Brothers Walking with Jesus in Social Justice

As Brothers walking with Jesus, I believe issues of social justice take on great importance in our living out both faith and vocation. There are a number of different social justice issues each one of us can adopt according to our gifts and talents. Let me give a few examples of social justice issues and how Brothers can contribute to them:

Immigration- Many in the Catholic Church and hierarchy have taken on the issue of immigration, but I believe a Brother can add a unique voice to the conversation. A Brother’s voice can speak of compassion in a political climate that is often compassionless. Many Brothers work with immigrants and know the situations and experiences many immigrants face in their daily lives. A Brother can talk about these situations and experiences, adding a voice of compassion to the conversation. Brothers work in a Church that often denies or forgets our vocation. Like the immigrant, we too suffer and struggle in a sometimes-hostile environment. Our experience gives us a unique opportunity to share and work with a community that suffers daily in a system that denies them their basic rights and needs.

Human Trafficking- Another social justice issue is human trafficking. Several different groups and religious communities have taken on this challenging and difficult issue. Brothers can lend a unique perspective to the work around human trafficking. I say this because our vocation as Brother calls us to free those enslaved through oppression. Freeing the enslaved can be done through education, political advocacy, or “hands on” work with victims of trafficking. As we journey with Jesus, we are called to liberate.

Environment- A third example of Brothers can contribute to social justice issues is through our environment. Our environment suffers from our pollution, waste, and consumerism. We constantly take and seldom give back to our Mother Earth. As Brothers we can invite others to consider the amount of waste and environmental impact we place on our planet. This can be done through awareness raising, political advocacy, or systemic change. Brothers have a unique gift and talent for this. We are Brothers of the earth; we are in relationship with all creation. A good model is St. Francis who placed himself in relationship with all things. As Brothers, we too can nurture these relationships in all creation.

These are but a few examples of how we, as Brothers, can have an impact on social justice issues. Let us continue to walk with Christ as we reveal God’s compassion and justice.

Brian Mc Lauchlin, SVD