Justice Matters: Pentecost in a time of deep crisis

Three things especially caught my attention at Mass on Pentecost Sunday.

The first was the psalm, “Send forth your spirit of Lord and renew the face of the Earth.” 

Next was the call of the Gospel and Homily to let the Spirit bring us to fruitfulness, a call proclaimed with the backdrop of the beautiful banners. 

Then the third was the prayer of intercession, “We bring before our loving heavenly Father the leaders of our country and those who are key players in international relations, that they shun the temptation to divide and dominate others outside their group and be awakened to a true sense of self and national worth that allows all people to flourish. We remember especially those suffering from conflict – including in the Ukraine, Nigeria, Yemen, Afghanistan, the Holy Land.”

See     We see so many crises affecting the Earth -  its climate, soils, oceans, ecosystems -  and with already dramatic impacts especially on those in poorest countries.  

The Spirit came, in the account of Acts, in a time of crisis - to people in an occupied Jerusalem – with a miracle of hearing as all people heard the Good News. Maybe the battle with evil is such that we are always in crisis, but these days the crises feel so all-embracing, urgent and existential… not only for Ukrainians, Palestinians, Uighur and so many others but with the ecological emergencies, for all life on earth. 

This is all at a time when, as the prayer said, too many leaders are so tragically willing not to listen but to divide people, polarising societies and cheapening political discourse with slogans, lies and lies about lies.  They seem to consider that being a refugee or living in poverty is a choice and a burden to those with wealth, rather than a consequence of systemic failure.  We see the debris of broken international agreements, and the UK’s selective engagement with international law. While not conforming in the UK, international law is used to challenge Russia, but certainly not Israel despite its decades of transgressions. We then see the law being shaped to these leaders’ will, not vice versa. Perhaps most insidiously, those in poverty are even being disenfranchised in both the USA by Republican-run states and in the UK as obstacles are being placed to voting. I noted and appreciated “trustfulness” being on our banners at St Catherine’s. 

Reflect     That prayer of intercession above is also a comfortable prayer….  wanting change in other people.  But on Pentecost Sunday it was in a wider context, as all our intercessions are each week  -  for we also pray for our renewal as missionary disciples, with our doors open to welcome all, that is, to act with empathy for all.

What are the powers that occupy us? What prejudices obstruct us from expressing empathy? How do we divide people in our own hearts? – those deserving and those supposedly undeserving of justice.

We are called to give priority to those in poverty - in politics and in seeking justice.

By our lives and choices we helped to create the world we now have.... how can we continue to help the Spirit to redeem it?  In part it is by continuing to live with love and decency as our cluster parishioners do in so many ways. Yet maybe there is scope for additional choices and actions.

Act     We might wish to consider our own answers to the questions above, and beg the Spirit to be active in us, and to draw us to right actions, as well as those with positions of leadership.

We might wish to ask our MPs about the elections bill.

Mike Mineter