Homily of Most Rev. Fridolin Ambongo, O.F.M. Cap., bishop of the diocese of Bokungu-Ikela in the Democratic Republic of Congo, at St. Michael’s parish church in Rougemont, Monday, August 30, 2010, on the occasion of the week of study which preceeded our Congress. He is a priest since 1988, a bishop since 2005, and is currently the President of the Justice and Peace Commission for his country: Dear brothers and sisters, the Gospel today (Luke 4:16-30) is very enlightening and can be adapted to the reflections that we have been studying since Friday of last week, regarding our mission. This mission that is ours follows the mission of Jesus Christ. Jesus opens the book and randomly picks a text from Isaiah. This extract brings to the forefront the mission of Jesus Christ, the reason why Jesus came into the world. The text says: "Jesus came to bring us, who are small and weak, consolation, well-being and a better life: liberation to prisoners, food to those who are hungry, sight to those who cannot see"; in short, a new way of living, a new fraternity, a new way to live together. It is the mission of Jesus. And the most interesting part is that He said: "This mission is accomplished today." The Kingdom of God has to be lived and actualized today. It is not a mission that we can put off until after our death but a mission that has already begun. Jesus inaugurated it and left the responsibility to His disciples to continue to carry out the mission of liberation of their brothers and sisters. We are the disciples of Jesus Christ. This call to accomplish the Kingdom of God today is addressed to us. We, the faithful Christians and particularly, we who have found ourselves at this week of study about the financial question and its consequence on the life of the world. It is to us that the Gospel is addressed. The actuality of the Kingdom of God, it is this invitation for each and everyone to take on his responsibility and make visible today the Kingdom of God that Jesus inaugurated.
Jesus started this mission, He did not finish it. He could not finish it. The Apostles did what they could and then they left. Now it is up to us to to actualize this mission. The reflections we have made so far during the week of study shake us up – at least we who came for the first time to talk about the "invisible hands" that govern our world and create situations with disastrous consequences. These reflections make us think that it is today that we should take our responsibilities. If the "today" of the Kingdom was valid for Jesus Christ, it is also valid for us, it is today that we must commit ourselves in the sensitive theme of the organization of finance, to see how we can transform today’s world to make it a world that is habitable for everyone, a world of peace and fraternity. This does not depend on others, it must start with us. This reality – the "today" of the Kingdom of God – should become a commitment for you and me; for all of us, so that from our commitment, our small contribution that we bring for the construction of this new fraternity will, little by little, be instrumental in the growth of a great work. This was the mission of Christ. He did not finish it and we have to adopt the attitude of St. Paul that he recommends this morning in the first reading (Cor. 2:1-5): and that is the attitude of humility. We can and should be more efficient in our commitment, so that the Kingdom of God may become visible today, if we adopt an attitude of humility. It is by being humble and efficient that we will be able to spread our message, like Jesus Christ who said: "I was sent to bring the Good News to the poor, to announce liberation to captives, to open the eyes of those who sleep." The world is full of people like that – before we came here, we also had illusions, we were asleep and did not see reality – but by going towards Jesus Christ with this attitude of humility, we can help our brothers and sisters to see reality as it is. It is by facing reality that we will also, thanks to the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, have the strength necessary to commit ourselves in attacking the seemingly all-powerful enemy who is facing us. May the Spirit of the Lord be with us during this week of study, so that all the teaching that we receive, all the reflections that we make here may help us to start to make visible in our world, the face of the real Kingdom that Jesus Christ brought to us. We must stay prudent and not fall into the desire for power, because there, we risk following in the footsteps of the powerful of this world; we must stay humble and small, perhaps it is only then that our message will be strong. Amen. At the end of the week of study, on September 2, we asked our distinguished guests to give their reflections. Here is us what Bishop Ambongo said to us:
We came (to Rougemont), we saw, and, as other bishops told you, we believed. It is a discovery. A marvelous discovery that is built on four small points: first on the luminous contents of the Social Doctrine of the Church applied to this financial system of assassins. I know a bit about the Social Doctrine of the Church because I have been a professor for nine years, speaking of the social teaching of the Church at the Catholic University of Kinshasa, until I was ordained a bishop. I know the Social Doctrine of the Church but what was new to me was this method of applying the Social Doctrine to a concrete problem, presented in an organic way with great ease by our brilliant professor, Alain Pilote. He presented a difficult subject in a simple way, with good humor. Some of us had studied the subject before arriving here, but I did not have any information on Social Credit. I heard of it when I arrived here. This theory was developed in ten lessons; the whole thing became so clear, I was able to make sense of it. The third element which explains this marvelous discovery, was meeting people from around the world, particularly for me, the people from the United States and Canada. A system that crushes us For us Africans, North America is like a huge Satan, as the Iranians say. That is to say, the evil that befalls us, the financial or economic system that crushes us, today we think that the Americans are behind this system, we think that it is a system that is promoted and supported by the Americans because it benefits them. But we now see Americans and Canadians who are distancing themselves from this system. They are making a critical and coherent analysis to dismantle, this system of assassins, piece by piece. For me, this was a great discovery. From our point of view, this system was in the interest of the North Americans, but now we see that you, people of North America, are also the victims of this system. It is a system that makes victims on all sides. The weight of this system is felt by the north and the south, in various degrees. Finally, what above all encourages and consoles me in this meeting is the discovery of a solution to the problem of the debt of nations. Sometimes, we feel like there is nothing we can do, because these financial leaders are all-powerful. But this session opened our eyes: another solution is possible; we did not enter into the technical details but our professor said: "They exist." As for its applicability, it is not our field, we are bishops and a bishop is not a specialist in international finance. But we may approve the principle, and we approve it with all our strength. Now that we have been won over by this teaching of Social Credit, we will return home. What will come after? Myself I see future prospects more in terms of collaboration. I say it on two accounts: as bishop of the diocese, I can commit myself on the level of my diocese, to pass on the teaching I received here, but all the more so as being in charge of the Justice and Peace Commission for my country. I believe that the Commission for Justice and Peace in various countries are the best ally of Social Credit, of the teaching that we have received here, because this teaching is part of top proprities. It remains to be seen, what has been done so far at the level of the Commission for Justice and Peace in the Democratic Republic of Congo, and how we may elaborate a strategy of action to popularize this Social Credit system among our population. Bishop Fridolin Ambobgo t our week of study on Social Credit last August, followed by our Congress Sept. 3-5, we had seven Bishops of Africa, sixteen priests, and many lay faithful who were filled with wonder at what they heard. We are pleased to publish in this issue many excerpts from their homilies and comments. Here is the translation of the homily given by Most Rev. Basile Tapsoba, bishop of the diocese of Koudougou in Burkina Faso, in the Parish of St. Cesaire on Friday, September 2, 2010 during our week of study which preceded our Congress in Rougemont: My dear friends, through the grace of God, the week of study is coming to an end. Time passes inexorably, so we may justly say: "Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof." Even better: thanks to the efficient collaboration of those in charge in the Pilgrims of St. Michael and the MICHAEL Journal, thanks to the consummate mastery of the professors, lecturers and animators, the veil has been lifted. Day after day, more light was shed on Social Credit, which allowed us to discover it more clearly and to finally have it shine in all its splendor, filling us with amazement, joy and satisfaction. In this same elan, we raise our spirits and hearts in thanksgiving towards the Almighty God, Master of history. He led us, safe and sound, to the Louis Even Institute in Rougemont, and this morning to the parish of St. Cesaire. May the Holy Name of the Lord be always blessed. Before the Lord, we wish to demonstrate our filial piety and gratitude towards Mr. Clifford Hugh Douglas and Mr. Louis Even, these men of genius, these benefactors of mankind, to whom we will always be indebted. These initiators were faithful and docile to the Holy Spirit and totally dedicated to the promotion of Social Credit. May they rest in peace and may their good works accompany them! May the Master of the vine and harvest receive them into Heaven and grant them the reward promised to the good and faithful servant. May the Lord help us to continue the heritage that was bequeathed to us. We express our sentiments of profound gratitude to those in charge, to the men and women, members of the community of the Pilgrims of St. Michael and the MICHAEL Journal. Miss Therese Tardif, Mr. Marcel Lefebvre, you were so kind and generous to invite us to this week of study, followed by the congress. In taking charge of the costs of the trip, you removed a thorn from our foot. We are very grateful and we assure you of our prayers. We leave your recompense to God, Who will surely give you a reward over and above your expectations. May God bless you and give you strength for the battle. As for the treasure that we have discovered here among you, it will never leave us. It will be in each one of us a flame that will guide us. We will communicate this flame to as many people as possible. With the grace of God, by the next few years, this flame will produce marvels. We who have been invited to this week of study and to the congress, whether we are already familiar with the Louis Even Institute or are discovering it for the first time, we will not deny the importance of the responsibilities and commitment that constitutes our presence here. Without wanting to apply this teaching too quickly because we have been energized and say, "We will show them how things can be done here!", and then give up because of the immensity of the task; we rather resolutely turn towards the Lord. We turn towards Him in all confidence and we count firmly on Him. It is He, in fact, who works in us, by us, through us and around us. The story of the miraculous draught of fishes (Luke 5:1-11) that has proclaimed today comes just at the right moment to give us courage and to aid us to be disposed to accept the time of God. Yes, Peter had passed the entire night casting his nets without catching even one fish. The Lord came and, I could say, monopolized the boat of Peter. He settled down in the boat and took His time to give the Good News. It is only after that He said to Simon Peter, "Go out into the sea and cast your nets." And Peter said to him, "Lord, all night we did not catch even the smallest fish but at Your Word, I will go." And, on casting out their nets, a great wonder occurred, a miracle; they were obliged to call other boats because of the inestimable quantity of the fish that they gathered. The dawn of a new era May today’s Eucharist give us strength for the new day that is just beginning and tighten the bonds of fraternity, solidarity and affection among us and for every man. We make a fervent vow for the prosperity of the Louis Even Institute, that Social Credit may continue to make its way through the world, despite the hardships which it must confront. May Social Credit be understood, favorably received and profoundly rooted in the sprits and hearts of the present and future generations of every country of the world, so that through the intercession of the Virgin Mary and the help of St. Michael the Archangel, the dawn of a new era for mankind may arrive, for the greater glory of God who lives and reigns for ever and ever. Amen." Most
Rev. Basile Tapsoba
The seven African bishops and Rougemont's parish priest (center) celebrating Mass
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