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the

Common Good

 

Secular Franciscan JPIC Monthly Newsletter
from Franciscan Voice Canada
 

Issue No 45,  April 2021
Divest  -  from  -  Fossil Fuel
Reinvest  -  in  -  Sustainability
 
We are called to raise our voices - so we begin...
In this prayer we call for "...the courage to speak on behalf of..."
and may that "...translate into actions..."

2021 EARTH DAY RESOURCES
Demands
We demand governments, banks, and other political, economic and financial institutions:
Tell the truth about our global economic system which creates staggering inequity, distorts priorities and causes harm. Financial institutions must fully disclose the social, climate and ecological impacts of funding, so it is clear who is paying the true cost ...           
 

Laudato si’, 13:

“for we know that things can change” 


This is what the major Canadian banks have invested
        and need to change.....
.
     
From Gospel to Life


“Is not this the fast that I choose: to loose the bonds of injustice, to undo the thongs of the yoke, to let the oppressed go free, and to break every yoke?” Isaiah 58:6


He has told you, O mortal, what is good; and what does the LORD require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness (mercy), and to walk humbly with your God? Micah 6:8
 
Grant Whitty - Unsplash
Infinite Growth - Finite Planet
The financial sector is at the heart of an economic model that is killing us and irreparably damaging the planet we inhabit. Failing to act now will have catastrophic consequences for life on Earth. Yet big banks have funded the fossil fuel industry...Addicted to infinite growth and ever-increasing profit extraction, this system requires more burning of fossil fuels, more resource extraction, more deforestation and more consumption.
 
We need an economic system that prioritises human welfare and flourishing, not infinite growth on a finite planet.

Read more at Andrew's April Blog
Fast from the silence... 

We must speak up!
“The businesses, national or international, which harm the Amazon…
...should be called for what they are: injustice and crime.” 
 Pope Francis, 2020, Querida Amazonia  (Video 37 sec)
In June 2018, Pope Francis hosted oil and gas executives on “Energy Transition and Care for our Common Home.” He said: “Yet even more worrying is the continued search for new fossil fuel reserves, whereas the Paris Agreement clearly urged keeping most fossil fuels underground… Civilization requires energy, but energy use must not destroy civilization!” 
 
Laudato Si' Plus
Pope Francis calls in Laudato si’ for a renewed sense of responsibility on the part of all for the common good and for our brothers and sisters worldwide, and this in a spirit of fraternity. (nn 25, 189 & 190)

Fratelli tutti: Individualism too often serves as a deception in that we cling to our own idea of the common good without being open to the view of the other (102-106).
Here is a way we can celebrate Earth Day 22 April
The For the Love of Creation faith-in-action campaign is calling on the Hon Jonathan Wilkinson, Minister of the Environment and Climate Change, to commit to:
  • reduce Canada's national greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 60 percent below 2005 levels by 2030, and
  • invest in a just transition to a fair, inclusive, green economy that creates good secure jobs, and promotes the well-being of everyone in Canada.
Send your letter to Minister Wilkinson now!
It will be automatically copied to the Prime Minister as well as to your local Member of Parliament.      Go to the letter here.
​
Check out these GCCM-Canada Eco-Invest webinars.

              Also see Matching Catholic values with investments
OFS Rule

18. Moreover they should respect all creatures, animate and inanimate, which “bear the imprint of the Most High”, and they should strive to move from the temptation of exploiting creation to the Franciscan concept of universal kinship.
 
 
Pope's Prayer Intention for April
Fundamental rights
We pray for those who risk their lives while fighting for fundamental rights under dictatorships, authoritarian regimes and even in democracies in crisis.
In many parts of the world, defending fundamental human rights can imply risk. This is true not only under dictatorial regimes, but also in some democracies undergoing a crisis. As Francis says, it requires courage to “actively” combat “poverty, inequality, the lack of work, land and housing, and the denial of social and labor rights.”
Sister Ann Roza put herself in danger again ... on 8 March 2021 (See Andrew's Blog)
Reflection:  The first chapter of the book of Genesis tells us that humanity was created “in the image of God” (Gen […]   Read more  
We Pray: 
Lord Jesus Christ who are close to the suffering,
we bring before you the desire that all people are treated with dignity,
respecting their right to their development as worthy sons and daughters
of God the Father.
Infuse us with your Spirit the strength and courage to defend the Earth,
proper housing and the work of all.
Take special care of those who risk their lives for this;
shake our sleeping consciences,
and give us your grace to feel the pain of the other as our own,
and transform reality into a promise of life.
Amen.
From Pope's Prayer Intention                                
Film of the Month
One Earth - Environmental Short Film (4:26 min)

One Earth is an environmental short film that I created and edited to help raise awareness about us, humans, and how our activites strongly impact our environment and participate to climate change - by Romain Pennes
Book of the Month

The Last Words of Jesus

A meditation on Love and Suffering                 by Fr Dan Horan OFM
Much has been written on the last words of Jesus, the traditional phrases taken from Scripture that depict the final moments of Jesus's life as he dies on the cross. In this new take on the last words, author Dan Horan OFM brings a fresh perspective to this time-honoured meditation as he challenges readers to look at their lives through the lens of Jesus' suffering and death... [....]

He shares many insights into scripture which were revealing for me. I used the book as a Lenten study and journaled with it as the author suggested. It was a nourishing exercise.    - George Guimond ofs

JPIC is Gospel 
a short essay by George Guimond with some insight on this month's book. 
For a few years now the Secular Franciscan Order (OFS) has placed increased focus on justice, peace and integrity of creation (JPIC). But from time to time comments surfaced from our own OFS family that too much attention is being placed on JPIC in the OFS and is seen an extra-curricular activity. This thinking is unfortunate and it is also unfortunate that the acronym “JPIC” needs exist at all. This short essay will bring us to Jesus’ action from beginning to end.
              Read more in Guest Blog
Un mot du SIAF
ECHO présente des nouvelles de plusieurs communautés de la famille franciscaine qui ont répondu à notre appel en tant que Franciscains.
En ce début de Semaine Sainte, je vous fais parvenir ce communiqué de l’AECQ concernant la violence faite aux femmes.
Sonner le glas, prier et agir contre la violence faite aux femmes

Love Song to the Earth
In 2015 sixteen internationally renowned artists released an amazing song called ~ ‘Love Song to the Earth’, which urges world leaders to strive to reach a global agreement during the United Nations climate conference. The call is still needed.
Compiled by: Michelle Sherliza, OP - In thanksgiving for Pope Francis' Encyclical - Laudato Si
Important Dates on the JPIC Calendar:
Other Recent Postings on 
Franciscan Voice Canada
   Earlier Posts you may want to check:

      Note the calls for "Action" in some of the postings

Editors:  Andrew Conradi, ofs, Laudato Si' Animator, Global Catholic Climate Movement; George Guimond, ofs, RFEC Dir of JPIC
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Understanding JPIC - a Primer
The Franciscan Journey - JPIC Supplements
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