FRATERNITY AND SOCIAL FRIENDSHIP - A: 7th Sun in OrdTime

First Reading: Lev 19:1-2, 17-18 (19 February 2023)

“You shall love the neighbor as you love yourself” (Lev 19:18b).

At first glance, this commandment in the book of Leviticus appears to be an extra mandate appended to the Decalogue given to Moses by Yahweh (cf. Exo 20:1-17; Deut 5:6-21). However, it is not new at all since it simply summarizes the Decalogue’s fourth to tenth commandments just like what Jesus did when asked by a lawyer on which is/are the greatest in the Law (cf. Mt 22:35-40). The loving of neighbor only puts into simpler terms the various restrictions itemized in this set of mandates. Meanwhile, this concern for the well-being of others has been the backbone of all moral actions that is, simultaneously, deeply rooted in the loving of God (cf. Deut 6:5; Mt 22:37). For this reason, the last entry of the Canon Law of the Catholic Church (Can. no. 1752) underscores this value: Salus animarum suprema lex est (i.e., the supreme law is the salvation of the souls).

In a similar vein, the third encyclical of Pope Francis delves, too, into the primacy of loving, caring, and fighting for the rights of all persons in all parts of the globe. It is titled Fratelli Tutti (i.e., Italian for “all are brothers/sisters”)—published last October 4, 2020 on the feast of St. Francis of Assisi—that calls for the realization of social friendship. The Holy Father used as a departure for reflection the Lukan story of the Good Samaritan (cf. Lk 10:25-37; FT #56). Herein, he took note of the exemplary action of the Samaritan, who gave time to help a traveler who had been robbed and left half-dead in the open streets (FT #63), disregarding the social, religious, ethnic, and cultural differences between them (i.e., as Jews and Samaritans). The Supreme Pontiff exalted the Samaritan’s act of fostering what is good in others (FT #77) because it reflects the goodness that is innate in every person.

This recovery of human dignity is at the heart of the document, advocating that all human creatures of God are brothers or sisters to one another (FT #120, #271).

As his suggestion to put into practice the crux of the encyclical, the Vicar of Christ called for a so-called universal culture of encounter, which is made evident by the observance of two primary virtues, viz., kindness and forgiveness (FT #222-224). The former refers to shunning all prejudices against outsiders or strangers, while the latter denotes showing mercy to anybody with the pretext that all will be shown mercy by God at some point (FT #238). For Pope Francis, the performance of these two virtues is the foundation of the building of communities, which is marked “by opening the paths of dialogue and not by constructing new walls” (FT #284).

In these strong exhortatory words, he essentially criticized the decadence of fraternity and concern for each one in the world today, which is noticeable in the large-scale escalation of wars, hunger, organized crimes, migration crisis, racism, and xenophobia, among many other forms of social exclusions.

What is needed to be done in embattling these negative attitudes today is the concretization of the commandment of love, in particular, the loving of neighbor that treats each person as a reflection and extension of oneself (Lev 19:18b). If we begin to value everyone as a brother or a sister under God’s one big family, we can gradually demolish cruel indifference, the throw-away culture, and the racist virus that characterize social relationships in our world. In contrast, we should enhance the values of fraternity and social friendship, which build bridges and not walls between peoples.

- Rex Fortes, CM