery, ed., Vatican Council II, 928.
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