Editor’s Note

The Kuala Lumpur Archdiocesan Office for Human Development celebrated its 30th anniversary early this month. Under the purview of this Office are several ministries and desks that cater to the urban-rural poor, prisoners, migrants, Orang Asli, people with special needs, women, etc.

Oct 07, 2022


By Patricia Pereira
The Kuala Lumpur Archdiocesan Office for Human Development celebrated its 30th anniversary early this month. Under the purview of this Office are several ministries and desks that cater to the urban-rural poor, prisoners, migrants, Orang Asli, people with special needs, women, etc.

Over the years the list of groups being served under this Office has alternately decreased and expanded, depending on the needs and concerns of that particular period or depending on the availability of manpower and resources.

We need to be expandable when serving those in need. Pope Francis, when addressing the young people at the Economy of Francesco event, urged them to cast aside the culture of indifference and the ‘throw-away’ mentality and instead think of creative and daring ways to bring about change.

Similarly, we too cannot be indifferent to the needs and concerns of those around us. We cannot have a closed list or a preferred list. We must listen and, through that, establish the priorities that we need to address in helping in the development, growth and flourishing of each person in the different dimensions of their existence. We cannot thrust the responsibilities solely on Church ministries and organisations.

The Holy Father frequently challenges us to pray for the grace to overcome the sin of indifference. Many of the sayings and parables of Jesus seek to open our eyes to this sinful condition.

The Good Samaritan (Lk 10:25-37) is an excellent example. A man is brutally beaten, robbed and left for dead. Two righteous men, a priest and a Levite who are more occupied with maintaining ritual purity, pass him by without offering so much as a kind word or the promise to send help.

Because of their indifference to the suffering of a fellow countryman, they are guilty of aiding and abetting the evildoers who committed the actual crime. Only because of the kindness and generosity of a stranger from Samaria does the parable’s victim get the help he needs.

The story of the rich man and Lazarus (Lk 16:19-31) also calls our attention to the seriousness of the sin of indifference.
The parable makes it clear that a life totally dedicated to self-satisfaction leads to the torment of loneliness and pain. No amount of pleading for mercy after the fact can mitigate the negative consequences of our indifference.

It is painful to see that this parable is still alive today, with so many “injustices, inequalities, the unequal distribution of the earth’s resources, the abuse of the powerful against the weak, the indifference to the cry of the poor”, the abyss we dig every day creating marginalisation.

Complacency, lying on our comfortable couches and focusing on satisfying our own self-centred desires, is a recipe for disaster.

Cardinal Michael Czerny, prefect of the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development, recently said that, “a few of us cannot be happily or integrally developed if others are underdeveloped or mal-developed or simply totally left out.”

Most of us react badly to the parable of the rich man and Lazarus. The rich man didn’t do anything. His punishment seems unfair. But of course, this is the point. The rich man didn’t do anything when he clearly could have. He didn’t even give Lazarus, who was homeless and starving, the scraps from his table. Not doing anything can be seriously sinful, and Jesus lets us know through this parable that we will be held accountable for our sins of omission.

The Gospel of Jesus Christ is always Good News. But it is often “hard news” as well. None of us likes to hear that we will be held accountable for things that we think are beyond our control. What can we do about the complex social problems of our time, including hunger, homelessness, illness, drug addiction, racism, human trafficking and so much more? Jesus does not expect us to solve all these problems by ourselves, but He does tell us, in no uncertain terms, that we cannot do nothing!

Every baptised Catholic has an obligation “to do something”, whatever he or she can, to help our sisters and brothers in need. What can we do? Many opportunities are available to us through our diocesan/parish integral human development ministries. We should become familiar with these opportunities and do whatever we can to help.

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