SM - Justice, Peace and the Integrity of Creation (JPIC)
“The Creator does not abandon us; God never forsakes his loving plan or repents of having created us. Humanity still has the ability to work together…” – Pope Francis: Laudato Si’
What can I do? Our world is so troubled, and I feel so helpless! What difference can I make? It is a simple fact that we cannot live and exist well independently of others, we are interdependent beings. Solidarity looks upon this interdependence as something good, something positive, a thing to be cherished. The image Saint Paul gives us of the Body of Christ (that we are all individual parts that together make up the Body of Christ) gives us a visual way to think of this.
Before the modern age it has been almost impossible to connect so easily with people around the world. Modern technology has made it possible to build relationships and help and support those in different parts of the world, in many ways making the world a lot smaller. In his social encyclical Pope Benedict pointed out that “As society becomes ever more globalized, it makes us neighbors but does not make us brothers”. Solidarity is simply the demand of fraternity, that we treat each other as brothers and sisters.
What can I do? With your head, heart and hands you can help…
Solidarity “is not a feeling of vague compassion or shallow distress at the misfortunes of so many people, both near and far. On the contrary, it is a firm and persevering determination to commit oneself to the common good; that is to say to the good of all and of each individual, because we are all really responsible for all” – St. John Paul II – Sollicitudo rei socialis