Sunday January 4th. 2009
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
Today's Gospel reading for the Epiphany tells of the Wise Men bringing gifts. Our tradition of Christmas presents keeps the same idea alive today. Today's Responsorial Psalm speaks of the ideal king, the divine ruler. In his days justice shall flourish. He will treat the poor with right judgement.
The contrast between these two ideas is an uncomfortable challenge for us. How can it be that men and women like ourselves give expensive presents, while other men and women cannot afford the price of our Christmas wrapping paper? How can it be that two thousand years after the birth of Christ, Christians still tolerate this yawning gap between rich and poor?
At the beginning of each year, the Pope issues his message for the World Day of Peace. This year's theme is "Combating Poverty: Building Peace".
"Poverty", says Pope Benedict, "is not just a material problem - it's also a moral and spiritual problem". The deeper problem is our acceptance of a system which encourages us to be indifferent to the suffering of the poor, the weak and the oppressed. We know that Our Lord wants us to "love our neighbour as ourselves", but the problem seems too widespread. We blame the system, we feel helpless to change it. It is tempting to opt out of trying. But this hardens our hearts, little by little. Justice loses out, and peace becomes still harder to achieve.
In Scotland there are over a million Christians, and many other people of goodwill. If we mobilise, we can change the system. The Make Poverty History campaign showed what can be done to highlight concerns and change attitudes, if enough people care.
Please consider joining your parish Justice and Peace group. Start one if need be! "Where two or three are gathered in my name, I am there in their midst. "
Read the Justice and Peace magazine. Talk to friends and neighbours. Spread the message! We aren't helpless to change things. As the Pope says, "(By) combating poverty (we) build peace". That is a gift worth giving in 2009!
+ Peter A Moran Bishop of Aberdeen
The contrast between these two ideas is an uncomfortable challenge for us. How can it be that men and women like ourselves give expensive presents, while other men and women cannot afford the price of our Christmas wrapping paper? How can it be that two thousand years after the birth of Christ, Christians still tolerate this yawning gap between rich and poor?
At the beginning of each year, the Pope issues his message for the World Day of Peace. This year's theme is "Combating Poverty: Building Peace".
"Poverty", says Pope Benedict, "is not just a material problem - it's also a moral and spiritual problem". The deeper problem is our acceptance of a system which encourages us to be indifferent to the suffering of the poor, the weak and the oppressed. We know that Our Lord wants us to "love our neighbour as ourselves", but the problem seems too widespread. We blame the system, we feel helpless to change it. It is tempting to opt out of trying. But this hardens our hearts, little by little. Justice loses out, and peace becomes still harder to achieve.
In Scotland there are over a million Christians, and many other people of goodwill. If we mobilise, we can change the system. The Make Poverty History campaign showed what can be done to highlight concerns and change attitudes, if enough people care.
Please consider joining your parish Justice and Peace group. Start one if need be! "Where two or three are gathered in my name, I am there in their midst. "
Read the Justice and Peace magazine. Talk to friends and neighbours. Spread the message! We aren't helpless to change things. As the Pope says, "(By) combating poverty (we) build peace". That is a gift worth giving in 2009!
+ Peter A Moran Bishop of Aberdeen
President, Justice and Peace Commission
We do not have a Justice and Peace group in our parish, but if anyone is interested in starting one, as Bishop Moran suggests, please let me know and we can give it our support.