Catholic Commission for Social Justice
“…for the Christian, every man and woman is a true sanctuary of God, and should be treated with the highest respect and affection.” (Pope Benedict XVI, 7 Nov 2010)
I returned recently from London where I participated in two conferences. Lord Dilgit Rana, President of the Global Organisation of People of Indian Origin (GOPIO International), organised the first conference which focussed on: The Indian Diaspora’s role in the new economic world order.
Today is World Diabetes Day. The theme selected for World Diabetes Day 2009-2013 is: Diabetes education and prevention. More needs to be done to raise awareness of diabetes; equip those affected by improving their knowledge of the disease and of ways of preventing complications; and share strategies for prevention.
October 10 marked World Day against the Death Penalty. In the same week, on October 14 the Guyana Parliament by a significantly unanimous vote passed legislation to abolish the mandatory death penalty for people convicted of murder unless they have been convicted of murder for a very restricted category of persons including members of the law enforcement officers, prison officers or members of the judiciary.
The General Assembly of the UN meets from September in New York each year, when world leaders take the opportunity to address key issues for promoting world peace and development. This year in his address to the UN Archbishop Dominique Mamberti, Vatican secretary for relations with states reminded the world’s nations that genuine dialogue is the only path to peace in the world, and particularly for resolving critical issues such as the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the total elimination of nuclear arms, and ethnic conflicts worldwide.
“A full Christian life includes both prayer and social action. Without prayer, our apostolic work lacks a solid foundation. But without social action, our prayer is sterile and fruitless” – US Bishop Thomas J Tobin
In today’s Gospel (Luke 18:1-8) Jesus uses the parable of the widow – determined to get justice -as a way of teaching his disciples to pray persistently. Too often we ignore the need to nurture our life of prayer. Prayer is essential if we are to deepen our love for God and for our neighbour and to develop a spirituality of justice.