INTRODUCTION

Advent season --- the time of waiting, the time of expectation --- as we reflect and ponder the long line of prophetic proclaiming the historical coming of GOD-WITH-US.  We are suggesting that this year these weeks be used to listen for God and how God is leading us in responding to the exhortation and call of the Congregational Chapter of 2002 to a prophetic call to a quest for justice.

 

Before justice can engage us as a congregation we need to confront the injustices we, personally, have experienced.  This first reflection can best done by each person individually through reading, reflection, journaling and prayer. Then, the members of a community or group can use conversation as the avenue for group sharing and reflection together to develop common concerns.

 

SEE:

The development of justice and peace agenda within the congregation has grown over the years from an internal concern for justice issues within our institutions.  Now we are being called to a newer external thrust exemplified in the recent Congregation Chapters. 

 

READING

"We acknowledge the immense contribution over the last two hundred years that Brothers and their colleagues have made to the liberating education of the young." The Heart of Being Brother, 2002.

 

READER 1           

Jesus saw the crowds and went up a hill, where he sat down. His disciples gathered around him, and he began to teach them: "Happy are those whose greatest desire is to do what God requires; God will satisfy them fully."

 

READER 2

"And so our growing intimacy as brothers, which has its roots in our intimacy with Jesus, leads us not only to greater compassionate concern for one another, but also, like the Good Shepherd, to caring for the flock in 'new calls visible in various provinces and regions: to simple living, to justice issues, to the poor."

Document on Brotherhood, 1990 Chapter

 

READER 1          

"Happy are those who know they are poor; the Kingdom of heaven belongs to them."

 

READER 2           

"Our brotherhood in the charism of Edmund urges us to compassionate concern for our brothers and sisters, especially those who are victims of injustice and prejudice."  Foundational Aspects of our Brotherhood, 1990 Chapter

 

READER 1            

"Happy are those who are persecuted for doing God's work; the Kingdom of heaven belongs to them."

 

READER 2            

"We will maintain an alertness to significant crises to which a response could be made beyond national or provincial boundaries."

 

"We will encourage provinces and regions to use the research and experience of global networks for social justice as they work with their local contexts."   Statement on Internationality, 1996 Chapter

 

READER 1            

"Happy are those who are merciful to others; God will be merciful to them."

 

READER 2            

"We will work in partnership with others in order to challenge structural injustices in society wherever we meet them."  Statement on the Call to People at the Margins of Society, 1996 Chapter

 

READER 1            

"Happy are the single-hearted; they will see God."

 

READER 2            

"To engage with the poor and marginalised at our doorsteps and assist communities to develop a way of theological reflection and faith sharing."  A Prophetic Call to a Quest for Justice, 2002 Chapter

 

READER 1            

"Happy are those who work for peace; God will call them his children."

 

 

REFLECTION:

Our congregation has been calling us now to be engaged in justice and right relationships with all of God's creation (Chapter 2002).  But let us stop and look a moment: How can we enable justice in our broken world when we often feel ourselves to be the one who has been broken, lost, marginalised, abandoned, or the victim of injustice?

 

Justice is an issue of personal concern for each one of us at various stages of life and through the various experiences of life.  When we perceive injustice, then despite our best motivation, we can refuse to move on to a more integrated spirituality.  We can remain at a personal level where we feel victimized, and feel we have little to offer the world around us.  Unless we are liberated by God's generosity and mercy, we cannot show it to others.  We cannot bear life.

 

    What does the word 'justice' evoke in my life?  An experience of joy?

 

   Or does it call to mind something that I am deprived of?

 

   Am I blocked in my life from the liberating power of God's justice because of human experiences that leave me un-free, locked in, victimized?

 

In  prayer  and  reflection:

C                      Identify painful experiences when I have not received my just due, when I have felt excluded from the personal, social and spiritual joy of fully belonging.

 

C                      Identify my own response to such experiences:

     How has it shaped my relationships?