World Day of Social Justice
By Leela Ramdeen, Chair of the Catholic Commission for Social Justice

Our Synod prayer begins with the following words: “Almighty God, You have called us to be your Church here in Trinidad and Tobago.” How have we responded to this call? Our credibility and authenticity as Catholics depend on the way in which we live our lives and give witness to the teachings of our faith.

Saying “Yes” to the call to “be Church” means, inter alia, that we must act on the biblical mandate given to us in Luke 4:18-19:

The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,
Because he has anointed me to bring good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim liberty to captives
And recovery of sight to the blind,
To let the oppressed go free, and
To proclaim the year of the Lord's favour.

In order to assist us in fulfilling this mandate, our archdiocese has adopted the following Mission statement:

“We are the People of God in Trinidad and Tobago, building the Civilization of Love - reconciliation with God, neighbour, creation and self - through:
• The New Evangelization
• Revitalizing Catholic Culture and Identity
• Regenerating the Moral and Spiritual Values of our Society.”

To build “the Civilization of Love”, we must walk with the two feet of Christian Service: Works of mercy (charity) and works of social action/social justice.The work for social justice is an integral part of the mission of the Church.

This was made clear in the statement made in 1971 at the World Synod of Bishops:

"Action on behalf of justice and participation in the transformation of the world fully appears to us as a constitutive dimension of the preaching of the gospel or, in other words, of the Church's mission for the redemption of the human race and its liberation from every oppressive situation."

For more than 100 years our popes have been reading the signs of the times and seeking to educate us through encyclicals, pastoral letters and so on. I remember how excited I was as I joined the queue at the Vatican in 2004 to purchase one of the first copies of the Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church.

Former Archbishop Kelvin Felix of St Lucia and I had joined over 300 people - including lay Catholics, bishops, priests and religious - in Rome from 92 countries and 23 organisations around the world to “…find the best and most agile ways to renew the pastoral action of the Church in the social reality…to confirm our Christian, ecclesial and spiritual identity, and to confirm the Gospel option for the poor and the least, through the proclamation of the Gospel of Justice and Peace” (Cardinal Martino).

The event was the First World Congress of Ecclesial Organisations working for Justice and Peace in the Catholic Church: Announcing the Gospel of Justice and Peace. The Congress coincided with the publication of the Compendium which, as Pope John Paul II said to us at our audience with him, is"an instrument meant to help Christians in their daily commitment to make the world more just, from the evangelical perspective of a true solidary humanism. The social doctrine is an essential part of the Christian message and must be better known, integrally spread and witnessed to by constant and coherent pastoral action.”

Copies of the Compendium are available for sale at CCSJ’s Office. Each week CCSJ publishes an article in the Catholic News as a way of sharing the social teaching of the Church – drawn from the Compendium - with the faithful/people of good will.

As is stated in the Compendium: “The entire people of God has a role to play as the Church fulfills her mission" (n 538). We are challenged to develop a biblical spirituality/a spirituality of justice if we are to carry out this mission effectively.

Father Frank Cancro states that:

“A Spirituality of Justice is focussed in these important elements of faith. First, in the scriptural covenants; second, in the virtues and the sacraments; and third, in the life of the Church… Justice is nurtured by faith, by the life of virtue and by the life of the sacraments.” The Eucharist will nourish us as we seek to act justly, love tenderly, and walk humbly with our God (Micah 6:8).

Our Catechism tells us that “Society ensures social justice when it provides the conditions that allow associations or individuals to obtain what is their due, according to their nature and their vocation. Social justice is linked to the common good and the exercise of authority...Social justice can be obtained only in respecting the transcendent dignity of man… Respect for the human person proceeds by way of respect for the principle that ‘everyone should look upon his neighbour (without any exception) as 'another self,' above all bearing in mind his life and the means necessary for living it with dignity... The equal dignity of human persons requires the effort to reduce excessive social and economic inequalities. It gives urgency to the elimination of sinful inequalities." (1928 – 1947).

Our parishes must become beehives of activity as we seek to walk with the two feet of Christian Service. As the US bishops said in Communities of Salt & Light: “We need to build local communities of faith where our social teaching is central, not fringe; where social ministry is integral,not optional; where it is the work of every believer, not just the mission of a few committed people and committees.”

In Communities of Salt and Light, the US bishops highlight seven elements for effective parish social ministry:

• Prayer and Worship

• Education and Formation

• Family, Work, Citizenship

• Outreach and Charity

• Legislative Advocacy

• Community Organising

• Global Solidarity.

CCSJ continues to build capacity at parish level through our Parish Link programme and Cluster groups across the five Vicariates. If anyone is interested in participating in the programme, please contact us at the Office. Our work is "grounded in the Biblical concept of Social Justice and Catholic Social Teaching and is challenged by the Mission of Jesus to bring about a New World Order based on truth, love, justice, peace and freedom.

Our mission is to be a fearless and unified voice to eradicate social injustice in T&T and in the world, a voice infused with Gospel values that will awaken the social conscience of all citizens and create an empowered population so that all can be active participants in bringing about the Kingdom of God here on earth.

We strive to do this through

• Social Justice Education and Advocacy

• promoting people-centred development, and

• working for the transformation of inequitable structures and systems."

At the heart of our work is prayer. We invite you to attend midday Mass on Friday, February 20 at Sacred Heart RC Church, Richmond Street, Port of Spain to observe the UN World Day of Social Justice. Fr Michael Cockburn will be the celebrant. What better time to attend Mass than the Friday before Carnival!

At its sixty-second session, in November 2007, the General Assembly of the United Nations proclaimed February 20 as World Day of Social Justice. The day is to be observed for the first time this year.

The UN invites member states “to devote this special day to the promotion of concrete national activities in accordance with the objectives and goals of the World Summit for Social Development and the twenty-fourth session of the General Assembly, entitled ‘World Summit for Social Development and beyond: achieving social development for all in a globalizing world’.

“As recognized by the World Summit, social development aims at social justice, solidarity, harmony and equality within and among countries and social justice, equality and equity constitute the fundamental values of all societies. To achieve ‘a society for all’ governments made a commitment to the creation of a framework for action to promote social justice at national, regional and international levels.

They also pledged to promote the equitable distribution of income and greater access to resources through equity and equality and opportunity for all. The governments recognised as well that economic growth should promote equity and social justice and that ‘a society for all’ must be based on social justice and respect for all human rights and fundamental freedoms.

“The observance of the day should contribute to the further consolidation of the efforts of the international community in poverty eradication, promotion of full employment and decent work, gender equity and access to social well-being and justice for all.”

At Synod Fr Jason invited everyone to get on the boat to go over to the other side (Luke 8:22). We need all hands on deck as we launch out confidently after Synod - together. Remember, though, that we are not rudderless. God is calling us to be His instruments.

As St Teresa of Avila said: “Christ has no body now but yours; no hands, no feet on earth but yours. Yours are the eyes through which He looks with compassion on this world; Yours are the feet with which He walks to do good; Yours are the hands with which He blesses all the world...” Or, as Archbishop Edward Gilbert says: “We are the living stones.”

Fear not. Be strong in the Lord. He will guide us if we open our hearts and minds to His Holy Spirit. Indeed, the New Evangelization requires us to be open to the gifts of the Holy Spirit.

With our collective God-given knowledge, skills and abilities, we will be able to steer the boat safely to the other side – the side wheretruth, love, justice, peace and freedom reign. But it won’t happen without your help.

For further information about CCSJ’s work, contact Leela Ramdeen on 299 8945 or 290-1635.

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