In the second episode of “Jubilee for the Earth,” two members of the Columban team for justice, peace, and ecology discuss the urgent need to reimagine how our economy operates and to redefine what human flourishing looks like.
NEWS AND FEATURES
"The Novitiate Community of the Canossian Daughters of Charity, have been preparing and distributing cooked meals to the homeless."
The call to wonder at the beauty of creation, and in doing so give praise to God, is at the heart of most of the world’s religions and spiritualities.
"In my journey of dialogue with other religions, I have embodied the insight that dialogue entails listening but I could only understand deeply by using my heart."
According to Fr Sean McDonagh, a Columban Priest, “Learning about creation tells us who God is in our world today. This is very much in line with this new understanding that all creation is intrinsically valuable to God and we must respect it as such.”
Columbans have come to believe that violence done to the Earth itself is a part of war, whether through habitat destruction, the extraction of resources for weapons, or the murder of environmental defenders. As people of faith, we have a responsibility to practice nonviolence. We can do this by choosing to live simply and sustainably, by preventing conflicts before they become violent, and by advocating against the rapid expansion of militarism around the world.
"No matter how simple the work may be, being a mission partner is a calling and a vocation. God does not look on the complexity of the mission anyways, but on the manner we respond to it."
One of my favorite Mandarin phrases is 加油 (jiā yóu). The first character ‘加’ (jiā) means "add" and the second character ‘油’ (yóu) means "oil”. 加油 means "to add oil" or “refuel”. In Taiwan, you will see the sign, ‘加油’ in gasoline stations but 加油 is also an expression of encouragement and support such as "Go!"; "Come on!" and “Keep it up!".
The Earth’s resources - which have been entrusted to us - are for the life of the whole world. They do not belong to a wealthy minority, or even a human minority.
"God has blessed us with good and generous people. Their goodness and generosity have enabled us to help meet the needs of others. Meeting the needs of others can be translated as being a channel of God’s blessings. This is what our Columban Mission Promotion team does. And we do this for the glory of God."
In our age of ecological crisis - where rampant consumerism and indifference to the holiness of Earth’s biodiversity is the default - how can each of us help build a movement to care for our common home and begin a new chapter in Earth’s history?
The Death of Life: The Horror of Extinction is a passionate plea to take action before it is too late - to save the many thousands of species currently under threat of extinction, who give glory to God by their very existence.
During a Columban seminary formation, the study of philosophy is followed by a spiritual year program. It is different. This is a non-academic year where there are no exams, and all throughout the period, the seminarian is especially guided by prayer. Mosese Yacalevu from Labasa, Fiji, shares his personal reflection of the thirty-day retreat that is considered the highlight in this part of seminary formation.
As a mother, I am just as frightened and fearful as the others. But as a church worker I am challenged with questions of effectiveness in the JPIC ministry. What should be our priorities? What adjustments should be taken? How can I serve in more relevant and meaningful ways? How do I re-imagine the work for justice, peace and integrity of creation ministry? How can I be more creative? How do I change ‘gear’?
A virtual Eucharistic celebration was held on October 6, 2020 to commemorate this milestone and celebrate the blessings and gifts received and the challenges encountered along the journey.
"When I prayed, I would often be reminded of Saint John of the Cross when he was imprisoned in a pitch-black cell for a long period of time. What gave him strength to survive was focusing on the tiny chink of light that came into his cell each day."
“It is hard to acknowledge and accept yourself for who you truly are but as I learned to let go of my ego and pride, it was very liberating.“
All Souls Day is a significant day in the Roman Catholic Calendar. It is a day of prayer and remembrance for the departed souls of our dear families and relatives and is usually observed with shared meals and visits to the cemeteries.
Lockdown kicked off in Karachi, Pakistan on March 23, two weeks before the end of our Urdu language classes. The whole area where we were was in total silence which was very unusual. We don’t get this kind of silence during ordinary days.
Mary and Joseph carefully filled their Water bag before fleeing to Egypt. We pray to the Holy family to help us care for our endangered water sources and watersheds.
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