Lecture of Sister Myrna
Introduction:
First of all, I would like to congratulate CBM for its 100 years of service to humanity. I am grateful for this opportunity to be a part of this forum on the challenges of the 21st century. Personally, I have been in contact with CBM since 1983, that is almost 25 years now and I can say that my life as a Daughter of Charity has been complimented by my working relationship with CBM. I am highly impressed with the way it renders services marked with friendship and partnership. CBM has changed the life of many persons in different parts of the world.
My talk today will be more on experiential level based on the Gospel values.
Present Situation of the poor in the world
Most of us are aware of the situation of the poor in the world. When we say poor, we have the common understanding that, oftentimes, a poor person does not have enough food to eat, no water to drink, no house to live in, no clothing to protect his or her body, cannot afford to go to school, cannot get the medical treatment he or she needs, no security and apparently no peace. This condition has been a challenge to us Christians.
Gospel Values
The letter of Saint James states: “If a brother or sister is in need of clothes or food and one of you says, "May good things go well for you: be warm and satisfied, without attending to their material needs, what good is that?"[1] Today no one can be ignorant of the countless men, women and children who are abandoned and dying. We cannot deny the appeal of this scriptural passage: “For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, a stranger and you invited me in, naked and you clothed me, sick and you visited me, a prisoner and you came to see me.”[2] This should be the common basis of our Christian development. Christ in the person of the poor and the poor in Christ.
Development as perceived by a Christian
The challenge for development is great and there are individual persons, governmental and nongovernmental organizations, and Christian communities that want to respond in different ways and take this challenge as their priority. This is in line with our consciousness of the demands of the Gospel and to be in solidarity with the poor and be agents of development and peace.
We are known to be experts in development: planning, monitoring, evaluation but at the same time, the call for authenticity with disinterested love is more challenging. People can quickly perceive whether we are there just merely to apply the techniques, the plans and to attain the results that we are aiming for.
Christianity calls more for a life-giving development to both the poor and the rich, “there is nobody who is so poor that cannot give and somebody who is so rich that cannot receive.”[3] The person in development is willing to discover the history of the other, the component elements of the cultures and the richness of each other’s belief. Mutual understanding will enrich both cultures. We are taking the same boat of the world and nobody should have the monopoly in leading our life except God.
Are we conscious that we are part of the development in the person of Christ? We are living witnesses of God’s love; we are sign of peace, truth, consistency, transparency and joy, especially when we are in difficult situations.
We are the salt, the leaven, the light, an agent of social transformation, a Peacemaker. Human development is a new name for peace. The real goal of development is creating the atmosphere of peace wherever we are.
Community-based Rehabilitation (CBR) - an agent for development
It was from a CBM Regional Director[4] that I learned Christ is the first CBR fieldworker. This I accepted and was convinced that CBM is highly aware of what CBR is. I have some ideas for CBR which might be of help.
CBR is not a short-term, but a long-term process. This process in itself is formative and will continue until the need is met. The structure of CBR is determined by the need of a particular situation. This is continuously creative and evolving according to the need.
CBR can be the best ground for the formation of leaders and community development in participation of women, children and persons with disabilities.
Respect of the other
One morning, as I arrived at the hospital one of our staff was excitedly telling me that one grandma exclaimed: “God is at the hospital, my sight is restored!!” The news spread quickly and everybody was so happy that day. I took this opportunity to get the message more correctly to the hospital staff. Yes, everybody accepted that God is at the hospital but the realization has to continue that God is in the heart of a peaceful person as in this case of the grandma who can now see. Grandma continued: “I went to the Buddhist temple as well but my sight was not restored.” I thought that it would not be pleasant news to the nearby Buddhist temple if our friend monks would hear about the event. I explained further that grandma’s eyesight was restored because we have dedicated staff, good equipment and good medical supplies to complement the peace and joy in the heart of grandma. This is a concrete experience of what development can bring to a person. At the same time development has to be conscious that respect of traditions, cultures and belief could be a very important consideration in promoting peace individually and in community.
The statement of grandma that “God is at the hospital, my sight is restored!!” and “I went to the Buddhist temple as well but my sight was not restored” may create the feeling of discomfort between the two faiths and if taken out of context can be a source of religious conflict. As Christian, this experience calls for respect of the other and an area to explore where the two religions can better understand each other not only for grandma but for our Buddhist staff who are working at the hospital.
In another situation not in a CBM Project, several villagers expressed that there were occasions wherein attitudes and behaviors of some Christian communities limits the choices of the local community in their practice of faith.
In a situation of poverty, it is very apparent that when you give a kilo of rice, this is a big help to a poor family. A trip to the church in a pick up car is a pleasure trip to town, to study in the town is an opportunity for a better life. And when this situation is coupled with Bible studies, the person will find it so difficult to be away of this Christian activity.
Proclaiming Christ and bearing witness to Christ should be done in way that respects conscience and does not violate the freedom of the person. Each person with her/his dignity is gifted with reason and free will to seek for truth, including religious truth.[5] They are bound to hold on the truth that will regulate their lives.
Conclusion
The experience in a developing country like Cambodia encourages me to keep questioning the model of development that is introduced to us which, oftentimes, affects the local values, traditions and ways of life of the people. There is a great need to be in touch with this cultural heritage and discover the values that are truly human and can serve as basis for alternative models for authentic development. Above all, this has to adhere to the Gospel values as the final form of judging the development models. If this is the case, then the time will come when peace will reign in our land.
Sister Myrna Porto
Daughter of Charity
Cambodia
27 November 2008
First of all, I would like to congratulate CBM for its 100 years of service to humanity. I am grateful for this opportunity to be a part of this forum on the challenges of the 21st century. Personally, I have been in contact with CBM since 1983, that is almost 25 years now and I can say that my life as a Daughter of Charity has been complimented by my working relationship with CBM. I am highly impressed with the way it renders services marked with friendship and partnership. CBM has changed the life of many persons in different parts of the world.
My talk today will be more on experiential level based on the Gospel values.
Present Situation of the poor in the world
Most of us are aware of the situation of the poor in the world. When we say poor, we have the common understanding that, oftentimes, a poor person does not have enough food to eat, no water to drink, no house to live in, no clothing to protect his or her body, cannot afford to go to school, cannot get the medical treatment he or she needs, no security and apparently no peace. This condition has been a challenge to us Christians.
Gospel Values
The letter of Saint James states: “If a brother or sister is in need of clothes or food and one of you says, "May good things go well for you: be warm and satisfied, without attending to their material needs, what good is that?"[1] Today no one can be ignorant of the countless men, women and children who are abandoned and dying. We cannot deny the appeal of this scriptural passage: “For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, a stranger and you invited me in, naked and you clothed me, sick and you visited me, a prisoner and you came to see me.”[2] This should be the common basis of our Christian development. Christ in the person of the poor and the poor in Christ.
Development as perceived by a Christian
The challenge for development is great and there are individual persons, governmental and nongovernmental organizations, and Christian communities that want to respond in different ways and take this challenge as their priority. This is in line with our consciousness of the demands of the Gospel and to be in solidarity with the poor and be agents of development and peace.
We are known to be experts in development: planning, monitoring, evaluation but at the same time, the call for authenticity with disinterested love is more challenging. People can quickly perceive whether we are there just merely to apply the techniques, the plans and to attain the results that we are aiming for.
Christianity calls more for a life-giving development to both the poor and the rich, “there is nobody who is so poor that cannot give and somebody who is so rich that cannot receive.”[3] The person in development is willing to discover the history of the other, the component elements of the cultures and the richness of each other’s belief. Mutual understanding will enrich both cultures. We are taking the same boat of the world and nobody should have the monopoly in leading our life except God.
Are we conscious that we are part of the development in the person of Christ? We are living witnesses of God’s love; we are sign of peace, truth, consistency, transparency and joy, especially when we are in difficult situations.
We are the salt, the leaven, the light, an agent of social transformation, a Peacemaker. Human development is a new name for peace. The real goal of development is creating the atmosphere of peace wherever we are.
Community-based Rehabilitation (CBR) - an agent for development
It was from a CBM Regional Director[4] that I learned Christ is the first CBR fieldworker. This I accepted and was convinced that CBM is highly aware of what CBR is. I have some ideas for CBR which might be of help.
CBR is not a short-term, but a long-term process. This process in itself is formative and will continue until the need is met. The structure of CBR is determined by the need of a particular situation. This is continuously creative and evolving according to the need.
CBR can be the best ground for the formation of leaders and community development in participation of women, children and persons with disabilities.
Respect of the other
One morning, as I arrived at the hospital one of our staff was excitedly telling me that one grandma exclaimed: “God is at the hospital, my sight is restored!!” The news spread quickly and everybody was so happy that day. I took this opportunity to get the message more correctly to the hospital staff. Yes, everybody accepted that God is at the hospital but the realization has to continue that God is in the heart of a peaceful person as in this case of the grandma who can now see. Grandma continued: “I went to the Buddhist temple as well but my sight was not restored.” I thought that it would not be pleasant news to the nearby Buddhist temple if our friend monks would hear about the event. I explained further that grandma’s eyesight was restored because we have dedicated staff, good equipment and good medical supplies to complement the peace and joy in the heart of grandma. This is a concrete experience of what development can bring to a person. At the same time development has to be conscious that respect of traditions, cultures and belief could be a very important consideration in promoting peace individually and in community.
The statement of grandma that “God is at the hospital, my sight is restored!!” and “I went to the Buddhist temple as well but my sight was not restored” may create the feeling of discomfort between the two faiths and if taken out of context can be a source of religious conflict. As Christian, this experience calls for respect of the other and an area to explore where the two religions can better understand each other not only for grandma but for our Buddhist staff who are working at the hospital.
In another situation not in a CBM Project, several villagers expressed that there were occasions wherein attitudes and behaviors of some Christian communities limits the choices of the local community in their practice of faith.
In a situation of poverty, it is very apparent that when you give a kilo of rice, this is a big help to a poor family. A trip to the church in a pick up car is a pleasure trip to town, to study in the town is an opportunity for a better life. And when this situation is coupled with Bible studies, the person will find it so difficult to be away of this Christian activity.
Proclaiming Christ and bearing witness to Christ should be done in way that respects conscience and does not violate the freedom of the person. Each person with her/his dignity is gifted with reason and free will to seek for truth, including religious truth.[5] They are bound to hold on the truth that will regulate their lives.
Conclusion
The experience in a developing country like Cambodia encourages me to keep questioning the model of development that is introduced to us which, oftentimes, affects the local values, traditions and ways of life of the people. There is a great need to be in touch with this cultural heritage and discover the values that are truly human and can serve as basis for alternative models for authentic development. Above all, this has to adhere to the Gospel values as the final form of judging the development models. If this is the case, then the time will come when peace will reign in our land.
Sister Myrna Porto
Daughter of Charity
Cambodia
27 November 2008
[1] Letter of St. James, Chapter 2:15 - 16
[2] Gospel of Matthew, Chapter 25:35 - 36
[3] CBCP Meeting 2000
[4] Mr. Gerhard Reichmann
[5] Declaration on Religious Freedom , Dignitatis Humanae
