Catholic Commission for Social JusticeBy Nadine Bushell, Corporate Secretary Catholic Commission for Social Justice
Having just come out of democratic national elections and with the formation of a new democratically elected government, it is important that we as Catholics understand our role as citizens of Trinidad and Tobago.
In the landmark 1971Pastoral Letter “Justice and Peace in a New Caribbean” quoted in last week’s article, the bishops of the Antilles Episcopal Conference, echoing the consistent teaching of the Church over the centuries in faithful witness to its founder Jesus Christ declared:
“... the work of the Church cannot be confined to the sacristy or the sanctuary. On the contrary it is the Church’s vocation to be present in the heart of the world by proclaiming the Good News to the poor, freedom to the oppressed, and joy to the afflicted. (Luke 4:16-22) Christ clearly proclaimed that this was his own mission. It must therefore also be the mission of the Church He founded.”
It has often been said that the Social Justice Teaching has been the best kept secret of the Roman Catholic Church. In the words of the US Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) “Far too many Catholics are not familiar with the basic content of Catholic social teaching. More fundamentally, many Catholics do not adequately understand that the social teaching of the Church is an essential part of Catholic faith. This poses a serious challenge for all Catholics, since it weakens our capacity to be a Church that is true to the demands of the Gospel. We need to do more to share the social mission and message of our Church.”
By Leela Ramdeen, Chair, CCSJ
Today we celebrate the Solemnity of the most Holy Trinity. We are baptised “In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.” Each time we pray the sign of the Cross; each time we say the “Creed” or the doxology: “Glory be to the Father…,” we profess our belief in the Trinitarian nature of God, our Creator.
By Leela Ramdeen, Chair, CCSJ
“Come, Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of Your faithful, and enkindle in them the fire of Your love. Send forth Thy Spirit and they shall be created. And Thou shalt renew the face of the earth.”
“Renewal” requires reconciliation – a word that is embedded in our Archdiocesan Mission Statement. In the midst of all the crime and violence in T&T and in the world, there is a yearning for peace, but there can be no peace without reconciliation and justice.