LEAP of Faith
“If you want peace, work for justice.” — Pope Paul VI
The Inclusive Justice Initiative (IJI) invites you to take a LEAP of faith with us …exploring Catholic Social Teaching (CST), this month focusing on Call to Family, Community and Participation. Pope Francis tells us, “The existence of each individual is deeply tied to that of others: life is not simply time that passes; life is a time for interactions” (Fratelli Tutti).
Learn:
The Call to Family, Community and Participation under Catholic Social Teaching states: The person is not only sacred but also social. How we organize our society — in economics and politics, in law and policy — directly affects human dignity and the capacity of individuals to grow in community. Marriage and the family are the central social institutions that must be supported and strengthened, not undermined. We believe people have a right and a duty to participate in society, seeking together the common good and well-being of all, especially the poor and vulnerable.
Here is a short video looking at the CST Call to Family, Community and Participation. https://youtu.be/OPB6sXj6Fwo
Explore:
Pope Francis tells us we are called to show concern for the building of a better world. (Evangelii Gaudium, 2013). To do so, Pope Francis encourages us to work toward “a better kind of politics” (Fratelli Tutti, 2020). Pope Francis is not referring to ‘partisan politics,’ but rather those activities through which we can bring the light of our faith to the public square in order to further integral human development, solidarity, justice and the common good.
Read:
5 Tips from Pope Francis for a ‘Better Kind of Politics’
https://www.usccb.org/resources/5-Tips-from-Pope-Francis.pdf
Watch:
Loving Your Neighbor this Election Season https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dv-GZ9mI7Bk&t=1s
Act:
Regularly participating in elections locally and nationally are important forms of political engagement that receive a lot of attention, but just as important, are ongoing activities such as involvement in city council meetings or on school boards, knowing how and where funding is allocated in our community, understanding what issues most impact our neighborhoods, what cycles of poverty are working against our neighbors and participating in processes that advocate for positive change. Find your passion and get involved practicing civility in all things.
Pray:
Lord, make me an instrument of your peace.
Where uncivil words prevail, show me how to model love,
Help me remember the God-given dignity of all
and invite others to do the same.
Show me how to build bridges and not walls
and see first what unites us rather than how we diverge.
Let me seek to understand before asking to be understood.
Give me a listening heart filled with empathy and compassion.
