by Leela Ramdeen, Chair of the Catholic Commission for Social Justice
“The world must be educated to love Peace, to build it up and defend it.” – Pope Paul VI, 1968
Today, January 1, we celebrate the Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God and also World Day of Peace. This year, Pope Benedict XVI’s Peace Message to the world focusses on the theme: Educating Young People in Justice and Peace. You can access the full text on CCSJ’s website and in CCSJ’s Parish Link Newsletter. Here is a summary of his message.
While the Holy Father encourages us to look to 2012 with an attitude of “confident trust”, he points to the “rising sense of frustration at the crisis looming over society, the world of labour and the economy” over the past year. He sees hope in young people. With their “enthusiasm and idealism… they can offer hope to the world.” Indeed, this Message is an affirmation of young people and of the role they can and must play in working for justice and peace and in building the common good.
His message to educators is profound. While he addresses all educators, including “leaders in the various spheres of religious, social, political, economic and cultural life and in the media”, he recognises the importance of parents as the first educators of children and of the role of the family, “the primary cell of society” e.g. in nurturing “human and Christian values”. It is also in the family that they “learn solidarity between the generations, respect for rules, forgiveness and how to welcome others.” While he acknowledges the demands of modern-day life, he notes that children require “the most precious of treasures: the presence of their parents.”
Educators, he says, have a responsibility for the education and formation of young people. When educating young people in justice and peace, adults must not “simply parcel out rules and facts” but must themselves be “authentic witnesses” who live what they teach.
He warns that education can be distorted and destroyed by a “dictatorship of relativism,” which ignores our “conscience” – the natural moral law. A major obstacle in youth formation today is “moral relativism” – “The view that ethical standards, morality, and positions of right or wrong are culturally based and therefore subject to a person’s individual choice” (http://moral-relativism.com). Thus many believe that “if it feels right, just do it”. Educators must lead the young to realise that with “rights” come corresponding “responsibilities”.
The Holy Father urges young people to take responsibility for their own education, to set high standards for themselves and to be open to the example and knowledge their elders have to share. He asks them “to be patient and persevering in seeking justice and peace, in cultivating the taste for what is just and true, even when it involves sacrifice and swimming against the tide.”
As he did in Charity in Truth, he calls for authentic education/human development – of all dimensions of the person and of each person. Such education, he says, teaches the proper use of freedom with “respect for oneself and others, including those whose way of being and living differs greatly from one’s own.” He asks political leaders “to offer concrete assistance to families and educational institutions in the exercise of their right and duty to educate. Adequate support should never be lacking to parents in their task”. In reading the signs of the times, he states that a more just and peaceful world requires “adequate mechanisms for the redistribution of wealth.” He elaborates on issues relating to justice and peace.
He refers to young people as “a precious gift for society” and challenges them: “Do not yield to discouragement in the face of difficulties and do not abandon yourselves to false solutions which often seem the easiest way to overcome problems. Do not be afraid to make a commitment, to face hard work and sacrifice, to choose the paths that demand fidelity and constancy, humility and dedication. Be confident in your youth and its profound desires for happiness, truth, beauty and genuine love! Live fully this time in your life so rich and so full of enthusiasm.”
As they strive to build a better future, he assures them: “You are never alone. The Church has confidence in you, follows you, encourages you and wishes to offer you the most precious gift she has: the opportunity to raise your eyes to God, to encounter Jesus Christ, who is himself justice and peace.”
Let’s educate and empower our young people to become agents of justice and peace.
