Advent Reflection
We welcome you to reflect on the AMSSND JPIC commitments through a weekly reflection during Advent. The introduction can be found here, and the reflection for the First Sunday of Advent can be found here. Pray with us this Advent season with the thought of the “deep incarnation” of Jesus, a birth that forever challenges us to move in the direction of God who is Love.
Laudato Si quote
65. Without repeating the entire theology of creation, we can ask what the great biblical narratives say about the relationship of human beings with the world. In the first creation account in the Book of Genesis, God’s plan includes creating humanity. After the creation of man and woman, “God saw everything that he had made, and behold it was very good” (Gen 1:31). The Bible teaches that every man and woman is created out of love and made in God’s image and likeness (cf. Gen 1:26). This shows us the immense dignity of each person, “who is not just something, but someone. He is capable of self-knowledge, of self-possession and of freely giving himself and entering into communion with other persons”.
Saint John Paul II stated that the special love of the Creator for each human being “confers upon him or her an infinite dignity”. Those who are committed to defending human dignity can find in the Christian faith the deepest reasons for this commitment. How wonderful is the certainty that each human life is not adrift in the midst of hopeless chaos, in a world ruled by pure chance or endlessly recurring cycles! The Creator can say to each one of us: “Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you” (Jer 1:5). We were conceived in the heart of God, and for this reason “each of us is the result of a thought of God. Each of us is willed, each of us is loved, each of us is necessary”.
Reflection:
- As I enter into the season of Advent, how might I live my life in the world committed to defending human dignity?
- What small actions might I do, especially during Advent, that lets others know “each of us is the result of a thought of God”?
Advent Reflection:
A “Rivers of Hope Pilgrimage” will take four virtual tours of rivers to learn from those who live there and those who minister there. Each river journey will focus on a different area SSNDs have as a concern: Dec 7 Rio Grande (Immigration); Jan 11 Mississippi (Climate Change); Feb 8 Missouri (Human Trafficking); March 21 Hudson (Economy, Education, and Racism). The Justice for Immigrants Committee will participate on December 7th, and we encourage you to join us if you are able. This is a creative and innovative approach to learning about these issues, and each session is just 90 minutes long. For more information and registration, click here. For a pdf flyer to share click here.
Dismantling Racism
Please take a moment to review this website: Resources from National Museum of African American History and Culture
The National Black Catholic Sisters’ Conference released a statement last week in response to Archbishop Gomez’ comments about Black Lives Matter and racial justice protests. Read it in its entirety here.
End Human Trafficking
December 2nd is UN International Day for the Abolition of Slavery. Did you know:
- An estimated 40.3 million people are in modern slavery, including 24.9 in forced labour and 15.4 million in forced marriage.
- There are 5.4 victims of modern slavery for every 1,000 people in the world.
- 1 in 4 victims of modern slavery are children.
- Out of the 24.9 million people trapped in forced labour, 16 million people are exploited in the private sector such as domestic work, construction or agriculture; 4.8 million people in forced sexual exploitation, and 4 million people in forced labour imposed by state authorities.
- Women and girls are disproportionately affected by forced labour, accounting for 99% of victims in the commercial sex industry, and 58% in other sectors.
We can’t advocate for what we don’t know or understand. For more information click here.
Climate Change:
After COP 26 Sisters pledge activism as act of care. Read more here
