Building a World of Justice

Solidarity Resource Book

      for ShareLife 2011

This book includes resour­

ces you can use to make your
ShareLife ­gatherings prayer­
ful, reflective and cele­bratory
­occasions.

D evelopment and P eace

is the official international
­development organization of
the ­Catholic Church in Canada.

C-11-S-22
 Prayers of the Faithful
for the Sundays in Lent

For all our partners in Latin America, For all those who walk alongside communities and
Working to end the exploitation of their land People living in poverty throughout the world,
By some unethical Canadian mining companies, Offering spiritual, material and political support,
We give you thanks and praise. We give you thanks and praise.

For our partners in Africa, For all those who act on new visions of partnership,
Working to ensure that their people and the world Modelling just ways of working alongside partners in
Benefit from food sovereignty, The Global South,
We give you thanks and praise. We give you thanks and praise.

For our partners in Asia, For the Catholic Church in Timor-Leste,

With a passion for justice that helps those Struggling for compassionate democracy
Denied water access by bottled water companies, From the midst of its people,
We give you thanks and praise. We give you thanks and praise.

For our partners in the Middle East, For all those who educate and act for global justice in
Working, like so many partners around the world, Communities throughout Canada,
To bring peace to their lands, Reminding us that justice is God’s work on Earth,
We give you thanks and praise. We give you thanks and praise.

Amen

(Adapted from Kairos, 2002)

2 2011 Solidarity Resources

 Symbols of Solidarity
The Road to Freedom: Timor-Leste
The ShareLife Symbols of Solidarity are a meaning-
ful way to introduce the Development and Peace
ShareLife campaign. This year, the symbols help
us reflect on the experience of the tiny nation of
Timor-Leste on its long journey to “compassion-
ate democracy” after centuries of Portuguese
colonization, Indonesian occupation and human
rights abuses. The difficulty of such a journey
is one that many countries of the Global South
have experienced. Development and Peace part-
ners help foster compassionate democracy.
The symbols are also a visible reminder of our
solidarity with our sisters and brothers in the
Global South. They are designed as a procession
before or during Mass or at other gatherings.
Allow brief pauses between symbols to create
some dramatic effect. The procession of each
symbol will start as the narrator or reader begins
each section, ending at the front of the church or
room.
NOTE: Timor-Leste was previously known as
East Timor.

What you will need:

• Eight volunteers to carry or act out the
symbols. Invite youth, new Canadians
and children or a family to be part of the
procession.

• Decide where you will place the symbols

when they are processed in. This might be
around the altar, on a table decorated for
the purpose, or on a display in the wor-
ship space or meeting room.

• A large, flat straw basket or other suitable

large, flat dish should be ready near the
narrator to receive the symbols.

• Any kind of fragrant wood, such as cedar.

• Woven, patterned cloth.

• Purple ribbons.

• White ribbons.

2011 Solidarity Resources 3


Narrator:
Today we will reflect on the role of the Catholic
Church in defending human rights in the nations of
the Global South.
With the presentation of these symbols we focus on
the story of a new nation, Timor-Leste, in Southeast
Asia. When the Portuguese left in 1975 after more
than 400 years of colonization, this tiny island na-
tion was immediately occupied by the Indonesian
army. Over the next 24 years, as many as 180,000 Ti-
morese – nearly a third of the population – lost their
lives due to massive human rights abuses. Forced
to declare a religion, more than 80 percent of the
population turned to Catholicism. The Timorese
Catholic Church became a repository of Timorese
culture, a defender of human rights, an advocate for
Timorese independence, and a proponent of people-
first development.
With Development and Peace, the Canadian
Catholic Church supported the Timorese Catholic
Church and Bishop Carlos Ximenes Belo in calling
for the world’s help in achieving independence. In
1996, Bishop Belo became the first Catholic Bishop
to be awarded a Nobel Peace Prize. In 2002, Timor-
Leste achieved independence as a new nation.
Development and Peace was there in solidarity
with the Timorese Catholic Church during the
transition of Timor-Leste from occupied country
to independent nation. We continue to accompany
the Timorese Catholic Church, Timorese partners
and the Timorese people in their ongoing struggle
towards truly “compassionate democracy.”

Sandalwood
(use any small piece of fragrant wood)
Process in with a piece of fragrant wood.
Hold it for all to see.
We present the symbol for sandalwood, valued so much
for its perfume that today it is rare and expensive. The
desire for sandalwood led the Portuguese to colonize
Timor-Leste in the 1500s. Now offshore oil reserves in-
terest neighbouring Indonesia, which violently occupied
Timor-Leste from 1974 to 1999, and nearby Australia.
In 2010 Bishop Alberto Ricardo da Silva of Timor-Leste
presented Development and Peace and its members
with a certificate of thanks for our solidarity. The cer-
tificate featured strips of sandalwood, which he said still
“springs up everywhere” in Timor-Leste.
Woven cloth
Process in with a piece of woven cloth that all can see.
We present a woven piece of cloth as a symbol of Timor-
Leste’s journey toward “compassionate democracy.” Tra-
ditional methods of weaving have survived throughout
Timor-Leste. Each of its 13 districts is represented in the
new parliament building with a large characteristic weav-
ing that decorates the walls where new laws are debated
and passed. Democracy in Timor-Leste is fragile, and
justice and the rule of law are new.

With this wood, we recall how the desire for resources

can lead the powerful to violently subjugate peoples and
practise human rights abuses in countries of the Global
South. We recall also how the people are resilient, and
how the Catholic Church responds from the midst of its
people to defend their human rights.

“When the circumstances warrant it and the Church

becomes active as an advocate on human rights, it is
keeping faith with the Gospel,” said Bishop Belo. “The
Church has to act to protect the weak and vulnerable.”

4 2011 Solidarity Resources

The Women’s Parliamentary Caucus, a partner of Develop-
ment and Peace, has helped ensure that new laws in the
new country consider the needs of women. Together with
other Development and Peace partners, it helped create
and pass the Law Against Domestic Violence.
The Church is part of this transformation. “The whole
process of formation of this people as a nation, all the
problems which it will meet, all the challenges it will
face, are the problems and challenges of the Church,”
said Bishop Belo.
Freeing the slaves
Process in with two people whose hands are bound
behind them with purple ribbons. Remove the ribbons
from their hands when you reach your display area.
We present two slaves being freed as a symbol of Timor-
Leste’s long road to freedom. Throughout the dark
days of Indonesian occupation, the Timorese Catholic
Church defended the people’s human rights. Bishop
Belo, with the help of Development and Peace, the
Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops and other
Catholic agencies worldwide, brought the world’s at-
tention to the situation of his people. In 1999 the In-
donesians withdrew, and in 2002 Timor-Leste achieved
independence.
“We, the predominantly Christian people of East Timor,
like to think of the road we have taken to freedom as the
road that Jesus Christ took toward Easter – toward the
Resurrection. It is a Way of the Cross: A Paschal experi-
ence in its deepest sense: life through death, consolation
through desolation, freedom through oppression, justice
through impunity, victory through defeat, hope through
despair,” said Bishop Belo.
Peace
Two people process in with their hands clasped in a
handshake and holding a white ribbon. Raise their
hands and show to all as they reach the display area.
We present these friends with clasped hands and white
ribbons as a symbol of reconciliation and peace. Both
are needed in helping Timor-Leste overcome the legacy
of a violent past.
Development and Peace’s Timorese partner the Justice
and Peace Commission finds ways to create peace from the
violence that still erupts within Timor-Leste. Following
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“We... like to think of the
road we have taken to
freedom as the road that
Jesus Christ took toward
Easter – toward the
Resurrection. It is a Way
of the Cross: A Paschal
experience in its deepest
sense.”
  – Bishop Carlos Ximenes
Belo, shown with the Nobel
Peace Prize he won in 1996.
the riots of 2006, in which 16 youth gangs were active,
the JPC found ways to engage all the gangs in dialogue
with police.
The JPC’s actions reflect these words of Bishop Belo: “We
have suffered enormous losses on our road to freedom.
We must commit ourselves to truth and reconciliation,
to justice and peace. We must travel with hope, looking
behind the horizon – to a compassionate democracy. It
is our road to Easter – to Resurrection.”
The narrator turns to the basket:
In this basket we will gather and display the symbols of
Timor-Leste that we have presented to you today. We
stand in solidarity with the Timorese Catholic Church
and the Timorese partners of Development and Peace
as they continue their journey towards “compassionate
democracy.”
Narrator:
We leave you with this prayer:
Lord, we pray in solidarity with the Timorese
people. May they feel your healing power as they
work towards reconciliation and rebuild their
homeland.
Give us the strength to answer the call to be faith-
ful witnesses to Christ, walking in solidarity with
the Timorese. Thy will be done.
5
 ShareLife Way of the Cross
Introduction
The Way of the Cross calls us to recall the
suffering of Jesus in a particular way. Today,
many people in our world living in Asia,
Africa, Latin America and the Middle East
continue to carry the cross of Christ. This
Way of the Cross allows us to reflect both
on these burdens, and on the Resurrection –
the ways of hope that lead to new life. Your
support of Development and Peace allows
these communities in the Global South to
construct new life.
This Way of the Cross is adapted from one devel-
oped by Caritas Australia. Development and
Peace is a member of Caritas Internationalis.
Optional activity:
At each station a coloured piece of ribbon should
be given to each person. Each station should have
a different colour. At the last station the ribbons
can be twisted together to symbolize the interde-
pendency of all peoples in our global community:
what we do as individuals and as a community
has ripple effects on individuals and communi-
ties around the world. Encourage participants to
keep their ribbons in their pockets or handbags
to remind them that what God wants from us is
a commitment in all areas of our lives to love one
another. There are some suggestions for other
props; feel free to adapt.
1. Jesus in the garden
(Green ribbon)
Optional props:  Six candles; the Development and
Peace 2006-2011 campaign principles poster; or
Faith Reflections based on the principles (available
on our website or through your animator)
Light six candles to represent the six principles that
have guided Development and Peace’s campaign in
6 2011 Solidarity Resources
the past five years. They are printed on the back of our
5-year folder and on the principles poster, or on the
Faith Reflections. Check our website.
Reflection:  Jesus turned to his father in heaven for com-
fort and support. He was fully aware of what was going
to happen to him, and chose to spend time praying to
his father. He asked his friends to stay with him and
keep watch, but instead they fell asleep and abandoned
him in his hour of need.
Today, we also abandon Christ when we fail to stand
in solidarity with the people of the Global South.
Some Canadian mining companies, the growing
demand for agrofuels in Western countries, and the
commodification of bottled water affect the lives and
livelihoods of our brothers and sisters in the Global
South. They are losing access to land and water, and
some live in communities divided by unscrupulous
mining companies. The right to participate fully in and
have control over decisions, especially about resources,
that affect their lives and communities is important for
Development and Peace partners.
Prayer:  We ask the Lord for strength and guidance to
become people of witness. To remember that the love
you have for us is the way we should love one another.
Help us to stand in solidarity with our brothers and
sisters and not abandon them.
Response: Holy Spirit, empower us to be people
of witness.
2. Jesus betrayed by Judas
(Black ribbon)
Reflection:  Jesus chose Judas to be one of his twelve dis-
ciples, a faithful follower. But Judas betrayed his friend
by going to the chief priests and promising to lead the
authorities to Jesus in exchange for money.
May 20, 2002, marked the birth of a new nation,
Timor-Leste, which survived 24 years of oppression by
Indonesia’s occupying forces. The Timorese have risen
from the ashes to begin the journey towards freedom
and self-determination. Development and Peace was
a loyal ally of the Timorese Catholic Church in the years
leading up to independence. We continue to stand in
solidarity with the Timorese Church and these coura-
geous people as they build a nation.
Prayer:  Lord, we pray in solidarity with the Timorese
people. May they feel your healing power as they work
towards reconciliation and rebuild their homeland.
Holy Spirit, give us the strength to answer the call to
be faithful witnesses to Christ, advocating for justice for
the Timorese. Thy will be done.
Response: Holy Spirit, empower us to be people of
promise, loyalty and compassion.

3. Jesus is condemned to death

(Yellow ribbon)
Members of the 2010 Development and Peace
Reflection:  Oscar Romero, the Archbishop of San Sal-
­Exposure tour visit a memorial at Timor Leste’s Santa
vador, was inspired by his faith to speak out against
Cruz cemetery, where Indonesian soldiers massacred
violence, poverty and injustice. He was assassinated on
260 protesters in 1991.
March 24, 1980, while celebrating Mass.
Oscar Romero is a modern-day martyr who like Jesus
Small-scale farmers in developing countries produce
gave his life for his people: the oppressed and the mar-
half of the world’s food. Their access to land is increas-
ginalized poor of El Salvador.
ingly threatened by the spread of enormous agrofuel
Today, we are called to speak out against injustice
plantations growing food crops such as corn or soya to
as well. As the Archbishop said, “The Church cannot
fuel the cars of Western nations.
remain silent before injustice; to remain silent is to be
an accomplice.” Prayer:  Holy Spirit, guide world leaders to support
small-scale farmers so they can feed their communities.
Prayer:  May the courage of Oscar Romero inspire us to
May we use our freedom to serve others.
work with integrity for an end to violence and poverty.
Response: Holy Spirit, empower us to be witnesses
Response: Holy Spirit, empower us to be witnesses
to truth and justice.
to your love through our defence of the poor.

4. Jesus denied by Peter 5. Jesus condemned by the

(Dark-green ribbon)
Optional: Symbols of the earth – soil, water, seeds,
plants, grains.
Reflection:  Just as Judas succumbed to temptation,
Peter also let Jesus down. Three times he was identified
as a follower of Jesus, and three times he denied any as-
sociation with him. Judas later repented, and Peter too,
and turned to the Lord for forgiveness.
How many times have we failed to see the face of Jesus
in those in our global family who wake each day to a
life of suffering? How often do we disconnect ourselves
from global issues?
people (Red ribbon)
Reflection:  Standing innocent before them, Jesus had to
face the condemnation of the crowd – which included
people who should have spoken up for him. But all were
against him.
Communities throughout the world are battling
HIV and AIDS. They face not only illness, hardship and
death, but also the prejudice that comes from ignorance
and the fear that leads others to abandon them. Do we
have the courage to confront prejudice with love?
Prayer:  Lord, help those affected by HIV and AIDS to
be sure in their dignity as God’s people.

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 Help your Church throughout the world to grow as
a compassionate community, and as a voice of justice
that will for speak for those who are condemned out of
prejudice and fear.
Response: Holy Spirit, empower us to be witnesses
of compassion and wisdom.
6. Jesus crowned with thorns
and clothed in purple
  (Purple ribbon)
Reflection:  The image of Jesus at this station is one of
physical suffering. More than that, it is the image of
someone who stands painfully alone, without allies,
among those who threaten and hurt.
The people of Darfur have experienced the pains of
war, forcible displacement and physical deprivation.
When human beings are plunged into the depths of suf-
fering, a loss of hope and a challenge to faith can result.
How can we stand silent while this suffering is in-
flicted on our brothers and sisters? How can we not let
them know God’s love through us? Our union with God
is reflected in the extent to which we commit ourselves
to these efforts.
Prayer:  Lord, we belong to one human family.
Help us to open our hearts to those who suffer, to
offer our talents to the cause of justice, and to give our
hands to those who support the struggles for life and
peace.
Response: Holy Spirit, empower us to be witnesses
of hope.
7. Jesus carries the cross
(Orange ribbon)
Optional prop: A pair of shoes.
Reflection:  Bearing the weight of the cross took mental,
spiritual, emotional and physical strength.
Refugees who seek asylum from fear, oppression
and danger must gather the strength they need to find
a better life in new surroundings. The genuine cry for
justice cannot be ignored. The duty to defend human
rights is clear.
Prayer:  Lord, we pray for peace in lands so much in
crisis that their peoples must leave them.
8 2011 Solidarity Resources
We pray for our own people so that in a spirit of love
we can offer a welcoming place to those who need it.
Response: Holy Spirit, empower us to be witnesses
of inclusion.
8. Jesus assisted by Simon of
Cyrene (Light-blue ribbon)
Reflection:  As Jesus struggled on the way of sorrows
to his crucifixion, he was helped by a man who did not
even know him.
The people of Africa, Asia, Latin America and the
Middle East are our neighbours. Communities are try-
ing to restore trust and common goals after division
has been sown by foreign mining companies, sometimes
Canadian ones. They need not carry their burden alone.
In partnership with them, Development and Peace has
called Canadian mining companies to account.
Prayer:  Lord, help us to share our strength, willingly,
with our neighbours who are on the journey from fear to
trust, from conflict to peace, from division to harmony.
We can bear some of the weight of their struggles.
Response: Holy Spirit, empower us to be witnesses
of solidarity.
9. Jesus meets the women of
Jerusalem (Pink ribbon)
Reflection:  Jesus Christ can hear women crying for him.
He is touched, but he knows that they have more things
for which to feel sorrow. The children of the world are
hungry. Mothers weep for them and Jesus weeps also.
Women throughout the world still struggle to be
recognized. In many countries, women do not have
access to basic education. Women are sold into slavery
and prostitution. The basic dignity of women continues
to be infringed upon each day throughout the world.
Prayer:  Lord, we pray for the women of our world.
Help us to see women as the life-givers, the workers, the
nurturers. Lord, we pray that people may see women as
you do.
Response: Holy Spirit, empower us to be advocates
for the dignity and the rights of women.
 10. Jesus is crucified
(Crimson ribbon)
Reflection:  Jesus Christ died on the cross. The crucifix-
ion continues in our world.
In Canada, the conditions suffered by people in some
Indigenous communities are comparable to those suf-
fered by the poorest in countries in the Global South.
Young people commit suicide. Older people suffer from
diabetes and malnutrition. In Canada, we separated
Indigenous children from their parents and culture by
sending them to residential schools, where many were
subsequently abused. This has had a lasting effect on
Indigenous family and community life and cohesion.
Today, we try to make amends through apology and
reconciliation.
Indigenous people are among the poorest and the dis-
possessed in the countries of Asia, Africa, Latin America
and the Middle East where Development and Peace
partners are active.
Prayer:  Lord, give us the strength and resolve to work
for justice for Indigenous people, to move beyond
tolerance and work toward rights, recognition and
reconciliation.
Response: Holy Spirit, empower us to be witnesses
who lead the way in upholding the rights and recog­
nition of Indigenous peoples.
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11. Jesus speaks to the thief
(Dark-blue ribbon)
Optional:  A bowl or pitcher of water, empty water
bottles, Bottled Water Free Zone pledge cards and
the tabloid from the fall campaign on bottled water.
Reflection:  Some small-scale farmers in Indonesia are
threatened by the loss of traditional water sources, such
as local springs, that are controlled by bottled-water
companies. There is less water in their wells and on
their lands, and they are less able to earn livelihoods
from farming. As water becomes scarce, the delicate
connections between land, family, religion and com-
munity are severed.
Prayer:  Lord, help us open our eyes to the needs of
others who are affected by the commodification and
selling of basic human necessities such as water. Jesus,
remember us when we come into your kingdom.
Response: Holy Spirit, empower us to be people of
simplicity, integrity and care.
9

12. Jesus speaks to his mother
(Light-purple ribbon)
Reflection:  Cambodia’s maternal mortality rate is one
of the highest in the world. Women continue to die in
childbirth due to unsanitary conditions and lack of ac-
cess to medical services.
Jesus sees the pain in his mother’s eyes ... Woman,
this is your son, and this is your mother. In Mary, we see all
women. Jesus saw the pain in his mother’s eyes as he
hung on the cross. Jesus feels the pain of mothers who
lose their children.
Prayer:  Lord help us to love like mothers, to experience
a welling up of love for the suffering Christ. That suffer-
ing Christ is present in the poor. It is here that we most
encounter Christ.
Response: Holy Spirit, empower us to be people
who challenge the structures and cultural influences
that keep women poor and marginalized.
13. Jesus dies on the cross
(Brown ribbon)
Reflection:  Jesus shows that he trusts in the will of God.
Many of our partners struggle for the rights of their
communities to live in dignity at great personal cost,
including assassinations, violence and threats. Kimy
Pernia Domico, a traditional leader of the Colombia’s
Embera Katio Indigenous people, spoke eloquently
about the impact of a consortium’s major dam on his
people’s traditional livelihoods. Kimy has not been seen
since he was kidnapped from the streets of a Colombian
city in 2001.
Prayer:  Lord, help us to be witnesses to the Lord’s mercy
here on earth. Help us to act with justice, love and ten-
derness, and to walk humbly with God.
Response: Holy Spirit, empower us to act with jus­
tice, love and tenderness.
14. Jesus is buried
(White ribbon)
Props:  As in the first station we return to the six
candles and the six principles of this Development
and Peace campaign now ending.
10 2011 Solidarity Resources
In the shadow of the sadness and grief of the tomb,
we take time to reflect on what has been and what can
be. We use this time in the tomb to renew our commit-
ment to truth, justice, peace and mercy.
Reflection:  The friends of Jesus had to leave his body
wrapped in a linen cloth and return to their home. They
would have to wait to do what needed to be done.
We return to the six principles of this campaign and
consider what we need to do to ensure that everyone
has the right to participate fully in and have control
over decisions that affect their lives and communities.
It is important to be discerning about how we work
for justice, to uphold the human dignity of all we seek
to serve, and to remember that it was Christ who set the
example of love, charity, compassion and justice.
From this perspective, we need renewal: a renewal of
passion, to allow God’s grace to work within us.
Prayer:  Lord, let us go back to the tomb and tend to our
sisters and brothers. Help us to commit to the future
and anticipate the resurrection.
Response: Holy Spirit, empower us to be people of
passion, inspiration and peace.
For the benefit of all
As we enjoy our abundance of wealth,
We pray for the hungry nations of the world.
May they be freed from the yoke of
oppression.
Response:  Hear your people’s plea.
As we celebrate the joys of creation,
We pray for the people who are denied their
share.
May the earth and everything in it
Be for the benefit of all human beings.
Response:  Hear your people’s plea.
As we benefit from international trade,
We pray for the producers and workers
Who are deprived of their just reward.
May all created goods flow freely for all.
Response:  Hear your people’s plea.
Tony Singleton/CAFOD
 Faith Reflection or Homily
Jesus Began to Weep:
Compassion builds a world of justice
Thank you, Father, for giving me the opportunity to
talk to the congregation gathered here today.
Good morning/Good evening. My name is
____________________ and I’m here on behalf of the
Canadian Catholic Organization for Development
And Peace.
Have you ever wondered if Jesus was an emotional
person? Have you ever wondered if his divinity put
him above human feelings?
Today’s Gospel reading should dispel any doubt that
Jesus strongly felt human emotions. (If you are reading
on a Sunday other than the Fifth Sunday of Lent, please ad-
just the text).
The reading contains the shortest verse in the Bible.
Four words: “Jesus began to weep.” Just four words,
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but they say so much about our Lord. Later in the sto-
ry, as Jesus walked to the tomb of Lazarus, the Gospel
says, “Jesus, again greatly disturbed.”
The feeling that moved Jesus on this and many other
occasions is compassion. In this case it was compas-
sion for the friends and family of Lazarus who are
Notes
This reflection is based on the Gospel read-
ing for Solidarity Sunday, April 10. Please
feel free to adjust the text for use on other
days or during other weeks.
The Gospel reading for Solidarity Sunday is:
John 11.1-45
11
 mourning his death. This feeling moves Jesus so very
deeply that he performs his greatest and last miracle.
He raises his friend from the dead.
Jesus also showed great bravery in coming to Bethany
that day. He left a safe haven on the other side of the
Jordan River to come to a place where he was in dan-
ger. And when the chief priests and Pharisees heard of
the miracle, they decided once and for all that Jesus
had to die.
“Compassion” is our translation of a Greek word
used in the original Gospel text. The Greek word is
much stronger though. It implies a gut-wrenching
Brazilian Prayer
for the end of poverty
O Lord, God of life,
Who cares for all creation,
Give us your peace.
May our security not come from arms,
But from respect.
May our force not be of violence,
But of love.
May our wealth not be in money,
but in sharing.
May our path not be of ambition,
But of justice.
May our victory not be from vengeance,
But in forgiveness.
Open and confident, we want to defend
The dignity of all creation,
Sharing, today and forever, the bread of
Solidarity and peace.
In the name of Jesus,
Your holy son, our brother,
Who, as victim of our violence,
Even from the heights of the cross
Gave us all forgiveness.
Amen.
CAFOD/a Brazilian ecumenical conference.
12 2011 Solidarity Resources
feeling that is emotionally and physically disturbing.
Throughout his ministry it is this emotion Jesus feels
when faced by human suffering. He feels this gut-
wrenching compassion for all manner of outcasts: the
lepers, the poor, the sick and the multitudes of people
who were rejected by their spiritual leaders.
What would Jesus feel for the people of Timor-Leste,
who suffered decades of tyranny and are still trying
to recover from their oppression? What would Jesus
feel if he visited the landless people of Brazil, living in
stick houses covered by plastic sheets, year after year
facing eviction from their meagre houses and seeing
their crops destroyed yet again? What would Jesus feel
for the people of Haiti, who suffered the catastrophic
earthquake of January 2010?
The compassion that Jesus would feel for these people
is the same compassion that moves Canadians year
after year to donate money to Development And
Peace. The people of this parish and parishes across
Canada know that Development And Peace is the
best way to support the people of the Global South
who struggle against great odds for a life of human
dignity.
The bravery that Jesus showed in raising Lazarus,
even though it would bring him terrible scrutiny from
the Jewish and Roman authorities, is the same bravery
that moves the oppressed people of Timor-Leste, the
landless of Brazil and the survivors of the Haiti earth-
quake to rise again and build lives of human dignity.
Development And Peace has been and is a part of all
these struggles. Through Development And Peace
and our partner organizations in these countries, you
too are a part of these struggles.
I urge you to give generously to Development And
Peace through our ShareLife campaign. The Catholic
Church in Canada has no better way to support the
people of the Global South. Consider signing up for
Share Year Round, the monthly giving program that is
the best possible way to help. Please see me after Mass
if you are interested.
Thank you.
By Danny Gillis
Photos: Dick Mynen