TRANSFIGURATION, ECONOMY & COVID-19

Homily by Archbishop Peter Chong

I attended a ROUND TABLE MEETING on EDUCATION FOR ECONOMIC GROWTH: RE-MODELLING FIJI’S NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT PLAN POST COVID-19 at the

University of Fiji, Saweni, 26th February, 2021

The discussions focused on creating a ‘New World Order’ – ‘A New Economy’ that does not focus only on monetary value.

Discussion call for collaboration towards a New World Order – New Economy that puts people and creation at the center and as the primary beneficiary of economic development.

According to Catholic Social Teaching on the Economy:

1. The economy exists for the person, not the person for the economy.

2. All economic life should be shaped by moral principles. Economic choices and institutions must be judged by how they protect or undermine the life and dignity of the human person, support the family and serve the common good.

Social forums, Religious institutions, peoples around the world in different contexts, especially from Third World Countries have been calling for the transformation of world economy:

Economy is a crucial component of a healthy society. It drives the politics, the job market and education. The world’s economic system marked by the values of capitalism and neo-liberalism – the market and profit. It favors the rich and makes the poor poorer. This is a sick economic system.

Companies have power over national governments and rural-indigenous communities.

They do business that destroy mother nature and biodiversityand deprive people of sustainable economy. This is daylight robbery and corruption.

Therefore, the world economic system needs healing. The World needs a transfiguration.

The Gospel (Mark 9:2-10)

The story of Jesus’ transfiguration at Mt Tabor symbolizes andpreviews the transformation of the world when the Kingdom – Reign of God comes. The world will be changed, reset, renewed – God’s reign will bring THE NEW NORM.

In the Reign of God, like Peter, John and James, we too will say ‘Lord it is good to be in this world’.

The Reign of God restores human dignity and freedom. When the Reign of God transforms our economic systems, people and creation will be the prime beneficiaries of economic development and not only the rich and big companies.

Transfiguration only comes when we acknowledge our need for salvation; when we admit our weakness; then only, we canlisten to the voice of the lover – God. “You are my beloved.”

The world is in a mess because of military and money power.We listen to military and money power.

To be transformed we have to be like soft-vulnerable clay that can be re-molded, reshaped and reset.

COVID-19 has taught the whole to be vulnerable. A crisismakes us vulnerable; It creates an opportunity to be transfigured, transformed, to be made new, to reset life; to open our ears to the voice of the Lover – God.

Vaccine gives immunity. What the world needs is inner transfiguration. The world needs values of God’s Kingdomthat transfigure the whole person, economic, cultural and political systems – not merely immunity from COVID-19.

Pope Francis says that the ecological crisis reflects the inner crisis or the spiritual crisis in the world today.

Transfigurations begins with me, family, community. Lord transfigure me and our world.