Today in prayer, we can ask ourselves whether we are known for being good citizens who punctually fulfill their duties, whether we are good neighbors, good coworkers…
The Church has always urged Christians, "citizens of the earthly city and of the heavenly city, to fulfill their earthly duties faithfully, guided always by the spirit of the Gospel"¹².
Others ought to see in us that light of Christ reflected in honest work, in which the obligations of justice are faithfully met toward the company, toward those working under our charge, and toward society through the payment of just taxes; the student, preparing conscientiously for their future profession; the teacher, preparing their classes every day, improving their explanations year after year, without falling into routine or mediocrity; the mother of the family, caring for the home, the children, her husband, paying a fair wage to whoever helps her with household chores…
Those who are not good citizens cannot be good Christians; those are mistaken who "under the pretext that we have no lasting city here, for we seek the one to come (cf. Heb 13:14), imagine that they may neglect their earthly duties, failing to realize that their very faith is a motive compelling them to a more perfect fulfillment of all these duties, according to the personal vocation of each one"¹³.
A Christian cannot remain satisfied merely by fulfilling their family and religious duties; they must be present, according to their possibilities, wherever the life of the neighborhood, town, or city is decided. Their life has a social and even political dimension that springs from faith and affects the exercise of virtues, the very essence of the Christian life. "From this perspective, the social and political dimension of charity acquires all its nobility and dignity. It is an effective love for people, realized in the pursuit of the common good of society"¹⁴.
As Christians who are called to sanctify themselves in the middle of the world, we must always bear in mind "the nobility and moral dignity of social and political commitment, and the great opportunities it offers to grow in faith and charity, in hope and fortitude, in detachment and generosity." And "when social and political commitment is lived with a true Christian spirit, it becomes a demanding school of perfection and a rigorous exercise of the virtues"¹⁵.
If we are citizens who fulfill all our duties in an exemplary manner, we will be able to illuminate for many the path that leads to following Christ. In our days, "an unformed and new mass has arisen in the old Christian lands, while the world, in all its expanse, is the field of an apostolic action that must reach all people, and in which all Christians are committed. Today, the Church and each of her children find themselves once again in a state of mission, and the leaven is called upon to bring forth the fullness of its renewing power"¹⁶; this is possible when we feel—because we truly are!—full citizens who fulfill their duties and exercise their rights, and who do not hide from the obligations and vicissitudes of public life.
HCD