"The Alphabet of Mercy" | R for RESILIENCE
Image digitally created by spazio + spadoni
A letter of the alphabet and then think of a word that reminds us of the works of mercy. This Wednesday, we have the – R
Selene Pera, from the staff of spazio + spadoni, pFor this column he chose to share with us the expression "Resilience"
In travels missionAs I've traveled over the past two years to the Democratic Republic of Congo, Burundi, Rwanda, Ivory Coast, and Zambia, there's one word I've always used to describe the people I've met: resilience.
War, exploitation of resources, poverty, misery, political instability, and inaccessible medical services are some of the wounds I've encountered in these countries, but the people have never lacked the will and ability to resist, rebuild, and hope. Although men, women, and children live in conditions of great hardship and poverty, I've been impressed by their ability to maintain their identity.
This resilience has a spontaneous link with the Works of Mercy. How?
In the villages of sub-Saharan Africa, as well as in the urban peripheries of large cities like Lusaka, resilience manifests itself first and foremost in sharingI saw poor people feeding even poorer people, and I was deeply struck by this concrete practice of resistance to selfishness and individualism. Feeding the hungry or giving drink to the thirsty is a form of collective resilience that perfectly expresses the concept of "no one is saved alone."
Young people who assist refugees living in refugee camps within their country with acts of charity through meeting or collecting clothes or basic necessities, teach that survival comes through take care of each other.
Thus, the Works of Mercy such as “hosting pilgrims” or “clothing the naked”, when placed in everyday and contemporary contexts, take on a salvific dimension.
Many of my experiences missionarias, I lived them alongside the religiousThey too enter into this context of resilience described above, especially by choosing to remain living in complicated and dangerous places. to stand by the people who sufferThey console the afflicted, counsel the doubtful, live the fourteen works of mercy with great humility, combining prayer with works, and perhaps for this very reason I think their actions are one of the most authentic forms of resilience.
In many African cultures, pain is not experienced in solitude but the community takes charge of the suffering of the individual, transforming it into a shared experience. This mutual support allows people not to succumb but to find meaning even after dramatic events.
Let's think about the burial rites of the deceased: in the house struck by mourning there is always a coming and going of people and even the cemetery, on the day of the burial, fills with people.
Allora suffering is not erased but it is accompanied and this is what the African experience can teach: a community and merciful resilience where prayer becomes a space for inner resistance and pain is entrusted to something greater without losing hope.
For me, this dimension has been and continues to be as fascinating as it is constructive, especially when reconsidered in light of the Jubilee of Hope that ended just a few weeks ago.
If you too want to write "your" word of mercy, choose a letter and send it to: editor@spaziospadoni.org (Loredana Brigante)
Image
- Image digitally created by spazio + spadoni
A letter of the alphabet and then think of a word that reminds us of the works of mercy. This Wednesday, we have the – R
Selene Pera, from the staff of spazio + spadoni, pFor this column he chose to share with us the expression "Resilience"
In travels missionAs I've traveled over the past two years to the Democratic Republic of Congo, Burundi, Rwanda, Ivory Coast, and Zambia, there's one word I've always used to describe the people I've met: resilience.
War, exploitation of resources, poverty, misery, political instability, and inaccessible medical services are some of the wounds I've encountered in these countries, but the people have never lacked the will and ability to resist, rebuild, and hope. Although men, women, and children live in conditions of great hardship and poverty, I've been impressed by their ability to maintain their identity.
This resilience has a spontaneous link with the Works of Mercy. How?
In the villages of sub-Saharan Africa, as well as in the urban peripheries of large cities like Lusaka, resilience manifests itself first and foremost in sharingI saw poor people feeding even poorer people, and I was deeply struck by this concrete practice of resistance to selfishness and individualism. Feeding the hungry or giving drink to the thirsty is a form of collective resilience that perfectly expresses the concept of "no one is saved alone."
Young people who assist refugees living in refugee camps within their country with acts of charity through meeting or collecting clothes or basic necessities, teach that survival comes through take care of each other.
Thus, the Works of Mercy such as “hosting pilgrims” or “clothing the naked”, when placed in everyday and contemporary contexts, take on a salvific dimension.
Many of my experiences missionarias, I lived them alongside the religiousThey too enter into this context of resilience described above, especially by choosing to remain living in complicated and dangerous places. to stand by the people who sufferThey console the afflicted, counsel the doubtful, live the fourteen works of mercy with great humility, combining prayer with works, and perhaps for this very reason I think their actions are one of the most authentic forms of resilience.
In many African cultures, pain is not experienced in solitude but the community takes charge of the suffering of the individual, transforming it into a shared experience. This mutual support allows people not to succumb but to find meaning even after dramatic events.
Let's think about the burial rites of the deceased: in the house struck by mourning there is always a coming and going of people and even the cemetery, on the day of the burial, fills with people.
Allora suffering is not erased but it is accompanied and this is what the African experience can teach: a community and merciful resilience where prayer becomes a space for inner resistance and pain is entrusted to something greater without losing hope.
For me, this dimension has been and continues to be as fascinating as it is constructive, especially when reconsidered in light of the Jubilee of Hope that ended just a few weeks ago.
If you too want to write "your" word of mercy, choose a letter and send it to: editor@spaziospadoni.org (Loredana Brigante)
Image
- Image digitally created by spazio + spadoni
Image digitally created by spazio + spadoni
