This month’s work of mercy at first glance sounds harsh. Instruct the ignorant! But when we pause to consider what this work is really calling us to, it makes more sense and seems much more in keeping with what we have come to experience of our merciful God.
While our common
understanding of ignorance may point us in the direction of rude or
discourteous behavior, a more positive and perhaps accurate definition of the
word ignorant means,” lacking knowledge or awareness.” When
we pause to think about the life we live, none of us has all the information or
awareness to navigate the twists and turns of life. There is always more to learn and room for growth,
and, we can always be more aware of things and people, situations and realities
around us.
This work of
mercy is one we are all called to employ.
But, we must be prayerfully intentional when we “instruct the
ignorant.” The instruction we offer
needs to be grounded in the teachings of Christ, and needs to reflect the
values that have been handed down to us through Sacred Scripture and Sacred
Tradition. Value based instruction, Gospel
based instruction, is what we are called to offer to each other by virtue of
our common baptism.
Our instruction
of each other is intended to be done with humility; not in a way that says to
the other, “You don’t know anything,” or, “I know more than you, so listen to
me!” No, our sharing of knowledge and
assistance in raising awareness should always be done with the good of the
other in mind. We have a responsibility
to raise each other up, not tear each other down. Sometimes our words may need to be blunt, but
they should never be discourteous to each other or rude (that would be
ignorant…that is disrespectful of the other!).
Speaking of
rudeness and discourtesy, we also have a responsibility to call each other to
proper respect of one another. Rudeness,
curtness and discourtesy are contrary to the Gospel; we ought to call each
other to respect of and for each other…to honor the reality that all human
beings are worthy of dignity and that we are all made in the “image and
likeness of God” (Genesis 1:26)
It seems
appropriate that this is the spiritual work of mercy we look to as we enter
into a new school year. Naturally, our
attention focuses again on the instruction of our children and youth. It is also a time when we who are beyond
school years recall the learning that
has been a part of our lives…and it is a call for us to continue to learn and
grow; to throw off the ignorance that is ours about circumstances that
encompass our world, our nation, our state, our city, our parish.
“Instruct the
Ignorant” is indeed a work of mercy. It
calls us to look at the individual as a child of God and seek to assist each
individual in living his/her human dignity in the most complete way possible. When we humbly share knowledge and insight
with another, and assist another in awareness of their surroundings and
situation, we lovingly open the world to them so that they may become more
completely who God called them to be; a dignified human being made in God’s
image and likeness.
Guest Blogger: Dr. Cheryl Fournier
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