Early into 2008, more than a dozen provinces in southern China were hit by a severe snowstorm, the heaviest yet for a century, followed by persistently freezing temperatures. This resulted in serious hardship for the people living in the affected areas, not to mention deaths, casualties and huge financial losses. The entire nation was put to the test. There are many experiences and lessons that can be drawn from this disaster. While the snowstorm is behind us, relief efforts are still underway. In looking back, there is much that the Catholic Church can learn from this experience.
The snowstorm began in the latter part of January 2008. UCA News was the first to pick up the story on January 30 and filed three reports on it. On January 31, China¡¯s Catholic website, chinacatholic.org, took the lead in reporting on the Church¡¯s relief work in the disaster areas. On February 1, Jinde Charities issued, through its website, an appeal to both local and overseas communities, for ¡°clergy and Catholics to fast once and donate a red envelop for the snowstorm victims.¡± On February 2, Jia Qinglin, Chairman of the Chinese People¡¯s Political Consultative Conference appealed to members of the religious circles to show their love for the disaster victims and make active contribution towards the relief work. On February 3, the Chinese Catholic Church Patriotic Association and Chinese Conference of Catholic Bishops issued a letter of condolence to the clergy and faithful of the disaster areas and made an appeal to the NPC and CPPCC of all provinces and municipalities, calling for charitable donations towards this cause. On February 7, ¡°L¡¯Osservatore Romano¡±, the official newspaper of the Holy See, carried a report on the disaster and the relief efforts of the Catholic Church in China, quoting extensively Jinde Charities¡¯ earlier appeal. Jinde Charities¡¯ appeal and ¡°Faith Fortnightly¡± ¡¯s coverage of the fund-raising drive for disaster relief also appeared in full on the website of Vatican¡¯s Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith on February 9. While it is notable that the Catholic Church media have been quick to react to and report on the disaster and that church communities everywhere have been very generous with their donations, several problems have come to light that call for the Church¡¯s attention and consideration.
1.The Catholic Church is still slow to react to natural disasters
When the snowstorm first started, some priests and bishops were indifferent to the situation and showed no reaction whatsoever. Even in the disaster areas, some members of the clergy did not care as long as the condition did not affect the activities of daily living of their parishes. Even now, a small number of priests and faithful remain unmoved and have no intention of giving financial assistance to the disaster areas.
Although Jinde Charities took prompt action to send out an appeal through the internet, the printed copies of the appeal letter failed to reach the hands of the clergy and faithful before the Lunar New Year, thus missing the chance to raise funds for disaster relief during this traditional holiday season.
Jinde Charities has a record of almost ten years of disaster relief work behind it, but still lacks a dedicated disaster relief fund. It has to appeal for funds every time a disaster occurs and is therefore unable to provide immediate assistance. In view of this, the Catholic Church in China should play a more active role by setting up a Disaster Relief Fund, thereby assuming a coordinating and supervisory role in its ministry of social service and, at the same time, raise funds for the disaster areas.
2.The awareness of almsgiving is still weak in the Catholic Church in China; more cooperation is needed
At present, the awareness of almsgiving is still not strong enough in the Catholic Church in China and there is a need for more cooperation. Many people in the Church are either unaware of the need to give or are reluctant to give. One parish priest gave the following excuse: ¡°We are very poor here! We don¡¯t even have enough donations for church building. How can we give to others?¡± Another church official said, ¡°We are a small diocese. We don¡¯t have money to donate....¡± Some Catholics are worried about how the money will be used and are reluctant to donate to agencies specified by the government. But did they donate through the Catholic Church¡¯s charitable agencies? Some members of the clergy are even so narrow-minded as to forbid their parishioners from donating outside of their parishes. Some Catholics give this ridiculous response to Jinde Charities¡¯ appeal: ¡°Jinde Charities is much better off than we. They often help people in need. Why should we give them money?¡± A few priests spoke honestly about their narrow views in the past: ¡°If I encourage my parishioners to donate outside of our parish, it would deplete our own resources. If we must give, we will give locally; at least it will have an effect on our local Church.¡± We would like to ask: In the face of this disaster, how did the Catholic Church at various levels and in different areas play its role as leader, mover, coordinator and supervisor? At a time that calls for unity of action in carrying out disaster relief across the boundaries of faith, nation and region, had our priests and Catholics acted indifferently, refused to cooperate and shown no compassion?
According to a Xinhua News Agency report, on February 8 the Chinese Buddhist Association and Chinese Taoist Association jointly donated some RMB 3.7 million yuan for the relief of the snowstorm disaster. The Buddhist and Taoist communities in China are financially strong and had shown cooperation in their joint effort to help disaster victims. In this respect, the Catholic Church in China has to work harder. This year, the government urged people from all sectors to make donations towards disaster relief through the Red Cross and other charitable organizations. As a result, the majority of dioceses, parishes and individuals in China made charitable donations in one way or the other, which is commendable. If a parish or diocese of a certain area donates several thousand yuan, or several tens of thousand yuan or even hundreds of thousand yuan to the local community, the effect will certainly be felt locally. But its effect on the Church in China and its witness to the faith is minimal. However, if the parishes and dioceses of the entire nation work together and make donations towards disaster relief in the name of the clergy and Catholics of the entire nation, the impact and effect of witnessing will surely be much greater. Charitable actions not only unite the Catholics in China and project the Catholic Church¡¯s new image, but can also solve problems for the disaster victims in certain areas. In the same way, any individual, parish or diocese that has made a financial contribution, wherever they may be, can proudly claim: ¡°We took part in the disaster relief work of the Chinese Catholic Church! Some of the donations came from us!¡±
As a disaster relief agency of the local church, Jinde Charities¡¯ appeal was well supported by the clergy and faithful both locally and abroad. Hence it should implement its disaster relief plan with professionalism and transparency, adhering strictly to the wishes of the benefactors. Their staff must take concrete action to show their concern to the disaster victims who receive assistance. They should give prominence to the charitable donors, carry out their work with humility and be content to become mere instruments of charity. Representatives of the donor dioceses, parishes and individuals who take part in the disaster relief work can provide supervision and encouragement, thus promoting cooperation and understanding.
There is a limit to what one individual, one parish or one diocese can do. But if all the churches in the entire country unite together, much can be accomplished with love. A disaster has occurred in our country. As the saying goes, ¡°a friend in need is a friend in deed¡±. Only when our Church integrates with the mainstream Chinese society and answers to the needs of society, only when it walks side by side with our own people and endures the same hardship as our own country, our nation and our people, can our Catholic Church win the love and respect of the Chinese people. Only then will the Church be met with acceptance and respect, and only then will there be hope for a bright future. Let us take action and, with love, bear witness to our Christian faith in China.
3.Bear in mind the teachings of Christ and the Pope; receive abundant blessings through giving
The beginning of Lent this year falls on February 6, which is the eve of the Lunar New Year. We were thus exempted from fasting and abstinence on Ash Wednesday. The Church usually grants exemption from fasting during the Spring Festival period but this should not apply to works of charity. On January 29, Cardinal Paul Cordes, President of the Pontificial Council Cor Unum, presented Pope Benedict XVI ¡¯s message for Lent 2008 entitled ¡°Christ made Himself poor for you¡± (2 Corinthians 8: 9). Although the snowstorm in southern China is now over, relief work is still in progress. The spirit of the Pope¡¯s Lenten message provides us with food for thought on the Church in China and its witness to love in the disaster areas.
In this year¡¯s Lenten message the Pope emphasized that the practice of almsgiving represents a specific way to assist those in need and, at the same time, an exercise in self-denial. The Pope pointed out that according to the Gospel¡¯s teaching, we are not owners but rather administrators of the goods we possess. That is why helping the hungry and needy is a duty of justice even prior to being an act of charity. Although ¡°charity covers a multitude of sins¡± (1 Peter 4: 8), the Pope reminds us that one must perform works of charity with humility and resist the temptation of seeking personal glory or boasting about one¡¯s actions. For this reason he was full of praise for those who work silently and generously to help the needy.
The Holy Father had pointed out: ¡°The Church's deepest nature is expressed in her three-fold responsibility: of proclaiming the word of God, celebrating the sacraments, and exercising the ministry of charity. These duties presuppose each other and are inseparable.¡± (¡°Deus Caritas Est¡°25) The Pope regarded charity as a necessary expression of the Church¡¯s nature, the very nature of the Church itself. This shows how much this German Pope values charitable works.
The Church asks that we practice conversion, prayers, fasting, almsgiving and forgiveness during Lent. Many of us think it is important to fast, pray and attend mass but do not give enough thought to conversion, almsgiving and forgiveness. That is why the Pope reminds us once again, in this year¡¯s Lenten message, of the importance of almsgiving. Are we fasting already? Have we donated the money that we saved? St. Peter Chrysologus put it very well: ¡°You who fast, if you do not give alms, your fields will not yield any harvest. If you give generously, your storehouse will be overflowing with your harvest.¡± (¡°Daily Prayers II¡±, page 137) God ¡°desires steadfast love, not sacrifice¡± (Hosea 6: 6). Not one individual, family or parish/diocese will become impoverished because of generous giving. On the contrary, they will all receive abundant blessings.
4.Inspiration from two parish priests
On the morning of Lunar New Year¡¯s Eve, a priest who had studied in Germany invited the parishioners of his rural parish to fast and donate the money to the snowstorm victims. The parishioners fasted accordingly but refused to make any donation. The priest then told them this story: When he was understudying in a German parish, the priest there organized three different donation campaigns in one mass for different overseas causes. The parishioners there did not complain but gave cheerfully every time. Then this priest who had studied abroad explained to the parishioners that charitable agencies in China and abroad were able to help the families among us with urgent needs precisely because of the generosity of many ordinary Catholics. In the end, the poor parishioners, some 20 of them, cheerfully gave from their hearts and, together with the donation from the parish priest himself, anonymously sent off RMB 4,000 yuan to the disaster areas. This story may not sound very exciting, but the generosity of the parish priest and the love of the parishioners are very touching. They give us much food for thought and inspiration. These impoverished Catholics of a rural parish have given so generously! We live in more affluent regions; we have steady incomes or even high incomes. Did we also practice charity like the ordinary clergy and faithful? How much did we give? Are our donations commensurate with our incomes? Can we compare ourselves with the generosity of those ordinary clergy and Catholics?
Another parish priest has this to share with us: At first I was also unwilling to have my parishioners donate to other areas. I felt that it was like draining from the life blood of our parish. But if we do not cultivate in our Catholics the spirit of sacrifice, will they give willingly in times of need? As a matter of fact, works of charity reflect the relationship between the giver, the receiver and Jesus Christ. All others involved, be they the parish, diocese or charitable agency, are merely the channels through which love is transmitted. Through the disaster victims who receive our assistance, we are helping Jesus Himself because He is present in these vulnerable persons. ¡°Just as you did it to one of the least of these, you did it to me.¡± (Matthew 25: 40)
During the three years of his public life, Jesus Christ gave two outstanding witnesses: One is spreading the Gospel, proclaiming that the kingdom of God is near at hand; the other is performing works of charity. He helped those who were in need, healed the sick and raised the dead. Today, when we look at Christ¡¯s teaching, the Pope¡¯s Lenten message or the Church¡¯s teaching on social responsibility, we are reminded that during this period of conversion in preparation for Easter, we must pray fervently, give generously and sacrifice with love. When we give to the weak, the poor and the disaster victims, we will discover our Lord¡¯s presence and the very nature of the Catholic Church. We will experience the love of Christ, and bring blessings upon ourselves, our families and our community. |
