(Here is a touching short video for our reflection. In the video containing the prayer intention for September, produced by the Pope’s Worldwide Prayer Network, Pope Francis asks us some deep and provoking questions).

“The great biblical tradition enjoins on all peoples the duty to hear the voice of the poor. It bids us break the bonds of injustice and oppression which give rise to glaring, and indeed scandalous, social inequalities”, says Pope Francis

Pope Francis always encourages us to stand in solidarity with those who are marginalized and cast out, those who don’t necessarily make the headlines. In Laudato Si’ he says, “There can be no ecology without an adequate anthropology.” (Laudato Si’, 118) “Environmental problems cannot be separated from… how individuals relate to themselves.” (Laudato Si’, 141) “Acceptance of our bodies as God’s gift is vital for welcoming and accepting the entire world as a gift from the Father…” In this video the Pope challenges us to look at the world, especially at the injustices experienced by those who are marginalised and neglected, more empathetically.

A homeless person who dies on the street will never appear among the top stories of search engines or newscasts. How could we have reached this level of indifference? “How is it that we allow the ‘throwaway culture’ – in which millions of men and women are worth nothing compared to economic goods – to dominate our lives, our cities, our way of life? And continuing, he pleads with us: “Let’s stop making invisible those who are on the margins of society, whether it’s due to poverty, addictions, mental illness or disability.” Let us listen carefully to his message and do what we can to substitute the “throwaway culture” with a “culture of welcoming.”

“Our necks are going to get stiff from looking the other way so we don’t have to see this situation. Please, let’s stop making invisible those who are on the margins of society, whether it’s due to poverty, addictions, mental illness or disability. Let’s focus on accepting them, on welcoming all the people who need it. The “culture of welcoming,” of hospitality, of providing shelter, of giving a home, of offering love, of giving human warmth. Let us pray for those people on the margins of society in subhuman living conditions, that they may not be neglected by institutions and never be cast out”.

We know that human beings are victimised by economic, political, social, and cultural injustices. These forces contribute to structural injustices. Many problems are now referred to as instances of structural injustice—notably those experiencing homelessness and child labour, but also racism, sexism, colonialism, climate change. The video and the Prayer intention by the Pope provoke us to take a moment to pause and reflect and perhaps to delve into the root causes of marginalisation.

In some ways, the Pope’s words echo those of Pedro Arrupe many years ago “To be just, it is not enough to refrain from injustice. One must go further and refuse to play its game, substituting love for self-interest as the driving force of society. »

Below are some questions which may help you or your students to reflect on the injustices so many are facing.

Questions for  Reflection by you or your students:

1. What touched you while you watched and listened to the video?
2. Doesn’t our spirituality invite us to listen to the cry of the poor? What response should I give?
3. What is my attitude to the ‘Throw Away’ culture?
4. Why do I think “those who are on the margins of society, whether it’s due to poverty, addictions, mental illness or disability are invisible”?
5. “Our necks are going to get stiff from looking the other way, so we don’t have to see this situation”. What do I understand from this quote by the Pope? Do I look the other way to avoid seeing the reality? How can I change this?