Dare to Care March 18th 2022

Laudato Si' Reflection

47. Furthermore, when media and the digital world become omnipresent, their influence can stop people from learning how to live wisely, to think deeply and to love generously. In this context, the great sages of the past run the risk of going unheard amid the noise and distractions of an information overload. Efforts need to be made to help these media become sources of new cultural progress for humanity and not a threat to our deepest riches. True wisdom, as the fruit of self-examination, dialogue and generous encounter between persons, is not acquired by a mere accumulation of data which eventually leads to overload and confusion, a sort of mental pollution. Real relationships with others, with all the challenges they entail, now tend to be replaced by a type of internet communication which enables us to choose or eliminate relationships at whim, thus giving rise to a new type of contrived emotion which has more to do with devices and displays than with other people and with nature. Today’s media do enable us to communicate and to share our knowledge and affections. Yet at times they also shield us from direct contact with the pain, the fears and the joys of others and the complexity of their personal experiences. For this reason, we should be concerned that, alongside the exciting possibilities offered by these media, a deep and melancholic dissatisfaction with interpersonal relations, or a harmful sense of isolation, can also arise.

Reflection: “Real relationships with others, with all the challenges they entail, now tend to be replaced by a type of internet communication which enables us to choose or eliminate relationships at whim, thus giving rise to a new type of contrived emotion which has more to do with devices and displays than with other people and with nature.” How is the non-stop coverage of the war in Ukraine, for example, with all the attending violence, both a way of communication AND a shield from “direct contact with the pain, the fears and the joys of others and the complexity of their personal experiences”? 

Action:. Pay attention to your engagement with news outlets this week. Are you gathering data or seeking wisdom? Does it bring you into greater engagement with others or does a “harmful sense of isolation” arise for you? Share this reflection with someone else. 
 

Prayer for Ukraine and for Peace

Dismantling Racism

Are you looking for a way to integrate Lent and your desire to be an anti-racist? Consider registering for the workshop “White Supremacy and American Christianity” sponsored by NETWORK on April 9, 2022. Details and registration can be found here

SAVE THE DATE:  The Dismantling Racism Committee will be offering workshops in May. You will be invited to attend a PART A and PART B of a Dismantling workshop facilitated by Notre Dame de Namur Sisters, Patricia Chappelle and Ann-Louise Nadeau. You can participate in a Part A workshop on either May 17th (1-3 pm Eastern) or May 24th (7-9 pm Eastern).   Part B of the workshops will be offered May 19th (1-3 pm Eastern) or May 26th (7-9 pm Eastern). 

Climate Change

War has a devastating effect not only on human beings but on the environment as well. To learn about the effects of the war in Ukraine and its long-range ecological destruction, read here

The United Nations' Commission on the Status of Women (CWS66) is meeting March 14-25 with the theme "Climate  Change, Environment, Disaster Risk Reduction: Gender Equality at the Centre of Solutions." Sister Beatriz Martinez-Garcia SSND, as NGO representative, invites you to watch two short videos of an overview for the work of CWS 66, and to watch the proceedings on UN Web TV.  Find Both Here.. Join with women from around the world in a common search for effective responses to the earth's challenges. 

April 22-May 1 is 2022 Faith Climate Action Week. Interfaith Power and Light, a Religious Response to Global Warming, has an excellent resource kit that can be downloaded for free. Go Green With Them Here

Save the Date:  April 21, 2022 Becoming a Laudato Si Congregation/ Province: Reflections on the Province Survey/ Suggestions for our next steps with the Laudato Si Action Platform. Zoom session will be repeated:  3:00- 4: 30 pm (Eastern) or 7:00- 8: 30 pm (Eastern).

Human Trafficking

What are the issues involved in online enticement of young people into sexual exploitation? “Online Enticement involves an individual communicating with someone believed to be a child via the internet with the intent to commit a sexual offense or abduction. This is a broad category of online exploitation and includes sextortion, in which a child is being groomed to take sexually explicit images and/or ultimately meet face-to-face with someone for sexual purposes, or to engage in a sexual conversation online or, in some instances, to sell/trade the child’s sexual images. This type of victimization takes place across every platform; social media, messaging apps, gaming platforms, and so on.” The time to learn more is now!

Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM)Exposure is “the documented sexual abuse and exploitation of children. Unfortunately, children and adults can be exposed to these images and videos over the internet without warning or consent. Examples of this unwitting exposure include being shown a video during a hacked video conferencing webinar or being sent images over social media platforms.” We all need to learn more – this is an excellent pdf brochure with very helpful resources and information on this topic. Please take the time to read it here.

Haiti Partnership

To register, please send an email with "Haiti Zoom" your name and email address to Sharon Wall swall@amssnd.org 

Event is March 31st  7-8:30pm ET

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