Introduction
“We acknowledge our own complicity in the social sin of our global community, and we commit ourselves to further systemic change.” This is our commitment, as stated in The Call and Acts of the 25th General Chapter. “We embrace our vulnerability as individuals, community, congregation, church, and world, and with total trust in God, accept our interdependence with one another and the whole of creation.”
Call to Prayer
O God, through your generosity and faithfulness, you call us into the world to act justly, love mercy, and walk humbly with God. Through your son Jesus, You came into the world to show us how to make present the heart of Your plan for all people and for the world. May we give witness to your love for all people and creation, as we celebrate the many gifts they bring to us. Amen.
Experience
“We acknowledge our own complicity in the social sin of our global community, and we commit ourselves to further systemic change.” With this statement, The Call and Acts of the 25th General Chapter highlights social sin and encourages us to work for change in our collaborations with the people in our midst.
Social sin is every sin committed against just relationships between individuals and among individuals and their communities, such as racism, sexism, poverty, exploitation of workers, environmental degradation, and systemic corruption. Actions and attitudes opposed to the will of God and the common good of neighbor, such as the all-consuming desire for profit and the thirst for power at the expense of the earth and people, are other examples of social sin. Social sins are essentially sins against love of neighbor that are not committed by individuals alone, but are embedded within social structures, institutions, and cultural norms.
“We are present with people at the peripheries and collaborate together to end all forms of discrimination, inequality, and violence.” The Call of the 25th General Chapter
SSND collaborates with others locally, nationally, and internationally to address social sins and the structures and beliefs that perpetuate them. Through our affiliation with the United Nations, we collaborate on many such issues, including the welfare and rights of girls. It was civil society organizations from various religious orientations that helped to put the concerns of girls (of all ages) on the UN/world agenda. During this month, the UN calls us, as a non-governmental organization, to recognize and celebrate:
International Women’s Day, March 8
We not only commemorate women’s fight for equality and liberation, but we bring attention to many current situations of women, such as gender inequality and violence toward women.
International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, March 21
This day reminds us of the 1960 Sharpeville Massacre in South Africa and to initiate global efforts against racism and systemic discrimination while promoting equality.
World Water Day, March 22
World Water Day reminds us to advocate for the sustainable and equitable management of our freshwater resources throughout the world while bringing attention to the need for clean water for good health.
Reflection
Earlier this year, Pope Leo called all of us to action in his “State of the World” address to Vatican-accredited envoys. While focusing on urgent global issues and urging decisive action on climate change, promoting peace through disarmament and dialogue against rising violence, addressing the migration crisis, seeing Christ in the suffering poor, and encouraging youth engagement, he emphasized that believers must move beyond indifference to concrete action for a more just and compassionate world.
In order to move beyond indifference, we need to step outside our view of the world and consider the world from another person’s perspective. This will help us recognize sinful structures and motivate us to act, to come together to develop a working plan for the common good. Actions taken to eliminate social sin and to strengthen the common good must not be done in isolation, but in collaboration with others. A genuine desire to move toward justice will include consideration of all parties, including victims and perpetrators of injustice.
Isaiah 43:19 tells us that it is always God at work doing something new in us, around us, through us, for us, and for the benefit of others in our midst.
Action
Pope Francis frequently wrote about structures of sin that have led to racism, economic inequality, and environmental degradation. Let us develop a local community prayer service this month on Social Sin and Furthering Systemic Change, focusing on women’s issues, racism, and water. This is one way of being engaged in your neighborhood community and in society.
Embracing our vulnerability as individuals or as a community, we might contact our local civil representatives for an interview (or for a small group meeting) to discuss a particular local perspective on women’s issues, racism, or concerns about water. Also remember that Laudato Si’ (Paragraph 206) points out that “a change in lifestyle could bring healthy pressure to bear on those who wield political, economic, and social power.”
Closing Prayer
We are all partners in protecting and developing human life present here on earth. May we/I continue searching for justice and overcoming immoral systems that produce misery, inequality, and exclusion. Let us/me respond to the prophet Micah’s call “to act justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with God” and to understand its relevance today. Help us/me to seek a change of heart and find ways to embody these values in addition to practicing traditional ritualistic observances. May the world, and our own countries, be saved by tirelessly striving to understand, forgive, liberate, and welcome everyone, without calculation and without fear. Amen.
Prepared by Ethel Howley, SSND from the Atlantic-Midwest Province, for the International Shalom Network.
Graphic taken from 25th General Chapter design by Joyelle Proot, SSND CP
