by Leela Ramdeen, Chair of the Catholic Commission for Social Justice
God had a plan when He created us. He imprinted in our minds a moral order so that we would live as he wants us to live. But he gave us free will to choose whether or not we follow his commandments. Reflect on the Psalm in today’s reading: (Ps 118: 1-2, 4-5, 17-18, 33-34) e.g. “…How happy those who respect His (God’s) decrees, and seek him with their whole heart…Oh, may my behaviour be constant in keeping your statutes…Explain to me how to respect your Law and how to observe it wholeheartedly. Guide me in the path of your commandments…”
Who is guiding our youths – and indeed, each member of society, and instilling in them the kind of values and virtues that will assist them in making the right decisions/choices? When I read about the 15 year old schoolboy who was caught with a loaded gun in his school bag, I wondered about the kind of society we are becoming. Most of T&T’s citizens belong to one or other religion. It is time all faith communities come together to review/devise strategies that will heal our land.
It was St Ignatius who said: “The tree is made manifest by its fruit; so those that profess themselves to be Christians shall be recognised by their conduct.” It is our conduct that will determine what kind of society we become. Our conduct should be based on the vision that we have for society and this vision should be informed by the scriptures and by the teachings of our Church. The greatest commandment God gave us is to love Him and to love each other. We cannot develop as a nation unless we commit to walk in God’s ways.
In Charity in Truth, Pope Benedict XVI said: “Development is impossible without upright men and women…whose consciences are finely attuned to the requirements of the common good.” I had a long drive to Erin on Sunday to speak during Mass at Los Bajos – at the invitation of Fr Roger Pascall.
I focussed on the theme: Poverty and social exclusion and challenged members of the congregation to attune their consciences to the requirements of the common good and to the needs of our brothers and sisters who are in need; to help create social conditions that will allow each person to realise his/her human dignity and potential.
Good governance requires that we strive to leave no one behind. Participatory governance includes all of us. One of the most disturbing photos I have ever seen in Trinidad and Tobago is that of a group of men playing cards and nearby in the gutter in POS lay a homeless man, bleeding. They acted as though he did not exist.
Why should we care? Read Luke 4:18-19. Our anointing at Baptism means that we must act to ensure that the poor have a place at the table of life. Gaudium et Spes, the Pastoral Constitution on The Church in the Modern World, makes it clear that “everyone has the right to possess a sufficient amount of the earth’s goods for themselves and their family.” The resources of our country/world are sufficient to meet all our needs, but not all our greed. Greed, individualism, and selfishness have led us to this juncture in T&T/the world.
Inter alia, walking in God’s ways means striving for distributive justice. We will never build a civilisation of love if we’re just concerned about having a vertical relationship with God. And while we sing: Lift Jesus higher, let us act to lift our broken brothers and sisters higher.
Last week an elderly woman sought my assistance. Her grandson, who is living in her house, is terrorising her. Examine your relationship with children in your parish, with the elderly, the sick, the lonely… We are called to be the leaven in the world – transforming the world to reflect Gospel values. But we can’t do this unless we ourselves live these values. And while we strive to do so, remember, none of us is perfect. We all have human frailties. Let’s pray for God’s grace to walk in his ways.
NB: I invite you to attend CCSJ’s seminar on Monday, Feb 21 to observe the UN World Day of Social Justice from 5 – 7 p.m. at Living Water Community. Ring our office – 290-1635 or ring me – 299-8945 for further information.
