Terrorism of Gossip-Spiritual Alzheimer: The Contributions of Pope Francis and the Saints (in English)
Synopsis "Terrorism of Gossip-Spiritual Alzheimer: The Contributions of Pope Francis and the Saints (in English)"
Pope Francis in his address of 2014 Christmas traditional greetings to his co-workers and Vatican ministers challenges the whole Christian Community and each one of us to seek moral and intellectual renewal within ourselves. He uses the Vatican Curia to depict the whole human race in need of spiritual renewal. The Pope, like his predecessors, following the Divine Living tradition calls individuals to re-examine themselves and their Christian life so as to make a head way to heaven. Using the Vatican Curia as the modeled structure of the whole tradition of human race outlines some ailments that ravage our spiritual life as Christians. For Pope Francis, feeling immortal or indispensible, terrorism of pervasive gossip, having funeral face, feeling like God, among others are the things and attitudes that ravage and bastardize our human unity and spiritual life. Until we purge ourselves from such vices, we have not started any spiritual journey to our creator. Government oppression, lack of funds, religious fanaticism may one way or the other jeopardize our unity and peace, but cannot be as gossip does. So in other to fight any external hindrance we need to cleanse our minds of spiritual ailments noticed within us. The Pope using this term "Alzheimer" reminds us why most Christians and the entire human race see no happiness within their walls of life. It is the internal disorders within our hearts that makes us forget the Good news Jesus brings to us daily. We have forgotten the beatitude of Christ, the virtues of Christianity and now following the pervasive culture that destroys the unity and the happiness in our world. Christians for the Pope should be a joyful people because they are people of God, a consecrated people, chosen apart for the glory of God. But what do we see? Most Christians, even those who call themselves good and religious have forgotten the joy of the good news and now down sliding themselves inside topics of scandal and reservoir of human secularism. They are not happy because the happiness left him for the devil's intellectual excellence that brings nothing but sorrows of the soul. Thus the Pope calls each individual in his address to the Curia to have some time for reflection and have a renewed personal encounter with God. His address to the curia is a call to conversion (mentanoia). We need and must re-evangelize ourselves before others. For one cannot give what one does not have. And as Aristotle would say "Life without examination is not worth living". It is in this light that the author of this book, ALBERT MORITIS argues that the Pope's address to the curia, a particular set of men should be seen in the larger context within each one of us as Christians. In this book, the author uses the term Alzheimer to explain the reasons why people especially Christians do not experience the joy of the good news brought by Jesus Christ. For him, the Pope is right for reminding the whole human race, not only the Vatican curia to remember the joy of the good news and come back to it. Its only when we live out the details of the beatitudes and the virtues of charity and Christian life that we can be a fulfilled Christian community of persons. It is only when we share in our neighbour's suffering that the face of Christ would be shown to the others who still reject the good news of Christ. Nothing external can destroy Christianity and the unity of human race as the spiritual ailment found within our human hearts. Pride, gossip, feeling like God, and being immortals are the ailments that ravaging our spiritual progress and unity within the world.
