Scripture Search: Light in the Darkness
Read Proverbs 4:18-19

In scripture, "light" refers not only to the physical reality of light but also to  intellectual, moral, or spiritual  understanding. Christians make choices in light of their understanding of God's truth and love. Your participation in the works of mercy and justice this  past week was an example of your own light shining in the darkness.

The more that people make good choices and try to develop good attitudes, the easier it becomes. Good reinforces good. Living life unconsciously - that is, without examing our choices to see if they are in harmony with God's truth and love - can lead to unquestioned acceptance of evil.

When we call ourselves Christians, we are saying that Jesus is our light. Jesus should be the model and example for our attitudes and choices at all times.

Using the Gospel of Luke, find five situations in which Jesus took some kind of action for justice. As you find each situation, jot down the citation and a short description of what Jesus did. Save your notes for the assignment at the end of this session.

Reflection: Finding Your Personal Power
Poweris the God-given capacity of everyone to affect their own life, the lives of others, and the world around them either positively or negatively. The Christian understanding of power sees God as the source of all power, and human freedom as the most important factor in how power is used.

"The outcome of using power - whether the effects are positive or negative - is bases on the choices of the person. The power God gives to human beings is tied to our freedom to  choose either the way of God, which is love, or the way of sin, which is total self-interest."
(Ahlers and Wilt, Christian Justice, p.50)

Have you ever read Dr. Seuss's Horton Hears a Who!? It's really a parable about justice. When you were young, you could only relate to the fun aspects of the story. Now that you're older, you can understand the deeper meaning and the seriousness of the situation that prompted it.

After World War II, Theodor Geisel (Dr. Seuss) went to Japan as a correspondent for Life Magazine. While he was there, he developed a great respect for the Japanese people and their culture. His attitude toward the Japanese, however, was at odds with the attitudes prevalent in the United States at that time. Horton Hears a Who!   is Theodor Geisel's statement about those attitudes. In the book, the Whos in Whoville are like the Japanese immediately after the war: small, insignificant, and powerless in a hostile world. Horton spends most of the book trying to protect the Whos and to convince the other animals that "a person's a person, no matter how small." Theodore Geisel saw a situation that he believed was unjust and used his particular gifts and the benefits of his situation as a writer to do something about it.

Read the following FINDING THE POWER stories. Each is about someone who,  like Theodor Geisel, worked with his or her talents and place in society - with all the strengths and handicaps that came with it - to make a difference in the world.

Oscar Romero
The Person
Archbishop of El Salvador from 1977 until his assassination in 1980

The Situation
In 1979 fourteen families in El Salvador controlled 90% of the wealth. Two percent of the population owned 58% of the farmable land. The average monthly income of half the population was $12.

The Pressure
Archbishop Romero felt compelled to speak out against the violence and injustice in El Salvador, but in speaking out he risked death threats and harassment from the government and wealthy familes.

The Choice
He spoke out against a violent and repressive government and for nonviolent change, bringing worldwide attention to El Salvador.

His Words
"Martyrdom is a grace of God that I do not believe I deserve. But if God accepts this sacrifice of my life, let my blood be a seed of freedom and the sign that hope will soon be reality. Let my death, if it is accepted by God, be for the liberation of my people and as a witness of hope in the future" (Musto, ed., Catholic Peacemakers, vol. 2, page 670).

Dorothy Day
The Person
Founder of the Catholic Worker Movement, dedicated to finding solutions to the plight of poor people.

The Situation
The Catholic Worker Movement was one of the few movements to take a stand against U.S. involvement in World War II. Also, Dorothy Day was against the draft.

The Pressure
Dorothy Day was committed to the Gospel ideal of peace, but to act on that ideal world put the Catholic Worker Movement at risk.

The Choice
Dorothy Day spoke out against the draft as a violation of the individual's conscience. Subscriptions to the Catholic Worker dropped by over half.

Her Words
"Let us add that unless we continue this prayer [for an end to war] with almsgiving, in giving to the least of God's children; and fasting in order that we may help feed the hungry, and penance in recognition of our share in the guilt, our prayers may become empty words" (Allaire and Broughton, Praying with Dorothy Day, page 100).

Thomas Merton
The Person
A trappist monk and Catholic writer

The Situation
During the Cold War, when the North Americans and Soviets were amassing nuclear weapons, Merton believed that it is impossible to justify the use of nuclear weapons in any situation.

The Pressure
Merton's religious superiors would not allow some of his writings on this issue to be published..

The Choice
Merton found other ways to print the material and spread his message..

His Words
"The monastery is not an 'escape from the world.' On the contrary, by being in the monastery I take my true part in all the struggles and sufferings of the world. To adopt a life that is essentially non-assertive, non-violent" (McNeal, Harder than War,  page 122).

Frank Daily
The Person
A fourteen-year-old high school freshman who had just been cut from the basketball team; felt like an invisible person.

The Situation
Frank Daily was riding home from school on the public bus with some friends on a cold snowy day. A woman who was wearing no shoes boarded the bus. The driver asked her where her shoes were. She replied, "I got eight kids. They all got shoes. There's not enough left for me. But it's okay, the Lord'll take care of me."

The Pressure
Frank Daily knew what if felt like to be invisible, but not like this woman. She was invisible for a different.

The Choice
He gave her the shoes..

His Words
"We all have the potential to be heroic in some way" (Lewis, Kids with Courage, page 85).

Norvell Smith
The Person
A high school freshman who lived daily with gang violence in her school and neighborhood

The Situation
Norvell Smith participated in a speech contest speaking against gang violence. When she was chosen as one of the three finalists, she found a threatening note in her locker. As a finalist she would have to speak before almost a thousand students at her school, including all the gang members..

The Pressure
What would happen to her after she spoke? Would she be safe on the street?

The Choice
She gave her speech and won the contest and a standing ovation from the student body. As a result of the speech and the media attention it generated, police started patrolling the school.

Her Words
"I felt like I had just saved the whole world" (Lewis, Kids with Courage, page 47).

Excerpts from the papal encyclical The Gospel of Life

"In our service of charity, we must be inspired and distinguished by a specific attitude: We must care for the other as a person for whom God has made us responsible. As disciples of Jesus, we are called to become neighbors to everyone and to show special favor to those who are  poorest, most alone and most in need." (No. 87)

"Other people are not rivals from whom we must defend ourselves, but brothers and sisters to be supported. They are to be loved for their own sakes, and they enrich us by their very presence." (No. 98)

Complete the online assignment form:

Year II - Session 2

Assignment:
Making a Difference