Leela’s speech for opening Seminar – Justice, Peace and Community Week
From: 24-31 Oct 2015
Theme: Let’s build inclusive communities
Sat 24 Oct at LWC/TCN from 3:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Dear brothers and sisters,
There is so much that you and I can learn from the nuggets of wisdom shared by Fr Matthew and Rhonda. Our society and the world yearn for justice, peace and for communities to live together as God intended.
We can play our part in building inclusive communities if we embrace Archbishop Joseph Harris’ request to us all to adopt a Missionary Project. We are all Missionaries on a journey, but we do not journey alone. As Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI said: “It is not by isolation that man and woman establish their worth, but by placing themselves in relation with others and with God.”
But just being thrown together as random individuals living in close proximity to each other does not make us a community. As St John Paul II said: “…a community needs a soul if it is to become a true home for human beings. You, the people, must give it this soul.”
We can only build inclusive communities when we acknowledge what our Mission in this world is; that is why our Archdiocesan’s Mission Statement is so powerful: We are the people of God in Trinidad and Tobago, building the civilization of love – reconciliation with God, neighbour, creation and self through
- The New Evangelization
- Revitalizing Catholic Culture and Identity
- Regenerating the moral and spiritual values of our society.
To know more about modern and effective method of buy cialis getting rid of sexual hurdles. Kamagra jellies are also getting viagra in canada available in many different flavors. It results in increase of length and girth of penis is to make use of natural herbs and are hence less detrimental to the health and happiness of an otherwise stable and healthy sexual relationship. cialis viagra online It is the only pill which is manufactured according to soft nature of http://aimhousepatong.com/item3122.html on line levitra women.
To build “the Civilization of Love”, we must walk with the 2 feet of Christian Service:
Works of mercy (Charity) and works of social action/social justice.
We are challenged to develop a biblical spirituality/a spirituality of justice if we are to carry out this mission effectively. The Eucharist will nourish us as we seek to act justly, love tenderly, and walk humbly with our God (Micah 6:8). Since His Grace has asked us to adopt a Missionary Project, have you done so? During this week, think about what you can do.
Sadly, in the process of building this civilization of love, some individuals strive to sit at the top and lord it over others in every way they can. They don’t realize, that, as Pope Francis says: “Let us never forget that authentic power is service.”
The world will do well to learn from him. There is a list being circulated on the internet entitled: 12 Leadership Lessons from Pope Francis. Top of the list is:
- Lead with humility – servant leadership is his style of leadership which we should emulate. Other lessons include:
- Make Inclusivity a Top Priority
- Avoid Insularity.
- Smell Like Your Flock.
- Live on the Frontier.
http://www.skipprichard.com/lead-with-humility-12-leadership-lessons-from-pope-francis/
It is important to note that before Pope Francis was elected as Pope, as Archbishop Jorge Mario Bergoglio in Argentina, he became known as the “Bishop of the Slums” of Buenos Aires. Today he continues to live on the frontier with humility.
If we are to make inclusivity a top priority, we too must be concerned about our brothers and sisters who live in the slums, on the margins of society, those who are homeless. We must stand up against unjust laws and statements aimed at further discriminating against the weak, the poor and the vulnerable.
To be effective disciples of Christ, we must all embrace the social teachings of our Church which helps us to understand what it means to promote:
Catholic Social Teaching – Key Principles
Sanctity of life & the Dignity of the Human Person
Common Good
Fundamental Option for the Poor and Vulnerable
Family & Community
Participation in the economic, political, social and cultural life of society.
Rights and Responsibilities
Economic Justice, Distributive Justice,
Commutative Justice, Social Justice
Environmental Stewardship – Care for God’s Creation
Role of Government & Subsidiarity
Global Solidarity & Development
Dignity of work and the Rights of Workers
Promotion of Peace and Disarmament
Universal Destination of Goods
An inclusive Catholic community is one in which each member strives to live their faith by acting on the biblical mandate given to us e.g. in Luke 4:18-19:
The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,
Because he has anointed me to bring good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim liberty to captives
And recovery of sight to the blind,
To let the oppressed go free, and
To proclaim the year of the Lord’s favour. (Luke 4: 18 – 19).
Our Mission as disciples of Christ is to find ways of responding to the profound words contained in the Vatican II document, Gaudium et spes (Joy and Hope), the Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the Modern World:
“The joys and hopes, the grief and anguish of the people of our time, especially of those who are poor or afflicted, are the joys and hopes, the grief and anguish of the followers of Christ as well. Nothing that is genuinely human fails to find an echo in their hearts.”
When we look around there is so much to do that at times some of us seem to be overwhelmed. It is at these times that we need to hold on to the words of Blessed Mother Teresa, who reminded us: What you can do, I can’t do, and what I can do, you can’t do, but together we can do something beautiful for the Lord.
Let’s start in our homes to teach our young ones how they can use their gifts to do something beautiful for the Lord. But they will only listen if they see that we ourselves are practicing what we preach; that we adults are walking the talk! It’s no use telling them about building community, acting ethically, showing respect for others and so on, if we adults have abandoned these virtues – or never embraced them in the first place. The many speakers who addressed us at the recent World Meeting of Families held in Philadelphia, all highlighted the importance of family life – the sanctuary of life and love.
In one of his homilies in 2013 Pope Francis addressed the issue of what makes a family holy. He identified 3 issues: the family prays, the family keeps the faith, and the family experiences joy. Inter alia, he reminded us that: “Christian families are missionary families. …They are missionary in everyday life, in their doing everyday things, as they bring to everything the salt and the leaven of faith! Keeping the faith in families and bringing to everyday things the salt and the leaven of faith.”
But are we bringing the salt and the leaven of faith to everyday things?
The young and the elderly are the “two poles of humanity” to which Pope Francis referred in 2013 en route to World Youth Day. He said: “A people has a future if it goes forward with both elements: with the young, who have the strength, and things move forward because they do the carrying; and with the elderly because they are the ones who give life’s wisdom. We do the elderly an injustice. We set them aside as if they had nothing to offer us.”
The moral test of a nation is how it treats the most vulnerable. How are we treating our young and our elderly? The nation has been outraged by 2 images recently – one of a two-year-old girl being savagely beaten by a man in whose care the child had been left. And as the two minutes, 12 seconds long video is being played on Facebook, one can distinctly hear a woman in the background saying: “Yuh look for that”. He pulled the child’s head backwards and threw the milk into her mouth. When she refused, he slammed her to the ground – this was repeated. He pulled her up by her hair and forced her to drink the milk.
Now that they have been arrested, some persons in the area, including his brother, are telling the media that this is not the first time that the child has been beaten by him. Yet, in this land of selfishness and individualism, no one called a hotline anonymously to seek help for the child. What do you do when you see or hear of such abuse? Our Church tells us that we cannot sit on the sidelines in the face of injustice. Speak out! Ring a hotline! Ring me on 299 8945.
And then there is the video on Facebook showing a 39-year-old geriatric nursing assistant assaulting an elderly man at a home for the elderly in St James. The video shows her standing on the belly of a frail man, said to be 89 years. As the Guardian reported today (Sat 24 Oct): “The woman appeared to be scolding the man for something he had done to either another resident of the home or an employee. After threatening the man with further harm the woman stepped off him and walked away.”
The couple and the nursing assistant have been arrested. In many ways we have become a barbaric society. There is a lot of violence and anger in our communities. The Guardian reported today that Prime Minister, Dr Keith Rowley, while on his first official visit to Tobago, said:
“‘It is such a disgusting view I could not believe it and persons like that should be identified and prosecuted. That is something I hope that the authorities would find the person and I mean F-I-N-D and such a person should feel the full brunt of the law,” he said.
“Saying social media was giving society a window into some aspects of human behaviour not privy to before, he added:
“‘I felt so sad just to view that and coming from what had happened with the child and what happened here in Tobago with that chopping, we haven’t been viewed very well and it’s something that I hope we are seeing the last of.”
Well, I hope he takes action to put measures in place to protect the young and the old – in fact, everyone. And each of us has a duty to assist; to transform our society to reflect Gospel values – which are certainly not the values of those in the 2 incidents outlined above.
For years I have been asking in my presentations at various events and have written in my articles about the need for regulations and inspection procedures to be put in place to monitor and evaluate the various homes for the elderly that have mushroomed all over the place in TT. Do we care?
During this week, step back and reflect on the kind of family life that you are building. As Pope Francis has said: “Many children and young adults waste so much time on hollow things: Chatting on the internet, playing with the cell phone, seeing soap operas. High tech products are meant to make life simple and to improve the quality of life. But so often, they distract us from what’s really important.
As Catholics, we cannot talk about building community without focusing on the importance of marriage and family life. During his apostolic trip to Brazil for World Youth Day 2013, Pope Francis said:
“Today, there are those who say that marriage is out of fashion… They say that it is not worth making a life-long commitment, making a definitive decision, ‘forever’, because we do not know what tomorrow will bring. I ask you, instead, to be revolutionaries, I ask you to swim against the tide; yes, I am asking you to rebel against this culture that sees everything as temporary and that ultimately believes you are incapable of responsibility, that believes you are incapable of true love.”
As Dr. Martin Poulsom SDB reminds us: “We are not created by God to live alone. In the beginning, God created humanity male and female (Gen 1:27; 2:18), destined to live in community with one another and with God. This is not something that is added on to human nature, but is an essential part of it. We are relational beings and, as such, living in community is an essential expression of who we are. (Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC), paragraph 1878-9.
“A community shares a great deal. Its members may have a common history and a sense of a shared identity. They are bound together by cultural, political and economic structures, and express their shared lives in professional, political and recreational associations and groups. ‘This network of relationships strengthens the social fabric and constitutes the basis of a true community of persons’. (Compendium, paragraph 185) A Catholic understanding of community goes beyond these features, too, since it finds its fullest expression in communion – something that is willed by God and is, indeed, a gift from God. Christians are called ‘to the building up of a social, economic and political life that corresponds to God’s plan.’ (Compendium, paragraph 40).
“Community does not just happen – it is something that men and women must work together to develop. (Compendium, paragraph 150) Each of us is called to do this in a way and at a level that is appropriate. (CCC, paragraph 1913-14) This is one way that the principle of subsidiarity is put into action. It ‘is among the most constant and characteristic directives of the Church’s social doctrine’. (Compendium, paragraph 185). See Compendium, paragraph 186 for more details on the principle of subsidiarity.
Everyone should take part in the building up of community, as far as possible. (CCC, paragraph 1915; Compendium, paragraph 189) This is not an easy thing to do, and it is understandable that people sometimes become disillusioned with the social and political structures that enable participation in society and the Church. However, participating in the building up of community is one of the ways that Catholics live their lives at the service of the dignity of the human person. The authentic development of the human person is fostered by the pursuit of the social values of truth, freedom, justice and love. ‘Putting them into practice is the sure and necessary way of obtaining personal perfection and a more human social existence.’ (Compendium, paragraph 197)
Scripture – Romans 12: 4-12
“Just as each of our bodies has several parts and each part has a separate function, so all of us, in union with Christ, form one body, and as parts of it we belong to each other. Our gifts differ according to the grace given us. If your gift is prophecy, then use it as your faith suggests; if administration, then use it for administration; if teaching, then use it for teaching. Let the preachers deliver sermons, the almsgivers give freely, the officials be diligent, and those who do works of mercy do them cheerfully.”
“The Common Good: In the UK, this is perhaps one of the best-known principles of Catholic Social Teaching, thanks to two excellent teaching documents produced by the Bishops Conference of England and Wales: The Common Good (1996) and Choosing the Common Good (2010). Vatican II defines it as ‘the sum total of social conditions which allow people, either as groups or as individuals, to reach their fulfilment more fully and more easily’. (Gaudium et Spes – “The Joys and Hopes” paragraph 26 – 1965). Pursuit of the common good is one of the ways in which Catholics practice solidarity: the common good is not just shared with those nearest to us, or even with all those in our own society; it is a universal principle, which fosters the unity of the whole human family. (CCC, paragraph 1911) In practising it, Catholics are called to have particular care for the weak and vulnerable, because they are our neighbours in a pre-eminent way (Luke 10: 25-37)
“The common good is not something that only the leaders and rulers of society are called to pursue. Every member of society has a duty to develop it and equally, every member has the right to enjoy the benefits brought about by the common good, (Compendium, paragraph 167). This ensures that all of the political, social and economic structures of society are focussed on the good of the human person: ‘The order of things must be subordinate to the order of persons, not the other way around.’ (Gaudium et Spes – “The Joys and Hopes” paragraph 26 – 1965)
Scripture – 1 Corinthians 12:12-22, 24-27
“Just as a human body, though it is made up of many parts, is a single unit because all these parts, though many, make one body, so it is with Christ. In the one Spirit we were all baptised, Jews as well as Greeks, slaves as well as citizens, and one Spirit was given to us all to drink. Nor is the body to be identified with any one of its many parts….If one part is hurt, all parts are hurt with it. If one part is given special honour, all parts enjoy it. Now you together are Christ’s body; but each of you is a different part of it.”
***This week, spend some time to reflect on your own, with your family, with others in your parishes, in your workplaces, to determine what you can do to build inclusive communities. And as you do so, ask yourself:
- How can I show that I respect my family members? My brothers and sisters who are in need? The stranger? The elderly? The differently abled? The lonely, the shut-ins, the poor, the socially excluded?
- Respect for the human person entails respect for the rights that flow from his dignity as a creature. 1931… Respect for the human person proceeds by way of respect for the principle that “everyone should look upon his neighbour (without any exception) as ‘another self,’ above all bearing in mind his life and the means necessary for living it with dignity.”[37]” (1928,9). 1935 The equality of men rests essentially on their dignity as persons and the rights that flow from it:
Every form of social or cultural discrimination in fundamental personal rights on the grounds of sex, race, colour, social conditions, language, or religion must be curbed and eradicated as incompatible with God’s design.
CCC 1945 The equality of men concerns their dignity as persons and the rights that flow from it.
CCC 1946 The differences among persons belong to God’s plan, who wills that we should need one another. These differences should encourage charity.
CCC 1947 The equal dignity of human persons requires the effort to reduce excessive social and economic inequalities. It gives urgency to the elimination of sinful inequalities.
CCC 1948 Solidarity is an eminently Christian virtue. It practices the sharing of spiritual goods even more than material ones.
- How can I become an advocate for the least among us? “As you did it to one of the least of these my brethren, you did it to me” (Mt 25:40).
We have a duty to address the “sinful inequalities” that adversely affect so many in our society/world. “We must strive for fairer conditions because the social disparity is a human scandal which militates against justice, equity, and peace” (Second Vatican Council). (CCC1928: “Society ensures social justice when it provides the conditions that allow associations or individuals to obtain what is their due, according to their nature and their vocation. Social justice is linked to the common good and the exercise of authority.”)
- What do I do in my parish to build community? How does your parish make people feel that they are a part of the parish family? Since the economy should work for everyone, to whom can I write/speak as an advocate when I observe inequities/inequality e.g. lack of basic amenities such as food, water, electricity, decent housing, proper transportation, and the wherewithal to enable everyone to access education and so on? Find out how to contact your Councillor, your MP; ring CCSJ’s Office and we will see how we can assist.
- In Matthew 5:7, we read: “Happy the merciful, for they shall have mercy shown them.” How can you and I be more merciful? You may all remember the story of the old man who was walking along a beach early one morning, bending down to pick up starfish and throwing them out into the ocean. A teenager came by and asked, “Old man, what are you doing?”
“These starfish will die of dehydration once the sun comes up high,” he said. “I’m throwing them back into the ocean so they will live.”
The young man laughed saying: “The beach goes on for miles, and there are millions of starfish. What does it matter what you do?”
The old man looked at the starfish in his hand and then flipped it to safety in the waves. “It matters to this one,” he said.
What you do for others does make a difference. Your acts of mercy matter. During this week, re-read the parable of the Good Samaritan and reflect on the many ways in which he showed mercy. Mercy is an essential virtue which we should develop if we are to promote justice, peace and community.
And remember we must act globally also. While I was in London in August, I joined thousands of Catholics who wrote to MPs asking them to vote against a bill that was going through Parliament to legalise assisted suicide. The Bill, entitled: Assisted Dying (No 2) Bill, was introduced by parliamentarian Rob Morris.
Cardinal Vincent Nichols and the Bishops of England and Wales asked Catholics to write to their MP to oppose the Bill which would have “enabled competent adults who are terminally ill to choose to be provided with medically supervised assistance to end their own life”. This would have allowed for “licensed doctors to supply lethal drugs to terminally ill patients to enable them to commit suicide”.
In a message addressed to Catholics in Ireland, Scotland, England and Wales, Pope Francis said, “Even the weakest and most vulnerable, the sick, the old, the unborn and the poor are masterpieces of God’s creation, made in his own image, destined to live forever, and deserving of the utmost reverence and respect…How great a lie…to make people think that lives affected by grave illness are not worth living!” (Pope Francis) The Holy Father has warned against a ‘throw-away culture’. Now is the time for us to embrace a Missionary project and include the sick, the shut-ins, the terminally ill. Let us show compassion and care for those in need of our love. These are the virtues that will help us build inclusive communities.
Thank God, when the Bill was debated and voted on on Friday, September 11 in the House of Commons, MPs overwhelmingly rejected the legalisation 3 to 1(330 against 118) – after a four-and-a-half hour debate in Sept 2015. As the Bishops wrote: “The Church teaches that life is a gift from God and supports high quality care for the dying and protection for the weak and vulnerable…Every person’s life is equally worthy of respect and protection… They deserve care, support and sometimes medical treatment for depression, not assistance with suicide… There is need for more resources to support improved palliative and end of life care… A key principle of professional medical ethics, reflected in the criminal law, is that doctors should never intentionally shorten life… Each year the numbers dying by assisted suicide in countries where it is legal increase and the ‘safeguards’ are taken less and less seriously.”
Death stalks our land/the world in so many ways. You may have heard that in Mexico, a Councillor recently suggested that it would be kinder to give the homeless lethal injections “to solve the problem of beggars”. Now is the time for us to be prophetic witnesses in fidelity to Christ.
If we are true evangelizers, we will develop outreach ministries in our parishes to meet the needs of those who cry out for help daily. We can build inclusive communities if we open our hearts and our ears and reach out to them in love and compassion. The Gospel reading today – about Jesus’ healing of the blind man, Bartimaeus (Mark 10:46-52) is instructive. How many times do we tell people to “shut up” when they cry out for help; how many times do we ignore their cries and pass on the other side? Like Bartimeaus, let us jump up, throw off our cloak of indifference and live our faith by reaching out to the poor, the vulnerable, the homeless, the marginalised, and the socially excluded. Let us build INCLUSIVE communities.
- Pope Francis has proclaimed2016 as an Extraordinary Jubilee Year of Mercy – beginning Dec. 8, 2015, the feast of the Immaculate Conception, and ending Nov. 20, 2016, the feast of Christ the King. As some writers have stated, this will be a special time for our Church – an opportunity for us to reflect on God’s loving mercy and on how we, as a Church, should respond; a time when, as Pope Francis says, “the Church might make clear its mission of being a witness to mercy.” Let us use JPCW as a time to commit to do as the Holy Father says and live the year of Mercy “in the light of the Lord’s words: ‘Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful’ (Lk 6:36).”
- Pope Francis has said that “A little bit of mercy makes the world less cold and more just.”
- How can I work with others to eliminate prejudice and discrimination? I recall that as a person of mixed parentage, in my childhood my family lived between 2 families who belonged to the 2 major ethnic groups in TT. On one side the children called us the ‘N’ word, and on the other side, they called us the ‘C’ word. From that early age, I developed a passion to fight for justice; to value diversity, to promote the uniqueness of each child of God. That is why, when President Carmona appointed me earlier this year as a Lay Assessor on the Equal Opportunity Tribunal, I felt certain that God has some more work for me to do. During JPCW, we should each remember the words of Blessed John Henry Cardinal Newman, UK, who said many years ago:
“God has created me to do Him some definite service. He has committed some work to me which He has not committed to another. I have my mission. I may never know it in this life, but I shall be told it in the next. I am a link in a chain, a bond of connection between persons. He has not created me for naught. I shall do good; I shall do His work. I shall be an angel of peace, a preacher of truth in my own place…” (1801 – 1890).
JPCW is a time to get out of our comfort zones and show that there are credible Catholics living in TT; Catholics who are willing to ‘do’ justice, ‘be’ peace -makers, and to build community. Too many of us live behind burglar proof and drive along our roads with locked doors because of fear of crime. Sadly, such fear is stripping us of our humanity; it is causing us to mistrust people; to be suspicious of everyone! Now is the time to reclaim our land and to build community.
The Canadian philosopher, theologian and humanitarian, Jean Vanier, rightly said that “Community is a sign that love is possible in a materialistic world where people so often either ignore or fight each other. It is a sign that we don’t need a lot of money to be happy – in fact, the opposite….One of the marvellous things about community is that it enables us to welcome and help people in a way we couldn’t as individuals. When we pool our strength and share the work and responsibility, we can welcome many people, even these in deep distress, and perhaps help them find self-confidence and inner healing.”
In his book: Community and Growth, Vanier touches on a point that Fr John Persaud made in his homily at Assumption recently. Vanier said: “…individualistic material progress and the desire to gain prestige by coming out on top have taken over from the sense of fellowship, compassion and community. Now people live more or less on their own in a house, jealously guarding their goods and planning to acquire more, with a notice on the gate that says, ‘Beware of the Dog…
A growing community must integrate 3 elements: a life of silent prayer, a life of service and above all of listening to the poor, and a community life through which all its members can grow in their own gift…”
During JPCW, I urge all parishes to start/continue identifying the many gifts that parishioners/community members bring to the table; gifts that can truly help us to build community. In TT there are thousands of men and women who retire early and whose gifts are not utilized. Let us commit this week to tap into the wealth of expertise that such individuals have – to build the common good. Participation is a key social justice principle.
During JPCW, let us commit to live our lives in such a way that the world will say, these Catholics are truly disciples of Christ, see how they live their lives, as “the salt of the earth, the light of the world.”
And let us live our lives actively in our parishes which should be beehives of activity with various ministries meeting the needs of the least among us. In Communities of Salt and Light, the US Bishops highlight 7 elements for effective parish social ministry:
- Prayer and Worship
- Education and Formation
- Family, Work, Citizenship
- Outreach and Charity
- Legislative Advocacy
- Community Organizing
- Global Solidarity
Each of us is a change-agent. The sky is the limit in terms of what you can achieve in your parishes – simple random acts of kindness can go a long way to build community. Encourage others; challenge people to do better/to live better e.g. to care for the environment; to be kind to the poor, lonely, shut-ins etc. God made each of you with unique talents which He does not want you to hide under a bushell. Let your light shine like a beacon in the darkness that threatens to overwhelm us. Let us live our faith with pride and draw from it the values and virtues that will help us to realise our true vocation – which is to live holy, virtuous, full, productive lives. And remember to anchor yourself in prayer.
All that we have is GIFT from God, so share what you have with others. We can do nothing without God’s grace, so we need to pray constantly for God’s grace. Pray for personal conversion and for conversion of hearts generally – that God’s children will do His will; and that we will use our God-given talents to build the common good.
I end with a prayer by Cardinal John Henry Newman:
“Lord, help me to spread thy fragrance everywhere I go; Let me preach thee without preaching, not by words but by my example.”
May the Holy Spirit inspire us to open our hearts this week and live our faith as Christ wants us to do.
I thank you.
