Sacred Heart Global Service Day - 10 days to go!

The work of the United Nations (UN) between 2015-2030 is the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), often called, the 2030 Agenda. September 5th, International Day of Charity, is a day principally aimed at philanthropists. But, it can also be a day for all of us to reflect upon and step-up our contribution to the achievement of this agenda. The International Society of the Sacred Heart contributes through our NGO (non-governmental organization) at the UN and by the service of education and other forms of human development in the 41 countries where we live in God’s love and work to promote dignity for all. To find out more about how we are stepping up our responsibility as global citizens in 2018, explore a Sacred Heart initiative: Global Service Day. For more information about the Society of the Sacred Heart at the UN, see our website: Sacred Heart at the UN, FaceBook Page, and Twitter Account.

Meatless Monday Challenge

As an act of personal and collective sacrifice, Catholics traditionally practiced eating no meat on Friday. Many world religions promote fasting and abstainance from certain foods. However, today many fast or eat no meat at all for reasons beyond religious observance. Some fast and/or abstain from meat for their own health and for the health of the planet. Others practice no meat for reasons of nonviolence, respect and care for the other creatures with whom we share our Earth home. If we haven’t already done so, the Season of Creation is a good time to join the global movement, Meatless Monday. Click on the link to find the movement in your country.

www.pixabay.com 

Less is More

Continuing on the theme of Season of Creation, good resources for reflection and action have been shared by various groups. One of those is shared by the Diocese of Liverpool in the UK. It was in their reflection and action resource, Praying with the Gospels, stories from our time and Laudato Si’, that I found the following quote from Laudato Si as a reminder and guide this week:  #222 We need to take up an ancient lesson, found in different religious traditions and also in the Bible. It is the conviction that “less is more”. A constant flood of new consumer goods can baffle the heart and prevent us from cherishing each thing and each moment. In the same guide, they also suggest the following action: • Can you eat less meat this week? Catholics have traditionally abstained from meat on Fridays but there is a recent secular initiative for ‘Meat free Mondays’.
• Can you practise an ‘attitude of gratitude’ for what you do have?

Gratitude for Earth Community

Season of Creation

While we are always living, moving, having our being as part of Creation, Sept. 1 - Oct. 4 is a time set aside in the Church calendar to honour Creator and Creation. What better time for us to be grateful and to reflect on our relationships with all those we share life with on the planet. To help with reflection and action, Christian Churches and partner organizations have put together a website in six languages for the Season of Creation. Join in a Prayer for Creation taken from the text of Laudato Si.

Earth was created to be shared among ALL PEOPLES, ALL LIFE, not just for the benefit of some humans. 

Modern Day Slavery: A Both/And

How is it possible that we simultaneously vehemently oppose, while also support modern slavery? This is because as consumers, we are all implicated in modern slavery. Every supply chain in the world: food, transportation, clothing, etc., involves slave labour at some level. We heard this sobering fact at the 8th annual event in the Mary Robinson Speaker Series on Business & Human Rights in New York City. The topic was: “Modern slavery in the Americas: From here to elimination." The keynote speaker, Leonardo Sakamoto, President, Repórter Brasil (http://reporterbrasil.org.br/), left us with some challenges. Two business challenge to advocate for are: 1) to collaborate among nations and among sectors to establish binding international laws that uphold human rights for all. Otherwise, businesses can continue to shift their production lines from one country to the next in search of cheap, or even slave labour; 2) to shift the understanding of corporate responsibility from charitable donations, to address human rights violations within borders and within companies that operate both nationally and internationally. Of course, transformation of our personal and communal consumer attitudes and behaviours are key. 

Leonardo Sakamoto, President, Repórter Brasil

UN/NGO Representatives with Mary Robinson (Centre)

                                              

Snow and Home

While I do not miss cleaning snow off a flight of stairs in the winter or shovelling, snow does make me feel at home. This awareness evokes gratitude for snow coming to visit me today and raises the question of home. What is it that gives one the experience of being at home? In conversations during the past few days the experience of being at home with oneself has been an important and reoccurring theme. For some, being at home is a feeling of content within that brings feelings of satisfaction and inner peace wherever and with whomever one shares life in the present moment. For others, being at home is more deeply associated with one's roots, especially to people, land, and culture. However, together both these experiences are needed for a most profound experience of home. To feel at home within oneself no matter what and to feel one's place among all those with whom one originally shares land, culture, kinship is gift. Today I learn from snow that being at home is a both-and experience that brings peace within oneself because one has a people and is rooted in a place. So for me today, being at home is feeling at peace with my place in the circle of all life, even if my felt awareness happens only for a fleeting moment. Thank you God! Prayers today for all of us who share life in our common 🌏 home, especially for those whose unjust struggle for their right to home is imposed upon them by the greed of others. Open our eyes, ears, hearts.

God Surprises

It is 2017 and my life has taken many twists and turns since I last posted. Most significantly, I have successfully defended my doctoral thesis and moved to New York City. Coming to a part of New York where the population density is 87,000/square mile, from my Canadian hometown where it is 5,200/square mile is quite a change. Why has my Soul Companion led me here? I wonder if I will find the natural beauty that is such a large part of my community of being. Trees, water, fields of wild flowers, birds... These are friends and family revealing the face of God. But, in New York City I am being surprised everyday. God's beauty is not hidden here. Yesterday this small garden brought New Year colour, hope and joy! Happy 2017 to all! Be surprised! And together let us be peace in our common home.