Newsletter 11: 27 August 2024
Dear Colleagues
You may recall Pope Francis in January this year making this plea to the people of the world.
“A global ceasefire is urgent: either we do not realise it or we are pretending not to see that we are on the brink of the abyss.”
Last week the Australian Bishop’s Conference released their 2024 Social Justice Statement, Truth and Peace - A Gospel word in a violent world.
This important document reflects on the current state of the world and the conflicts ravaging peoples in many countries. The denial of God as the source of truth, and the erosion of truth in what is described as “post-truth culture” is characterised by competing claims to truth especially through social media, partisan journalism, and the persuasion industry. The effects of the “post-truth culture”, in which there is no agreement about basic facts, are highlighted as eroding democracy and informed debate.
Importantly for we Marists, the 2024 Social Justice Statement highlights and urges us to educate for peace.
Peace does not just happen or fall from the sky. Its fulness may be God’s gift, but on the way to that fulness, peace-making can and must be taught and learnt. Therefore, education is vital for building a culture of peace, teaching the art and “architecture of peace”, how to shape a culture of dialogue based on encounter.
Teaching and education are, says Pope Francis, “the primary means of promoting integral human development; and they are essential for the defence and promotion of peace. In a word, teaching and education are the foundations of a cohesive civil society.”
Importantly the statement acknowledges that when faced with the enormous challenge of making peace in a troubled world, we can feel powerless. This feeling is especially common among young people. Some of the following things are suggested to make a difference in our own lives and in the lives of the students whom we serve.
Start with yourself. Invite God to nurture peace in your heart. Examining the things that happened over the course of your day when you pray before bedtime is a good practice. Ask yourself how you responded to conflicts. Did you reach out in friendship and love to others, show kindness or offer or receive forgiveness?
Ask God for the grace to make peace in your life.
Prayer is essential to peace-making. At each Mass we pray for the gift of peace, and
parishes might gather to pray for peace outside Mass, e.g. by praying the Rosary.
Take action on an issue that matches your passion and skills.
Set up a group to read, discuss and pray about one of the Church documents such as Pope Francis’ Fratelli Tutti, chapters 6 and 7.
Make your views and concerns known to your local Member of Parliament.
Give priority to encounter rather than taking action on a computer.
Reach out to a local reconciliation group if you want to support First Nations Peoples,
or a refugee support group or service if you want to work with refugees seeking justice.
If you are interested in trying to address conflict in another part of the world, there
may be ethnic community organisations from the conflict zone in your local
community. You could reach out to them to learn more and to give them support. You
could also offer to help Caritas Australia with its work in war-torn countries.
Focus on listening more and talking less in your conversations.
The 2024 Social Justice Statement can be found here