Week: Justice
As usual, we start by pausing and taking a deep breath:
In and out.
In and out.
We remember that God is here, and so together we prepare ourselves to be with God.
Pause
God of Justice and Mercy, we say YES to becoming more like You. Help us to do what is right, to love justice and to be honest with everyone.
Today, we’re REFLECTING on a hero of justice, so let’s begin by reading what the Bible has to say about living justly.
Read by Ruby
Proverbs 31:8-9
Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves;
defend the rights of all those who have nothing.
Speak up and judge fairly,
and defend the rights of the poor and needy.
Proverbs 31:8-9 (NCV)
In 1977, when Óscar Romero was 60 years old, he became an Archbishop (which means that he was a very important leader in the Catholic Church) in El Salvador.
At the time, the government – called the Junta – were rich and powerful and they treated the poorest people in El Salvador very badly. Even though he was very nervous at first, Óscar knew that he had to do something about this. He knew that following Jesus didn’t just mean not doing wrong things. It meant that he had to start doing right things.* As we read in today’s Bible verses, Óscar knew that he needed to speak up for those who could not speak for themselves and defend those who were poor and in need.
He started writing in newspapers and speaking on the radio about the bad things that the Junta were doing, letting the rest of the world know what was going on. This made the Junta very angry, but Óscar kept on going until someone eventually killed him. Today, the Junta are gone, while Óscar Romero is remembered around the world as a hero of justice.
‘There are not two categories of people,’ he once said. ‘There are not some who were born to have everything and leave others with nothing… God wants a Christian society, one in which we share the good things that God has given for all of us.’**
Let’s press pause and talk about today’s question which is: What have we shared recently? Or what has someone else shared with us?
Sometimes we feel nervous about speaking up when we see that people are being treated unfairly, maybe at school or in our community.
God of Justice and Mercy, we ASK You to help us grow in courage, like You did with Óscar Romero. Help us to start doing right things too.
Óscar felt that it wasn’t right for some people to have everything and other people to have nothing, but that’s the way the world seems right now. Nearly 10% of the world live in poverty, while the number of billionaires – people with more money than they will ever, ever, need – is growing faster than ever.*
Loving God, we pray for a fairer world. We ASK You to change the hearts of governments and big businesses and individuals with more money than they need, so that the wealth of the world can be shared more fairly.
And now, let’s say YES to God together.
Loving God, we say YES to following Jesus like Óscar Romero did, by helping others to speak up for themselves and helping those who are poor and in need.
Let’s put a hand on our heart.
Father God, fill us with Your love. Help us to love You, and everything that You’ve made.
Let’s point to our eyes.
Lord Jesus, help us to see You, and to see others the way that You see them too.
Let’s point to our ears.
Holy Spirit, help us to hear You, and give us courage to do what You say.
* https://ignatiansolidarity.net/blog/2014/08/13/man-gods-microphone-12-quotes-celebrate-life-voice-oscar-romero/
** https://ignatiansolidarity.net/blog/2014/08/13/man-gods-microphone-12-quotes-celebrate-life-voice-oscar-romero/
*** https://www.worldvision.org/sponsorship-news-stories/global-poverty-facts#facts
**** https://www.oxfam.org/en/press-releases/richest-1-bag-nearly-twice-much-wealth-rest-world-put-together-over-past-two-years#
Chris lives in Melbourne, Australia with his wife and two boys. He works for 24-7 Prayer Australia and Red Church and is also a professional musician. When he’s not working or drumming Chris enjoys going on long hikes in the mountains with his boys and playing table tennis.
Ruby is 12 and she lives in Dublin, in the Republic of Ireland with her family. Ruby is a gymnast who never sits still! She loves dogs (but her mum won’t get her one), she loves her friends and she’s always up for a laugh. Ruby would love to work with animals when she’s older.
