23 January: Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, VI.

Photo: Mazur/cbcew.org.uk

As we join with other Christians around the world for the Week of Prayer we pray that our hearts will be open to see and hear the many ways in which racism continues to destroy lives, and to discern the steps we can take as individuals and communities to heal the hurts and build a better future for everyone.

Day 6 Walking humbly in the way

Micah 6:6-8
Philippians 2:5-11

Commentary

Scripture reminds us that we cannot separate our love for God from our love for others. We love God when we feed the hungry, give the thirsty something to drink, welcome the stranger, clothe the naked, care for the sick and visit the prisoner. When we care for and serve “one of the least of these,” we are caring for and serving Christ himself.

But we are called to go beyond giving or serving from a position of power, where we maintain our status above the person to whom we are ministering. How are we to emulate Jesus who, though he was Lord of all, became truly the servant of all? What is power, and how are we to use it and to share it in the work of God?

God calls us to honour the sacredness and dignity of each member of God’s family. Caring for, serving and loving others reveals not who they are, but who we are. As Christians, we must be unified in our responsibility to love and care for others, as we are cared for and loved by God. In so doing, we live out our shared faith through our actions in service to the world and we find our true calling as servants of the Servant King.

Reflection

Yours are the power and the glory. 
Yet we see your greatest greatness when you stoop to serve. 
Creator, give us the power to be powerless 
and bestow on us the dignity
of the servant rich in love.

Prayer

Lord of the power and the glory, 
you became for us the servant of all. 
Show us the power and the glory of servanthood
and enable us to minister to your world
according to its needs and our abilities.

Questions

Where in your personal life could you bring blessing by yielding power?

How could the churches in your community share power to become more effective in service?

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19 August. Telling the Truth X: Thanks to dedicated librarians.

I could and should thank many librarians for their help in my research, including those in Canterbury and Folkestone who sourced books from elsewhere in Kent or other libraries in England. The small fee for interlibrary loans avoids my spending a couple of hours on trains to the British Library, and I can usually take the books home.

University libraries especially have scanned out-of-copyright works on the web. One such book Action this day by Archbishop Spellman, mentioned a Jesuit, Francis Anderson, as a connection of my subject Arthur Hughes MAfr, Internuncio to Egypt.

More search on the web led me to the Jesuit Archive in St Louis, where they hold letters from Hughes to Anderson, revealing something of himself. I know this because the good people there, Ann and Jeff, scanned them and emailed them to me.

No human can ever know or express the whole truth about anything, but we can help each other to come to a closer understanding. The paths of all genuine seekers after truth converge – scientist, historian, artist, philosopher, theologian. And the focal point of our searching is Truth itself.

Come Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful and kindle in us the fire of your love.

MMB

photo from Jesuit Archives website.

31 October: Christ walking with travellers: Human trafficking 3.

Local Response to Human Trafficking

Taken from the Santa Marta Group  website   The Santa Marta Group brings the Church and Police together to combat Human trafficking. Here is an example provided by the United Kingdom (UK): Bakhita House.

In the UK today there are around 14,000 people in modern slavery, and over 50% of those people are trafficked through London.

The Catholic Church in England and Wales has put into place a local response to combat the scourge of human trafficking – the Bakhita Initiative. It’s a forward-thinking and influential national anti-trafficking hub.

A collaborative approach, the Bakhita Initiative has focused on strengthening partnerships between law enforcement agencies and those involved in working with those who have been trafficked.

In the UK, this has involving the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales, the London Metropolitan Police, Catholic religious communities, and other support agencies.

A key element of the initiative is Caritas Bakhita House – a ‘triage’ centre for the emergency placement of women escaping human trafficking and its function will be to support the beginnings of the restorative process.

Victims of Trafficking

Caritas Bakhita House aims to tackle the devastating consequences of human trafficking by providing those victims who are most vulnerable and traumatised with the safety and support to begin the process of recovery and rehabilitation.

Bakhita House offers emergency support, psychosexual therapy, legal and financial assistance, mentoring, and help with accessing accommodation. Women will also have access to education and employment opportunities.

Women who are supported by Caritas Bakhita House will benefit from these values and principles of action:

Love – expressed in compassionate support and long term commitment

Respect – for the gift and dignity of each individual

Community – a welcome which creates friendship and belonging

Spirituality – nurtured by that Joy in creative activity which lifts the spirit

Caritas Bakhita House is owned by the Archdiocese of Westminster and managed by Caritas Westminster. Bakhita House has been made possible through our partnerships with the Bishops’ Conference, the Metropolitan Police Anti-Trafficking Unit, the Congregation of Adoratrices, local parishes, and victims and survivors of human trafficking.

John Coleby, Director of Caritas Westminster, says:

“Caritas Bakhita House is part of a unique partnership between the Catholic Church and the Metropolitan Police to support victims of trafficking and modern slavery…

“Through working with international, national and local Catholic networks, this project will make visible the universal solidarity which exists among Catholics and other people of goodwill who wish to rid the world of this crime.”

Caritas Bakhita House opened on 30 June 2015.