The World Day of Social Justice( February 20)

Reflection and Prayer

1. Introductory prayer:
God our Mother and Father,
On this international day of Social Justice we beseech you, in communion with
creation and with our brothers and sisters. Send your spirit up on us to eradicate
poverty and to promote equality among us. May we grow in the awareness to do
justice, to love tenderly and to walk humbly with you. We ask this through Christ
our Lord.

2. International day of Social Justice(SJ):

The Bible has been a source of inspiration for the promotion of SJ. It is encouraging
to know that the phrase Social Justice was first coined by a Jesuit priest called Luigi
Taparelli, (1793 – 1862). Pope Leo XIII who set in the social concern in the Catholic
chruch with the publication of Rerum Novarum(1891) was a student of Fr. Luigi
Taparelli. The campaign for abolition of slavery which is considered as the finest
political achievement by faith-based activism, was spearheaded by devout Christians.
The Committee for the Abolition of Slave Trade, formed on 22 May 1787, was
consisted of twelve Christians who were Quakers (Christians who believe that God is
in every person) and Anglicans. Islam too promotes social justice to those belonging
to the Muslim brotherhood. One of the pillars of Islam is alms giving(zakat) which is
obligatory towards the less privileged members. The followers of Bahai religion
believe in the unity of human persons and consider diversity as richness.
The UN General Assembly declared on November 26, 2007 , to celebrate World day
of Social Justice on February 20th and eradication of poverty and compassionate
treatment of communities and social groups were considered as object of this day
(http://www.un.org/en/ga/search/view_doc.asp?symbol=A/RES/62/10). This
resolution was only a natural consequence of the World Summit for Social
Development (March 6-12,1995 in Copenhagen) and the 24th UN General Assembly
on Achieving Social Developent for all ( June 26-June 1, 2000). The year 2007,
March 26 also marked the 200th year of the abolition of slavery. Also the declaration
by the UN Assembly on the Rights of Indigenous People was on September 13,2007
(http://www.un.org/esa/socdev/unpfii/documents/DRIPS_en.pdf).

Contrasting realities of today: The indigenous people are on fast extinct. The the
above UN declaration recognizes that the indigenous peoples have right to self-
determination (article 3), right over their ancestral land and water (article 10) and
the governments need their free and informed consent to use their land and water
(article 32.2). To avoid these rights to primitive people initially, Australia, Canada,
New Zealand and the United States voted against the resolution but later became
signatories; India still maintains that the entire population of India is indigenous and
so there is no special rights for any particular social groups.
Apart from the indigenous people the social groups based on religion, gender
orientations and disability continue to suffer discrimination.
The findings by Oxfam released on January 16,2017 says that the richest eight people
on the planet have the 50% of the wealth of the world( $426 billion ). On the other
hand 1person in 10 has to survive with less than $2 a day.
In these contexts the SJ demands the protection of the rights of the marginalized
people and social groups and fair distribution of the economic growth of the world.

3. Praying the Bible:

Psalm: 23:1-6:

The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.

He makes me lie down in green pastures.
He leads me beside still waters.
He restores my soul.
He leads me in paths of righteousness
for his name’s sake.

Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,

I will fear no evil,
For you are with me;
your rod and your staff,
they comfort me.

You prepare a table before me

in the presence of my enemies;
you anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me
all the days of my life,
and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

Reflection: The psalm is a hope for those who are under oppression and those those
who work for SJ. While striving to cook the banquet of Just society, there is
experience of passing through darkness; but God goes with them in this period of
darkness too. It is certain to sit in a table of Joy one day. Even the oppressors will
share this table after due conversion. This society is possible through non violent
means of struggle.

Matthew 25:35-37:

For I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was
a stranger and you took Me in; I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you
visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me. Then the righteous will answer Him,
saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You
drink?

Reflection: Jesus is in the poor and in the marginalized. The fruit from their land do
not reach them so they remain hungry and as strangers in their own land. All people
and the planets together make one world and so we are interconnected. As long as
even one is thirsty, the rest of the world can not remain quenched of thirst. That is
why Jesus repeats this six times ‘I was…’ in this short passage. Can we stretch our
hands and hearts to reach the needy?

What can we do?:

 Understanding the SJ panorama of our place.
 Reading at least one social doctrine of the church from the compendium
(http://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/pontifical_councils/justpeace/documents/r
c_pc_justpeace_doc_20060526_compendio-dott-soc_en.html); or reading the
UN declaration on the rights of indigenous people.
 Sharing on a SJ issue with some one; or writing of it in news paper.
  Signing a petition on SJ issue or initiating a campaign
(https://avaaz.org/en/petition/start_a_petition/?30311) or Joining a rally for SJ
cause.
 Befriending some one of a different race, ethnicity, religion, sex orientation
etc.
 Making a change in the personal consumer pattern to become closer to the
poor.
 Striving to provide just pay for the those employed with us.

4. Intercessory prayers:
 Lord we thank you for the variety we see in the nature and people; help us to
see your face reflected in them.
 Lord we pray for the indigenous people and the marginalized communities.
May they experience the solidarity of the world in their struggle to preserve
their land and identity.
 Lord we pray for the people who are differently abled, trans-genders, migrants
and the trafficked. May they experience respect and freedom.
 Lord we pray for those who under go religious persecutions. May their rights
to life and worship be restored.
 Lord we pray for the conversion of the oppressors. Give them the grace to
become sharers in the banquet you have prepared for all of us.

5. Concluding Prayer:
O God of all cultures and of all peoples,
Listen to the cries of the suffering people and the nature.
Make us an instrument to create a world with justice and peace. Amen.

(S. Vincent Anesthasiar,CMF)

Secretariat for JPIC , E mail: jpiccmf@cmfgen.org
Curia Generalizia, 00197 Roma.