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 we both live through and remember the Paschal mystery once again, the mystery of death and the sure hope of resurrection, reflect on this passage as a whole. In Easter hope, reflect on the last sentence, “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.” How does this settle in my soul this Easter week?
Action: Encounter others this week, especially those you might find difficult or challenging, with the certainty and hope of the resurrection, that “Each of us is willed, each of us is loved, each of us is necessary.” How do such encounters change your heart and move you to further action?
Prayer for Ukraine and for Peace
Dismantling Racism
Pope Francis met with indigenous leaders from Canada and issued an apology for the Catholic Church’s role in residential schools where so much documented abuse took place. Read about the meeting itself here, and Canadian reaction here. Reconciliation is a process, not a moment in time, but every process begins with a first step.
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
With the end of Lent comes the end of meatless Fridays – but that is not a good thing! Consider one meatless day a week, both as a way of lightening the burden on the earth and as a way of mindfulness in your eating patterns. All change begins with one small step…
We are a Laudato Si’ community. Would you like to receive training to be a Laudato Si’ animator, more able to lead others in discussion, prayer, and action toward ecological conversion? To learn more about this training initiative from the Laudato Si’ Movement, click here.
Save the Earth - Pass on the Burger
Reducing greenhouse gases in Earth’s atmosphere is key to reducing the impact of climate change. Did you know that reducing the amount of meat that you consume in your diet is one of the most effective ways to contribute to the reduction of heat trapping greenhouse gases in Earth’s atmosphere? Watch the videos below to learn more. Perhaps you will consider joining SSNDs who are making a commitment to reduce the amount of meat in their diet?
Laudato Si Workshop
Laudato Si Workshop
Human Trafficking
The commitment for this year is on Online Child Exploitation. Please take the time, and prepare your spirit, to read this New York Times piece in its entirety. Every child is at risk and they don’t even need to leave home to be exploited. Read here. We also encourage you to read the Department of Justice Project Safe Childhood fact sheet here.
An Opportunity to Learn More: "Online Child Exploitation 101" Presented by: Ms. Alicia Bove,
Attorney, Department of Justice Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section Wednesday, May 11, 2022 7:00 p.m. – 8:15 p.m. (ET)
If interested in attending stay tuned... Registration details coming soon. Sponsored by: The End Human Trafficking Committee of JPIC
Note: This presentation is not suitable for children Click Here for PDF Flyer for this event.
If you have not yet sent a Voter Voice to your congressional representatives on the Earn It Act, please consider doing so now! Find the link to this issue and all other current legislative issues here.
Justice for Immigrants
Title 42 appears to be on its way out, but that doesn’t mean that things will be any easier at the border for those seeking asylum. There are many concerns about an already stressed southern border flooded with refugees bringing new challenges to the border for which no one is adequately prepared. Read more about these concerns here. To read the recommendations of the American Immigration Council on an end to Title 42 and an orderly asylum process, read here. To read the entire policy brief (long but definitely worth the read to understand the breadth of the issues), click here.
Human Trafficking and Justice for Immigrants
War has so many consequences beyond the obvious carnage of life and property. "For predators and human traffickers, the war in Ukraine is not a tragedy," UN Secretary General António Guterres warned on Twitter. "It's an opportunity - and women and children are the targets." To read more about this intersection of human trafficking and human migration as a result of war, click here.
Haiti Partnership
The arts always offers us a window into another culture in a way that other ways of knowing cannot provide. Consider these windows into Haitian culture: Read anything by Edwidge Danticat, but a favorite is The Farming of Bones (2013); or listen to the diversity of Music of Haiti: On Stage at the Kennedy Center (2019).
