SPX PARISH: YEAR OF RENEWAL - The November theme is...

Renewing Solidarity

For the month of November, we will be focusing on the Catholic Social Teaching principle of Solidarity. Pope Francis speaks extensively about solidarity in his most recent encyclical, Fratelli Tutti, or On Fraternity and Social Friendship. The purpose of this encyclical is to invite Christians to respond to the call to act in love and friendship as brothers and sisters to one another. This is the entire basis of the principle of solidarity. Pope Francis “offer[s] this social Encyclical as a modest contribution to continued reflection, in the hope that in the face of present-day attempts to eliminate or ignore others, we may prove capable of responding with a new vision of fraternity and social friendship that will not remain at the level of words” (Fratelli tutti no. 6).

In other words, this encyclical is a call to action from Pope Francis to look for ways that we can foster unity and care for one another and reject the tendency to ignore or push aside the needs of others.

With this in mind, I invite you to think about some of the ways in which Pope Francis’ words might challenge us to better live in solidarity with others as individuals, as families, and as a community of faith.

“Unless we recover the shared passion to create a community of belonging and solidarity worthy of our time, our energy and our resources, the global illusion that misled us will collapse and leave many in the grip of anguish and emptiness….The notion of “every man for himself” will rapidly degenerate into a free-for-all that would prove worse than any pandemic” (Fratelli tutti no. 36). Where do I see this kind of harmful individualism present in the world? What practical steps can I take to create a sense of “togetherness” in the various aspects of my life--in my family, in my social circles, at work or at school?

“Solidarity is a word that is not always well received; in certain situations, it has become a dirty word, a word that dare not be said. Solidarity means much more than engaging in sporadic acts of generosity. It means thinking and acting in terms of community” (Fratelli tutti no. 116). What has my definition of solidarity been up to this point? In what ways might God be calling me to expand how I think about solidarity? What can I do to make the communities of which I am a part more welcoming?

To read the Fratelli tutti in it's entirety, click HERE.