MOTU PROPRIO
One
of the the so-called “ordinary” magisterial teachings of the Pope is
called a motu proprio, which means a document that is written and
promulgated by the Holy Father’s “own volition” of sorts, or moved
entirely by his own personal decision. Lower in terms of authority to an
apostolic exhortation, and definitely lower than an encyclical, a teaching issued motu
proprio nevertheless deserves not an assent of faith, but a simple
religious assent. In plain language, we Catholics also need to pay
attention to what the Pope is saying through a motu proprio.
Today’s Gospel refers to a similar motu proprio on the part of the
Lord. Moved by compassion, Jesus did something that the First Reading prefigured — that is, raise a deceased young man to life, almost exactly like
the prophet Elijah did. Gratuitously, graciously, freely, the Lord “had
pity” on the woman, and told her, “Don’t cry!” He then proceeded to do
the unthinkable and the unexpected — command the young man to “get up.”
The woman had, by then, become a non-entity, among the poorest of the
poor — a
widow, who because of the death of her only son then, had become an
instant pariah, condemned to live on the fringes of society. But the
Lord took pity on her!
My heart today goes out to all those who have lost everyone and
everything in life. Early last year, just a few weeks after the typhoon
Sendong tragedy that leveled parts of Cagayan de Oro and Iligan cities
in Northern Mindanao, I led a group of young priests to the sites. Many
of us were close to tears. Thousands lost loved ones, belongings,
sources of livelihood, an otherwise bright future, and all. There are no
words to express what I felt.
The Lord, too, was obviously moved, perhaps even to tears. But He did
something more than shed tears. He did a motu proprio — a miraculous
merciful and healing act. He took pity and acted accordingly. What about
us? Fr. Chito Dimaranan, SDB
REFLECTION QUESTION: When moved to do something marvelous for God and others, do we act on our own volition?
Grant me courage, dear God, to act as Your Spirit leads me.
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