World Day of the Poor
By Leela Ramdeen, Chair, CCSJ & AMMR
The CCSJ is currently coordinating activities for our Archdiocese’s upcoming observance of Justice, Peace, and Community Week (JPCW), Saturday, November 13 – Saturday 20.
The 5th World Day of the Poor will fall during this week on Sunday, November 14. The theme chosen by Pope Francis is: The Poor you will always have with you (Mk 14:7). This is also the theme chosen for our Archdiocese’s observance of JPCW.
Pope Francis established World Day of the Poor in his apostolic letter, Misericordia et misera, ‘Mercy and misery’, issued in 2016 at the end of the Church’s Jubilee Year of Mercy.
In his message this year, Pope Francis appealed for a new global approach to poverty: “It is not a question of easing our conscience by giving alms, but of opposing the culture of indifference and injustice we have created with regard to the poor… It is crucial that we grow in our awareness of the needs of the poor, which are always changing, as are their living conditions…We are now seeing the creation of new traps of poverty and exclusion, set by unscrupulous economic and financial actors lacking in a humanitarian sense and in social responsibility… If the poor are marginalised, as if they were to blame for their condition, then the very concept of democracy is jeopardised and every social policy will prove bankrupt.”
He will visit Assisi, Italy on November 12, making “a private visit to the Basilica of Santa Maria degli Angeli, Assisi, the birthplace of St Francis”, and will then “meet a group of 500 poor people, praying with them and listening to their experiences”.
The Calendar of Events for JPCW will be published in the Catholic News in due course. If you wish to include in it any activity that you/your school/parish/organisation is planning for JPCW, please let us know – call 622-6680, so that we can publicise the event(s).
Happy Diwali
As we prepare for the public holiday on Thursday, November 4, let us remember the significance of this important day for our Hindu brothers and sisters who will celebrate Diwali or Deepavali, the festival of lights.
CCSJ takes this opportunity to wish Happy Diwali to Hindus, Jains, Sikhs, and Newar Buddhists. As we know, for each of these faith communities, Diwali marks “different historical events and stories”.
In my childhood, my Hindu father taught us, his children, about the significance of this festival. Inter alia, it is a celebration of the victory of ‘dharma’, good over evil, light over darkness, knowledge over ignorance.
I recall the words, taken from one of Rabindranath Tagore’s poems, on a poster which my father displayed over his desk: “The night is black/ Kindle the lamp of love/ With thy life and devotion.” Tagore saw the lighting of deyas at Diwali as a form of worship.
The story of Ram—see the Sanskrit epic, the Ramayana—teaches moral values such as faith, devotion, duty, love, respect; how to be a good father, son, brother, and leader; how to distinguish between right and wrong and so on.
The Catholic Church continues to promote interreligious dialogue. A Diwali message (2014) from the Vatican’s Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue states: “May the Transcendent Light illumine your hearts, homes and communities, and may all your celebrations deepen the sense of belonging to one another in your families and neighbourhoods, and so further harmony and happiness, peace and prosperity… may we, Hindus and Christians, join together with followers of other religions and with people of good will to foster a culture of inclusion for a just and peaceful society.”
Read Pope Francis’ message to participants at the G20 Interfaith Forum – September 12–14, Bologna, Italy. The aim was “to engage with the agenda of the G20, a forum for international economic cooperation amongst the world’s 20 largest economies, and to promote healing from the Covid-19 pandemic and the many conflicts lacerating the world”.
He urged religious leaders to pursue peace for all peoples and to serve truth. As Vatican News stated: “The Pope praised the forum’s goal of sharing ideas and hopes through interfaith dialogue and the promotion of religious freedom. He said the role of religions is essential in overcoming war and hatred, since ‘true religion consists in adoring God and loving our neighbour… Now is the time for alliances in the search for shared solutions to the problems of all.’”
Diwali provides us with an opportunity for a true “culture of encounter”. Happy Diwali!
