ACTION ALERT – DECEMBER 2004

GOOD SHEPHERD VOICES FOR JUSTICE

Christmas Peace and Justice Messages and Prayers for Bethlehem, 2004

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The Good Shepherd Voices for Justice Ministry presents justice issues monthly consistent with Gospel values and Catholic social teaching and then offers a call to action. We believe that as we gain better understanding of local, national and international issues in light of the Gospels and the principles of Catholic social teaching, and then speak and act accordingly, the process will offer opportunities for transformation and for furthering the reign of God on earth.

With this in mind, please review this month’s issue and consider taking the recommended action. We estimate it will take you only a few minutes to complete this action. We encourage you also to take time to pray and reflect on the presence of God in the process.

We welcome everyone who is interested in letting their voice be heard for God’s justice – both those in the community of Good Shepherd and beyond.

BACKGROUND

This month we invite you to e-mail Advent and Christmas wishes and prayers for peace to the people in the Holy Land. These messages will be sent to our Pax Christi partners in Bethlehem who will distribute them and use them in a variety of spiritual and educational contexts. Sending a wish or a prayer by e-mail is an important way of communicating with the many people who long to hear a word of hope. It can also help overcome the despair that is felt by the local population, despair that is felt even more profoundly now than in previous years.

This is a joint initiative of Pax Christi International, the International Fellowship of Reconciliation (IFOR), Church and Peace, the Justice and Peace Commission Jerusalem and the Presidency of the Conference of European Justice and Peace Commissions are supporting an initiative of partners in Palestine -- the Arab Educational Institute (AEI), Library on Wheels for Non-violence and Peace, the Centre for Conflict Resolution and Reconciliation (CCRR), and Wi am Center.

ACTION

Visit the Pax Christi website for more information. If you need help, there are samples that you can review on the website.

OUR CONNECTION

As part of our Destination Justice journey, this month we are focusing on the Catholic Social Teaching principle “Call to Family, Community, and Participation”. This principle informs us that human person is not only sacred but inherently social. The God-given institutions of marriage and the family are central and serve as the foundations for social life. Your messages of hope bolstering the spirits of those who are feeling despair will help bolster their understanding of their God given dignity.