At the time of writing this article, my team and I at the CCSJ are preparing for our annual one-day retreat on the theme: Happy those who hunger and thirst for what is right: they shall be satisfied (Mt5:6).
Too often we get caught up with the many activities of our daily lives and do not take enough time to withdraw in prayer to ask God for spiritual direction. Over the years, CCSJ members and staff have found that annual retreats provide an opportunity for us to refresh ourselves; to reflect on our goals; and to draw closer to God – asking Him for His grace – to open our hearts to the gifts of the Holy Spirit as we seek to promote His reign here in T&T.
We thank God for the generosity of a member of the Catholic community who allows us to use her premises and provides us with refreshments.
When this Commission was established after the first sitting of Synod in 2003, the team of Commissioners joined me in a number of sessions to determine what our Vision and Mission would be. The then Fr Jason Gordon (now Bishop Jason) was a member of our team.
Our Vision is as follows: “We envision a transformed national/world community where Justice, Peace and Love prevail, as divinely ordained by God, and which:
• ensures human rights, duties and human dignity;
• celebrates diversity and promotes equality;
• promotes the common good, respect for human life and ecology justice.”
Our Mission is: “To be a fearless united voice challenging injustice, awakening social consciousness and fostering integral development. We strive to do this through:
• Social Justice Education and Advocacy
• Promoting people-centred development; and
• Working for the transformation of inequitable structures and systems.”
Our core values are as follows:
- We recognise our duties and obligations to the wider community.
- To bring good news to the poor, liberty to captives, new sight to the blind, and to free the downtrodden (Luke 14).
- Always respecting the dignity of the human person.
- We value the process of Reflection, Research and Action.
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Our Mission is in keeping with the Archdiocese’s Mission. We are all called to build the Civilisation of Love. What are you doing in your home, in your parish, in your workplace and in your community to achieve this?
I was a speaker at the recent three-day Symposium, “Finding Solutions for Crime – A Meeting of Heads of the Christian Faith.” One of the messages coming from many of the speakers was the need for us Christians to get out into our communities and demonstrate that there are visible, credible signs that Christians are living and working in T&T. Let us ask God to help us to rediscover and live our faith so that our concern for social justice will be transformed into constructive action as we spread the Good News in this land.
Sunday, June 8 is UN World Oceans Day. As the UN states, our oceans are “the lungs of our planet, providing most of the oxygen we breathe, the oceans are also a major source of food and medicines and a critical part of the biosphere.” The UN General Secretary reminded us last year that: “From trade to food to climate regulation, the oceans are integral to all of humanity. This is particularly so for coastal dwellers whose income and culture are irrevocably bound to the sea. If we are to fully benefit from the oceans, we must reverse the degradation of the marine environment due to pollution, overexploitation and acidification.”
As we SEE-JUDGE-ACT, let us remember that sustainable development depends on us being good stewards of God’s gift to us – the environment. Recently, I got some good ‘cuss’ because I asked a family to stop throwing their garbage into the sea. Interestingly, on the rear windscreen of their car there was a sign that read: “Try God.” Below these words were praying hands. If we really want to “Try God”, we will strive to live as He lived.
