From Agenda 2030 to 2033

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Yesterday I started the day reading a WhatsApp message sent to me by a friend with a quote from the saint of the day, St. Francis de Sales. It said: "If I were not a bishop, perhaps I would not want to be one, knowing what I now know; but, since I am one, I am not only obliged to do all that that painful vocation demands, but I must do it with joy, and take pleasure in it and be pleased with it.".

The phrase struck me and I could not help thinking about it throughout the day. By noon, I was convinced that this thought applies not only to bishops, but also to the laity, who are called to live consistently the demands of our Christian vocation. After all, Jesus Christ's phrase "be perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect" does not seem to give rise to any watered-down interpretations. 

Late in the day I attended a conference of the Catholic Association of Propagandists (ACdP) in Alcalá de Henares, as part of the II Conference of Catholics and Public Life in that town. 

The speakers were the three priests from Network of NetworksJesús Silva, Patxi Bronchalo and Antonio María Domenech, who offered a lucid and balanced analysis of the risks of the 2030 Agenda. Without falling back on apocalyptic discourses, they pointed out its pitfalls and limitations, proposing a profoundly Christian alternative: a living knowledge of Jesus Christ, the frequent practice of confession and communion, devotion to the Virgin Mary and, as the fruit of all this, sincere charity towards everyone, starting with the "neighbors next door".

I thought that what I was going to like most was the content of his ideas, but a few hours after the conference I realized that what caught my attention the most are seven intangible footprints who has let me listen to them:

1. Doctrinal clarityIn a time when sometimes bishops and priests are not clear, it is very positive to hear the truths of the faith without hesitation or ambiguity.
2. Courage to expose: some Christian values are clearly unpopular, but these priests demonstrate a contagious boldness to proclaim the Gospel without mincing words or fear of criticism.
3. Sense of humorDespite the seriousness of the topics discussed, we were reminded, with laughter, that Christian joy is not only compatible with evangelization, but is also a great tool.
4. Good trainingTheological education: their solid theological instruction clearly shows that they are not afraid to analyze any idea in public debate, demonstrating that faith is not at odds with reason.
5. Positive spiritThey rejected the pessimism that is so common among some sectors of Christianity, recalling that "it is not true that any time in the past was better. Christians have always faced challenges, and today is no different.
6. Evangelistic zeal: It is not just a matter of maintaining what already exists, but of courageously going out to meet others, inviting them to a personal experience with Christ.
7. Common sense: essential in our times, where statements as basic as affirming that there are only two sexes can be considered revolutionary in a president's speech.

400 years have passed since the time of St. Francis de SalesBut it seems that we Christians still need the same thing: courage to evangelize Jesus Christ and to get out of the bourgeois Christianity in which we tend to settle all too easily. I hope that between now and 2033, we believers will learn to leave the footprint of Jesus Christ wherever we go.

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