Laudato Si’ Quote #91.
A sense of deep communion with the rest of nature cannot be real if our hearts lack tenderness, compassion and concern for our fellow human beings. It is clearly inconsistent to combat trafficking in endangered species while remaining completely indifferent to human trafficking, unconcerned about the poor, or undertaking to destroy another human being deemed unwanted. This compromises the very meaning of our struggle for the sake of the environment. It is no coincidence that, in the canticle in which Saint Francis praises God for his creatures, he goes on to say: “Praised be you my Lord, through those who give pardon for your love”. Everything is connected. Concern for the environment thus needs to be joined to a sincere love for our fellow human beings and an unwavering commitment to resolving the problems of society.
For reflection:
- How do I respond to the premise that “everything is connected,” not just in the abstract, but in connecting care for the earth with care for the poor?
- Is my love sincere for both humans and the rest of nature? In what ways have I made an “unwavering commitment” toward a just world?
Justice for Immigrants
Immigration detention is a harrowing experience for most. Watch this short documentary titled “The Facility,” produced by Time magazine, on immigration detention. Ask yourself if this is what having room in the inn for Jesus is like in 2021. How can we do better in 2022?
Climate Change
Learn more about “Religions and Ecology: Restoring the Earth Community” through free online courses for audit offered by Yale Forum on Religion and Ecology. Courses were designed by Mary Evelyn Tucker and Jon Grim. For more information, click here.
Please read the post in the JPIC Advent Reflections, which focuses this week on Climate Change and Children. It can be accessed here.
Dismantling Racism
Critical Race Theory is a tool that can be used to understand the dynamics of racism. Recently the CP Province provided us with a webinar and important resources to help us understand what underlies our commitment to dismantle racism. Click here to access it.
Novelists have a way of truth-telling that makes a difference, that changes hearts and stirs conversion. Toni Morrison wrote: “No one ever talks about the moment you found that you were white. Or the moment you found out you were black. That’s a profound revelation. The minute you find that out, something happens. You have to renegotiate everything.” For more from this extraordinary woman in an archived 1993 interview, click here.
Partnership in Haiti
Beyond Borders is our partner in Haiti on the ground. Click here to read about the great work that Beyond Borders does with our strong support. Pray for our partners in Haiti during this Christmas season, and ask how you might be more involved in this work in 2022.
Ending Human Trafficking
The US Catholic Sisters Against Human Trafficking urge you to contact your Representative to co-sponsor the Frederick Douglass Trafficking Victim Prevention and Protection Reauthorization Act of 2021 (TVPRA) HR 5150 bill. Programs currently funded by the previous TVPA are set to expire soon. For more information, and for an easy to use online form to contact your Representative, click here.
Have you ever thought about how Uber drivers can play a key role in stopping human trafficking? Read the December USCSAHT newsletter, which focuses on Human Trafficking and the Travel Industry by clicking here.
