• The Importance of Wonder

The 20th century poet T.S Eliot wrote, “the child wonders at the Christmas Tree … let him continue in the spirit of wonder …  so that the reverence and the gaiety may not be forgotten in later experience, or in the bored habituation, the fatigue, the tedium, the awareness of death, the consciousness of failure, or the piety of the convert,  … let him continue in the spirit of wonder, so that before the end, the accumulated memories of annual emotion, may be concentrated into a great joy … because the beginning shall remind us of the end, and the first coming of the second coming”.

T.S Eliot was aware of how cynical and oppressed the tragedies of the world can make us, but he was also aware of our longing for something more than this world. He knew that the earth reflects a beauty and a joy whose origins surpass it. Like children, therefore, let us allow ourselves to be in awe! Let us allow ourselves to marvel with a keen and sensitive heart. The rest will follow suit!

• As with all Christian celebrations, at its heart, Advent is a time in which God continues to give Himself to us! But on our part, as human beings, what does it take for us to fully and authentically ‘receive’? 

Reflecting upon this, the German philosopher Joseph Pieper concludes that, “there can be no festivity when man, imagining himself self-sufficient, refuses to recognize that Goodness of things which goes far beyond any conceivable utility; it is the Goodness of reality taken as a whole which validates all other particular goods and which man himself can never produce nor simply translate into social or individual “welfare”. He truly receives it (God’s love and goodness) only when he accepts it as pure gift”.

Certain objects of this world cannot be made or seen as tools for us to simply use. Rather, they need to be appreciated for their own sake. In this, we can slowly discover that they are gifts given to us freely. This is what love does, after all. It gives freely. And it is only when we see creation as a free and pure gift given to us by God, that we can feel truly loved by God and understand what creation truly is.

• Seeing desires as pathways to God

In the words of St Augustine, “the entire life of a good Christian is a holy desire. What you desire, however, you don’t yet see. But by desiring you are made large enough, so that, when there comes what you should see, you may be filled”.

Augustine reminds us that desires are signs that need to be prudently understood and interpreted.  But desires are also bridges. In desiring beauty, we reach out to it. In desiring love, we seek it. This is all good, because God wants to us to be filled. And so, let us not tire to ask, to beg, to be open, to yearn! And in doing so, let us try to turn to God as well. Augustine knew too well that, ultimately, only God can fully and completely satisfy us.

• No wounds are too big for God

In one his poems St. Thomas More wrote, “Earth has no sorrow that heaven cannot heal”.

Advent is a space in which Heaven can continue to penetrate and cultivate the earth. The earth is not fully separate from heaven, the two are not completely distinct. Indeed, in fact, the glory of earth is realised when God (heaven itself) is made one with it! This all culminates in the God-man; in Jesus himself, in him, the heaven and the earth are one.

• We’re all, in our unique ways, a faint image of God 

C.S Lewis, iconically known for crafting the Narnia book Series, noted that “we cannot conceive how the Divine Spirit dwelled within the created and human spirit of Jesus…. but what we can understand is that our own existence is a faint image of the Divine Incarnation itself… the same theme in a very minor key”.

We already harbour traces of God within us, and this can be discovered by us if we reflected deeply upon certain capacities and desires that we experience. Our nature, in its deepest core, longs for beauty, for love, for goodness, for truth – these are God’s fingerprints.

• Let yourself be perfected!

Finally, this Advent, with St. Theresa of Avila, let us express our humility and open our self to God’s healing grace. Time and again, St. Theresa prayed,

“I want to keep Advent in my soul, that is, a continual longing and waiting for this great Mystery wherein You, O Word, became flesh to show me the abyss of your redeeming sanctifying mercy….Come, O Lord, come! I too wish to run to You with love, but alas! My love is so limited, weak, and imperfect! Make it strong and generous; enable me to overcome myself, so that I can give myself entirely to You… What a consolation it will be, O Lord, at the moment of death to think that we shall be judged by Him whom we have loved above all things!”

Read more:

Astronomy and Faith – Universe of Faith

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1. You have been working with people with disabilities for quite a while. Where did it start?

Fr Martin Micallef: “A little less than 50 years ago, when I was a student attending primary and secondary schools, there was no concept of inclusive education in Malta. Therefore, persons with a disability did not attend school in our towns and villages, much less catechism centres. Children with disability were only given this possibility in the nineties. Thus, in my younger days, I was never exposed to the reality of persons with disability.

During the summer of my first year at the Seminary, two seminarians and I had participated in a work experience at St Vincent De Paule Residence for the aged.  There, for the first time, I met with various persons with disability. Some of these people were still quite young. They were residents in this home for the aged even though it was not the appropriate environment for them.

This experience opened my awareness to people with disabilities.  Since then, I started paying particular attention to this sector. I started reading books and attending conferences to enhance my understanding of these persons. Moreover, I was also interested to see how the Church and society could provide them with support so that they could live their life to the fullest. I did another summer work experience at the Day Centre in Ħal Far for persons with disability as well as an attachment with the Arche communities in Liverpool, England that offered residential services for persons with disability.

2. People with disabilities in the parish setting

Another experience that really impressed me was when, as a seminarian, I was attached to the Żurrieq Parish. That time I managed to visit around 75 persons with a disability in their own home. This experience taught me how important it is to listen directly to people with disabilities and to their relatives. This is the only way to really respond to their needs, aspirations and expectations.

"I managed to visit around 75 persons 
with a disability in their own home"

When I was in the process of selecting the theme of my theses for my Licentiate in Pastoral Theology, I opted to focus on the theme of sexuality and persons with disabilities. On becoming a priest, I involved myself in the Muscular Dystrophy Group as well as in the National Parents’ Society of Persons With Disability.  At the same time, in the parish, I made it a point to meet these persons and talk to them. I wanted to see what kind of support they needed from the parish, but also to see how they could feel more included in the life of the parish.

In 2001, the Archbishop asked me to be his representative on the National Commission for Persons with Disability. At that time, I used to involve myself also with the deaf community. As a Diocese, we started offering a paid service by interpreters of Sign Language in Maltese, during the Saturday evening mass at the University Chapel. This service was also offered on particular occasions, such as the first Holy Communions or weddings of deaf persons, whenever they asked for this service.  In 2008, Archbishop Paul Cremona OP asked me to become the Director of Dar tal-Providenza. This home has offered residential services for persons with disabilities, since 1968.”

3. What does your work consist of, and what disabilities do the residents experience?

Fr Martin Micallef: “Primarily, as Director of Dar tal-Providenza, I coordinate all the work done at the Home. First and foremost, my main focus is to ensure that the residents of the Home receive individualised services of the highest level that respect their rights, needs and dignity.  Besides this, I need to see that the services offered by the Home are sustainable. This obviously entails good planning to see that we have the necessary operational funds. We organise fund-raising activities all year round to raise funds.

Today, the Home offers long-term residential services to 115 persons with disabilities, the majority of whom have an intellectual disability. In another home at Qawra – Dar Akkwarell, we host two persons with physical disabilities.

4. What does working with people with disabilities teach you? 

Fr Martin Micallef: “Working with people with disabilities has taught me more than ever that we should not consider their difference as a threat but rather as something beautiful. Through my experiece with persons with disabilities, I learnt that, before looking at the disability I should look at the ability. I believe that in society everyone has something to offer. Therefore, it is important that we support and empower these persons to develop their full potential so that they can participate actively and fully in society.

"these persons still face 
various types of discrimintation
consciously or unconsciously"

Although today there is more awareness of the rights of people with disabilities, from my own experience I can say that they still face various types of discrimination, consciously or unconsciously, that impedes them from enjoying equal opportunities. This has increased in me the need for justice, and I feel duty-bound to speak out against these injustices. At the same time,  we also need to encourage persons with disabilities as well as their relatives to speak out in favour of a society that truly treats everyone equally.

5. Are there new elements in your faith that you have discovered?

Fr Martin Micallef: Spiritually I feel enriched when I meet persons with disabilities who, like others, are for me the best example of the values of the gospel. In his Apostolic Exhortation, Rejoice and Be Glad, Pope Francis emphasises that holiness is not limited only to the few that the Church declares as saints. We can see holiness in the person who lives in the “door next to us, in those that live close to us and are a mirror of God’s presence.”

A special moment that helps me grow in giving myself to others is when I have the opportunity to wash the feet of some of the residents at the Home on Maundy Thursday. They really look forward to this beautiful gesture so much so that some of them ask me to wash both their feet. In this yearly gesture I feel more and more motivated so that, like Jesus, I love others with unconditional love.

6. Are there any gifts that you have received by working with people with disabilities?

Fr Martin Micallef: “Some persons with an intellectual disability have taught me the beauty of small gestures towards others. I can recall that look in their eyes that expresses gratitude, that nice smile, that hug that expresses friendship or pardon, the gratitude reciprocated with very simple gifts but given with a big heart.”

7. Is there any special memory that you will never forget?

Fr Martin Micallef: “One of the most beautiful moments I had during my years at Id-Dar tal-Providenza, will always be the encounter that a number of residents had with Pope Francis, at the Vatican, on Sunday, 13^th September 2015, on the occasion of the fiftieth anniversary of the founding of the Home. The embrace that Frankie gave the Pope that day remains imprinted in my memory. In that hug, I will always see God’s embrace towards each and every person, without any distinction.”

8. How do you deal with difficult moments?

Fr Martin Micallef: “In my own life and in my own pastoral work I had a lot of beautiful and satisfying moments but, like everyone else, I also had difficult moments and situations. I learnt that, in life, no one is immune to these difficulties. I always tried to solve them with patience, through dialogue and by seeking good advice. In the face of the cancer illness that I experienced last year, I understood that this was a time when God’s will for me was to take care of my health by allowing the doctors to do what was necessary for me. Above all, I firmly believe that prayer remains the strongest defence against every difficult situation we are faced with.”

9. As a society, how can we become more respectful towards people with disabilities?

Fr Martin Micallef: “I believe that today, the Maltese society today respects diversity more than before. Although we have to admit that there is a lot more to be done, the rights of persons with disabilities in Malta today are guaranteed thanks, in a special way, to the Equal Opportunities (Persons with Disability) Act as well as Malta’s ratification of the United Nations Convention for the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. During these last years, thanks to the increase in awareness of the rights of persons with disabilities, the provision of more support services within the community, inclusive education, and more work opportunities amongst other initiatives, these persons can enjoy the respect and dignity that they rightly deserve. Just like everyone else.”

Read more:
– Living With Cerebral Palsy: My Body – God’s Temple
– Deep Love Poem – What is Love?

The post Working With People With Disabilities – An Experience appeared first on Universe of Faith.

Pope Francis has made it a priority during his papacy to visit prisons and talk about them. Here are ten of his quotes. 

1. Improve living conditions

“With regard to prisoners, it would appear that in many cases practical measures are urgently needed to improve their living conditions, with particular concern for those detained while awaiting trial. It must be kept in mind that penal sanctions have the aim of rehabilitation, while national laws should consider the possibility of other establishing penalties than incarceration.”
Pope Francis, Message for World Day of Peace, 2016 

2. Offer opportunities to prisoners

“It is easier to repress than to educate and, I would say, it is more comfortable too. Denying the injustice present in society and creating these spaces to put offenders is easier than offering equal development opportunities to all citizens.”
Pope Francis, International Meeting of National and Regional Directors of Catholic Prison Ministries, 2019

3. Punishments should have a horizon

“You cannot talk about paying a debt to society from a jail cell without windows. There is no humane punishment without a horizon. No one can change their life if they don’t see a horizon. And so many times we are used to blocking the view of our inmates. Take this image of the windows and the horizon and ensure that in your countries the prisons always have a window and horizon; even a life sentence – which for me is questionable – even a life sentence would have to have a horizon,”
Pope Francis, International Meeting of National and Regional Directors of Catholic Prison Ministries, 2019

4. Whatever a detainee may have done, he remains always beloved by God

“I think of those who are locked up in prison. Jesus has not forgotten them either. By including the act of visiting of those in prison among the works of mercy, he wanted first and foremost to invite us to judge no one. Of course, if someone is in prison it is because he has done wrong, and did not respect the law or civil harmony. Therefore, in prison, he is serving his sentence. However, whatever a detainee may have done, he remains always beloved by God. Who is able to enter the depths of [an inmate’s] conscience to understand what he is experiencing? Who can understand his suffering and remorse? It is too easy to wash our hands, declaring that he has done wrong.”
Pope Francis, General Audience, 9th November 2016

5. Prison can be a place of inclusion

“A place of marginalisation, such as prison, can become a place of inclusion and a stimulus for the whole of society, so that it may be more just and attentive to the people.”
Pope Francis, Address at “Guiseppe Salvia” Detention Centre, 21st March 2015

6. Prison staff can become builders of the future

“To the Prison Police and to the administrative staff, I would like to say thank you. Thank you because your work is hidden, often difficult and unsatisfactory, but essential. Thank you for all the times that you live your service not only as necessary vigilance, but also as a support to those who are weak. I know that it is not easy but when, in addition to being guardians of security, you provide close presence for those who have been ensnared in the nets of evil, you become builders of the future: you lay the foundations for a more respectful coexistence and therefore for a safer society. Thank you because, by doing so, you become, day after day, weavers of justice and hope.”
Pope Francis, Address to Penitentiary Police and Staff, 14th September 2019

7. Prison staff “do not be demotivated”

“I would also like to tell you (Prison Police and the administrative staff) not to be demotivated, even among the tensions that can arise in detention facilities. In your work, everything that makes you feel united is of great help: first of all the support of your families, who are close to you in your labours. And then there is mutual encouragement, sharing among colleagues, which allows us to tackle difficulties together and helps to deal with shortcomings.”
Pope Francis, Address to Peniteniary Police and Staff, 14th September 2019

8. Sometimes people in power abuse of people deprived of freedom

“The deplorable conditions of detention which are observed in various parts of the planet, are often genuinely inhuman and degrading deficiencies, often the result of the penal system, at other times due to the lack of infrastructure and of planning, while in more than a few cases they represent the arbitrary and unscrupulous exercise of power over people deprived of freedom.”
Pope Francis, Address to the International Organisation of Penal Law, 23rd October 2014

9. Some prison deprivations induce mental and physical suffering

“There is always that root: the human capacity for cruelty. This is a passion, a real vice! One form of torture is the one sometimes applied through confinement in high security prisons. With the pretext of offering greater security to society or special treatment for certain categories of prisoners, its main characteristic is none other than external isolation. As shown by studies carried out by various human rights organisations, the lack of sensory stimuli, the total impossibility of communication and the lack of contact with other human beings induce mental and physical suffering such as paranoia, anxiety, depression, weight loss, and significantly increase the suicidal tendency.”
Pope Francis, Address to the International Organisation of Penal Law, 23rd October 2014

10. Tortures and abuses can be stopped with a commitment towards human dignity

“Today torture is not inflicted only as a means of obtaining a specific objective, such as a confession or information — practices which are characteristic of national security doctrine — but is a genuine surplus of pain added to the actual suffering of imprisonment. In this way, torture occurs not only in clandestine detention centres or in modern day concentration camps, but also in prisons, institutes for juveniles, psychiatric hospitals, police stations, and other centres and institutions of detention and punishment. These abuses can only be stopped with the firm commitment of the international community to recognize the primacy of the pro homine principle, meaning the dignity of the human person above everything else.”
Pope Francis, Address to the International Organisation of Penal Law, 23rd October 2014

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The post Top Pope Francis’ Prison Quotes appeared first on Universe of Faith.

1. Every Human Being Is A Person With Dignity

“Any human society, if it is to be well-ordered and productive, must lay down as a foundation this principle, namely, that every human being is a person, that is, his/her nature is endowed with intelligence and free will. Indeed, precisely because s/he is a person, s/he has rights and obligations flowing directly and simultaneously from her/his very nature.
Pope John 23rd, Peace On Earth, 9

2. Prison Conditions Should Respect Human Dignity

“All Christians and men of good will are thus called today to fight not only for the abolition of the death penalty, whether legal or illegal, and in all its forms, but also in order to improve prison conditions, with respect for the human dignity of the people deprived of their freedom. And I link this to life imprisonment. A short time ago the life sentence was taken out of the Vatican’s Criminal Code. A life sentence is just a death penalty in disguise.
Pope Francis, To The International Association Of Penal Law, 2014

3. Human Dignity Defenders Can Find Home In The Catholic Faith

“Those who are committed to defending human dignity can find in the Christian faith the deepest reasons for this commitment.
Pope Francis, On Care Of Our Common Home, 65

4. A Fair Wage Gurantees A Human Standard Of Living

“The amount a worker receives must be sufficient, in proportion to available funds, to allow him and his family a standard of living consistent with human dignity.
Pope John 23rd, Peace On Earth, 1963

5. Respecting Human Dignity Can Become A Spontaneous Choice

“Hence man’s dignity demands that he act according to a knowing and free choice that is personally motivated and prompted from within, not under blind internal impulse nor by mere external pressure. Man achieves such dignity when, emancipating himself from all captivity to passion, he pursues his goal in a spontaneous choice of what is good, and procures for himself through effective and skillful action.
Pope Paul 6th, Joy And Hope, 17

6. Traffickers Are Unhappy People Who Have Not Discovered Human Dignity 

“I am thinking of those who live off human trafficking or slave labour; do you think these people who traffic persons, who exploit people through slave labour have love for God in their hearts? No, they haven’t fear of the Lord and they are not happy. They are not.
Pope Francis, Audience, June 2014, 3

7. We offend the dignity of others only because we have sold our own dignity first

“I offend the human dignity of others only because I have sold my own first. In exchange for what? For power, fame, material goods. All this , amazingly enough! , in exchange for my dignity as a son and a daughter of God, delivered at the cost of the blood of Christ on the Cross and guaranteed by the Holy Spirit who calls out within us: “Abbà!, Father! (Gal 4:6). Human dignity is the same for all human beings: when I trample on the dignity of another, I am trampling on my own. It was for freedom that Christ has set us free!… The people of Brazil were teaching a good lesson in solidarity; certain of this, I hope that Christians and people of goodwill may commit themselves to working so that no man, woman, young person or child will ever again be a victim of human trafficking! This is the most effective foundation on which to re-establish human dignity and proclaim Christ’s Gospel in the countryside and in the cities, because Jesus desires to pour out an abundance of life everywhere.
Pope Francis, Lenten Brotherhood Campaign In Brazil, 2014

8. Charity Is The Only Way To Pursue Development Goals

“Only in charity, illumined by the light of reason and faith, is it possible to pursue development goals that possess a more humane and humanising value. Fidelity to man requires fidelity to the truth, which alone is the guarantee of freedom (cf. Jn8:32) and of the possibility of integral human development.
Pope Benedict, Charity In Truth, 9

9. Man Should Be At The Centre Of Economic Life

“In the economic and social realms the dignity and complete vocation of the human person and the welfare of society as a whole are to be respected and promoted. For man is the source, the centre, and the purpose of all economic and social life.
Pope Paul 6th, Joy And Hope, 63

10. Our Intimate Connection With God Is The Reason For Our Human Dignity

“The root reason for human dignity lies in man’s call to communion with God. From the very circumstance of his origin man is already invited to converse with God. For man would not exist were he not created by Gods love and constantly preserved by it; and he cannot live fully according to truth unless he freely acknowledges that love and devotes himself to His Creator. Still, many of our contemporaries have never recognised this intimate and vital link with God, or have explicitly rejected it.”
Pope Paul 6th, Joy And Hope, 19

11. Human Dignity Does Not Treat People As Instruments Of Gain

“Whatever is opposed to life itself, such as any type of murder, genocide, abortion, euthanasia, or wilful self-destruction, whatever violates the integrity of the human person, such as mutilation, torments inflicted on body or mind, attempts to coerce the will itself; whatever insults human dignity, such as subhuman living conditions, arbitrary imprisonment, deportation, slavery, prostitution, the selling of women and children; as well as disgraceful working conditions, where people are treated as mere instruments of gain rather than as free and responsible persons; all these things and others like them are infamies indeed. They poison human society, and they do more harm to those who practise them than to those who suffer from the injury. Moreover, they are a supreme dishonour to the Creator”.
Pope Paul 6th, Joy And Hope, 27

12. Human Dignity At Work Implies Treating People As People 

“Any firm which is concerned for the human dignity of its workers must also maintain a necessary and efficient unity of direction. But it must not treat those employees who spend their days in service with the firm as though they were mere cogs in the machinery, denying them any opportunity of expressing their wishes or bringing their experience to bear on the work in hand, and keeping them entirely passive in regard to decisions that regulate their activity.
Pope John 23rd, Mother And Teacher, 1961

13. Human Dignity Implies That Disabled People Do Not Feel Cut From The Place Of Work

“Careful attention must be devoted to the physical and psychological working conditions of disabled people-as for all workers-to their just remuneration, to the possibility of their promotion, and to the elimination of various obstacles. Without hiding the fact that this is a complex and difficult task, it is to be hoped that a correct concept of labour in the subjective sense will produce a situation which will make it possible for disabled people to feel that they are not cut off from the working world or dependent upon society, but that they are full-scale subjects of work, useful, respected for their human dignity and called to contribute to the progress and welfare of their families and of the community according to their particular capacities.”
Pope John Paul 2nd, On Human Work, 1981

14.There’s Something Particularly Bad When It Comes To Trafficking Of The Young

Pope Francis has taken the Church’s advocacy and action to another level through his aggressive and incessant denunciation of this social cancer.  He dedicated part of his address to the UN General Assembly to it. He wrote about it in his encyclical Laudato Si’: On Care for Our Common Home and in his pastoral plan for the New Evangelisation entitled The Joy of the Gospel. He devoted the entirety of his 2015 Message for the World Day of Peace to the subject, making it a key priority of international diplomacy for the Holy See. He has spoken about it to newly accredited diplomats, to international religious leaders, to an alliance of international police chiefs and Church leaders, to social scientists and scholars, to mayors from across the globe, to judges and to various conferences throughout the world.

And he hasn’t merely been talking: He’s been taking action, catalyzing the Holy See’s hosting conferences, spearheading the 2014 Joint Declaration of Religious Leaders against Modern Slavery and willed the creation of the Santa Marta Group, named after his residence in the Vatican, which brings together Catholic leaders and international law enforcement officials to battle this scourge…

The trafficking of anyone, no matter what age, is a crime against humanity. But there is something particularly abominable about submitting children to these barbarities. As a Christian and a Catholic bishop, I cannot fail to recall how Jesus reserves his strongest condemnation for those who hurt children, saying that it would be better for such violators to have a millstone tied around their neck and thrown into the depth of the sea than to face God’s judgment for such deeds (Mt 18:6).
Archbishop Bernardito Auza, UN conference on Eliminating the Trafficking of Children and Youth, July 2016.

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After years of wishing to do a volunteering experience in an African country, last year I spent three weeks living with a family in the beautiful land of the Maasai tribe on the outskirts of Nairobi in Kenya.

The family lives a very rustic self-sufficient life. Accommodation is very basic with a house made from corrugated iron sheets. The only source of electricity is a donated small solar panel which is capable of lighting a couple of bulbs when it gets dark.

There is no running water in the house. Water is only available from a well which is situated around 2km away from home. Traditionally, the family relied on their cattle to cater for their nutrition. However, the depletion in livestock has led them to turn to farming practices which became their primary source of food. Nowadays, their food mainly consists of a small variety of crops such as corn, tomatoes and beans.

Completing the necessary tasks for survival, consumes the major part of the day for the family. Chopping trees to obtain firewood, cutting corn, milking goats and carrying water are the typical tasks performed by the woman on a daily basis while the man looks after the cattle. These activities are done on foot unless the family is rich enough to own a donkey.

Although one might think that this lifestyle does not give much to worry about, the family does encounter difficult situations which are beyond its control. But within the family there is a strong sense of faith. I recall one occasion when the water supply stopped due to a leakage in the piping system. After the fourth day without water, I asked the woman what will happen if the fault is not found soon. She replied that the community will survive as God will not forget them. She was convinced that the leakage will be found and fixed soon or else it will rain. The leakage was found within the next two days and water supply was back to normal.

You might be thinking of what a poor life these people are leading with very basic living standards. However, although most families are deprived of what you may consider as needs, through this volunteering experience I realised that they are also rich in other ways.

The land is still in its natural state and the people living there are in harmony with nature. The area is home for many wild animals such as giraffes and dik-diks. The family enjoys watching sunrise and sunset, two free and beautiful moments which help start the day on a positive note and find peace before the day comes to an end.

There is also a strong sense of family and community values. Children have the constant presence of their mother and father during their upbringing, getting their necessary attention. The family house does not only host the nuclear family but also the extended family which creates a sense of unity. Sharing is also highly present within the community. Food is shared and the family finds a helping hand from the community in the completion of manual work such as house maintenance. Other community members or guests like myself are welcome for dinner and a sleep over at the family’s house with no obligations. Cattle are left to herd alone, knowing that other families within the community will not take their cattle.

Although deprived of material possessions which are considered as basic, these family and community values gave me a very high level of well-being which is also visible within the rest of the community. This volunteering experience was worth all the time invested.

Read more:
– Top Pope Francis’ Solidarity Quotes
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The post Volunteering Experience by an Accountant appeared first on Universe of Faith.

In this heartfelt prayer for injustice, Mother Teresa prays for different categories of people who are suffering an injustice and prays for forgiveness of those who are unintentionally part of a system that perpetuates injustice.

O God, we pray for all those in our world who are suffering from injustice:
For those who are discriminated against because of their race, color or religion;
For those imprisoned for working for the relief of oppression;
For those who are hounded for speaking the inconvenient truth;
For those tempted to violence as a cry against overwhelming hardship;
For those deprived of reasonable health and education;
For those suffering from hunger and famine;
For those too weak to help themselves and who have no one else to help them;
For the unemployed who cry out for work but do not find it.
We pray for anyone of our acquaintance who is personally affected by injustice.

Forgive us, Lord,
if we unwittingly share in the conditions or in a system that perpetuates injustice.
Show us how we can serve your children and make your love practical by washing their feet.

Mother Teresa

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The post Prayer For Injustice appeared first on Universe of Faith.

Lord and giver of all life,
help us to value each person, created in love by you.
In your mercy, guide and assist our efforts
to promote the dignity and value
of all human life, born and unborn.

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The post Prayer For The Dignity Of Human Life appeared first on Universe of Faith.

Human Dignity Verse 1 – We Share From God’s Divinity

“What are human beings that you are mindful of them,
mortals that you care for them?
Yet you have made them a little lower than God,
and crowned them with glory and honor.”
Ps 8:4-5

Human Dignity Verse 2 – We Bear The Title “God’s Children”

“Think of the love that the Father has lavished on us, by letting us be called God’s children; and that is what we are.”
1 Jn 3:1-2

Human Dignity Verse 3 – We Are Created In The Image Of God

“God created man in the image of himself, in the image of God he created him, male and female he created them.”
Gen 1: 26-31

Human Dignity Verse 4 – All People Are Precious

“There is no longer Jew or Greek, there is no longer slave or free, there is no longer male and female; for all of you are one in Christ Jesus.”
Gal 3:28

Read more:
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The post Human Dignity Bible Verses appeared first on Universe of Faith.

Founder of the World Youth Alliance 

Anna believes that there is a universal language which humanity can speak. She explains, “There are two different ways to understand human dignity” These are:

What is human dignity – the juridical and human rights way

“In the juridical and human rights approach, the dignity of the human person is the foundation of human rights. Human dignity is the recognition that the human person is prior to the determination of what is a just law and what is a human right. This also implies that both the state and the individual are bound to respect the human person first, and this becomes a measure of the just nature of the law which they are developing. This means that the State cannot decide who has human dignity but has to respect this preceding fact that every human person has dignity. The State cannot take this away. On the contrary, the State has an obligation to conduct itself and its laws in accordance with this dignity.” Anna Halpine explains.

What is human dignity – the idea of the person from a philosophical and experiential way

“Throughout history, many great men and women have learnt this reality about the human person through the study of philosophy, the pursuit of wisdom and difficult experiences. Central & Eastern European history, and Communism, are extensively studied because of the rich experience which comes out of human suffering. What becomes clear in these experiences is, the dignity of the human person. The State can try to trample on it or set up laws that obliterate it, but it is clear that this is futile. What shines through, in these experiences, is this notion of a human person, which we have had to learn at a very great cost.” Anna Halpine continues.

The significance of human dignity

Anna Halpine explains that, “all around the world we can see attempts to violate the dignity of the person in many areas. Debates about human dignity are taking place in every country in a variety of ways. It is absolutely essential for us to understand the dignity of the human person so that we can defend it and love it, because you can never love something you don’t know.”

The intrinsic value of human dignity

Anna continues to say that when we speak of the intrinsic value of human dignity, “it refers to the fundamental root and value of the human person. It is the deepest sense of the reality of who we are and nothing we do, even if it is very wrong, can take that dignity away from the human person.

We can act in ways that violate our own human dignity or the dignity of others very deeply. People struggle to think that mass murderers and rapists have the same dignity as their victims. That is a problem which we face and that we have to examine very well. Underlining it, is the universal reality that we either have this dignity or we don’t. Human dignity is this worth in value that every person has as a human being. The great adventure of human life is to try and learn to behave in ways that conform to human dignity rather than in ways which violate it and to always behave in ways as to defend those who are being attacked.”

Acting in favour of human dignity can be learnt

Anna believes that we can learn to understand who we are as humans: “As humans we can do things like plants do; grow, nurture ourselves, reproduce… We can do the things which animals do: act on instinct, use imagination and memory, we can move… But only we humans have the unique capacity to think and choose, understand the world, write songs & symphonies, paint and build homes, contemplate the divine. So, these are ways that we can understand who we are as human persons. All of this we can engage it together with our freedom. We can learn to act in ways according to our human dignity and not.”

Anna mentions four important points that she believes in, with regards to what is human dignity. She says that those who believe in the significance of human dignity, “i. can represent ideas that need to be represented, ii. can defend human freedom, iii.can defend the vulnerable and the innocent, and iv. can change the way we live. We can change our communities, our world.”

Asking: “Why do bad things happen to innocent people?” is futile

Anna also believes that “the questions to ask are not Why is the world like this?, Why are these bad things happening? These questions arise and can lead to righteous anger that mobilises us into action. But the real question for us all is What are you doing about it today? This allows us to understand that our life counts. We don’t have to feel angry and helpless but we can take concrete action in the lives of others and contribute to the matters that we believe in.”

“Our life is valuable,” she continues, “and we need everyone’s help. Each person has to commit themselves genuinely to live and act on certain principles. If we do this together, we can really make a difference.”

About Anna Halpine and the World Youth Alliance

While studying music in New York, Anna was chosen to go to work for a year at the European Parliament. “There I met young people from all over the world. Working at the parliament, gave me the possibility to talk with them about human dignity ideas and how important they were in the world today. I could also follow debates that the EU was having and I became aware how these debates were affecting our lives. At the end of the year I moved back to New York City and moved in an apartment with other friends, who were musicians. This is were the World Youth Alliance was conceived. We taught music to earn a living, pay the rent and fund the project of the World Youth Alliance. We also took a loan. At one point as team we were fifteen people working on this project. We had nothing. We shared everything. We discussed and worked together. This project was changing our lives. We had no benefactors or influential people helping out. Initially the team was made entirely of young people. Eventually people started to help us to develop white papers, reports and set up the organisation. As the person responsible for this initiative, I had to think about where to get the money etc There were times when I wondered whether it was possible to keep going. Yet it as an exciting experience. It was all set up by young people and soon other young people started to join us, and to work with us at the United Nations. The World Youth Alliance kept growing.”

Today, the World Youth Alliance is made up of more than one million youth members from around the world. All are dedicated to work for a better world that fosters human dignity and authentic integral human development, in public life, at all levels. It has six offices, in: New York, Kenya, Manila, Brussels, Mexico City and Beirut working with different youth and organisations from many different religious and non-religious backgrounds including Atheists, Agnostics, Buddhists, Catholics, Confucians, Jews, Muslims, Protestants and people and people who are not affiliated to any religion. All are promoting human dignity. Together, they train young people and older ones by helping them apply the concept of human dignity in different contexts.

Read more:
– Top Popes’ Human Dignity Quotes
– Human Dignity Bible Verses
Karl Rahner, The dignity and freedom of man, Theological Investigations vol 2 London: Darton Longmann and Todd, 1963 pp 235-246.

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