JPIC

Revelations 3:15-16: Halfhearted commitment to Faith is considered nauseating to Christ. This is in reference to Romans 12:11 which says "Do not grow slack in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord." Reflection on this leads us to ask ourselves: how do I personally, and how does my fraternity, serve the Lord? There are many ways for us to use our time, talents and treasure. Being active in JPIC is one way, but a very important way and one that is supported by many Franciscans.

St. Thomas More wrote a famous prayer against being lukewarm in faith that likely refers to these passages. 

St_Thomas_More.jpg" width="78" border="0" /> “ Take from me, good Lord, this lukewarm fashion, or rather key-cold manner, of meditation, and this dullness in praying unto Thee. And give me warmth, delight, and quickness in thinking upon Thee, and give me Thy grace to long for Thine holy sacraments, and specially to rejoice in the presence of Thy very blessed body, sweet Savior Christ, in the holy sacrament of the altar. Make us all, good Lord, virtually participant of the holy sacrament this day, and every day make us all lively members, sweet Savior Christ, of Thine holy mystical body, Thy Catholic Church."

Jeremiah 22:16

Reflection on this raises the question: how can I, and how can my fraternity, actually be lively members of the mystical body, the church? Again the scriptures, Catholic Social teaching and the Franciscan tradition call us to be active in the field of politics, economics, society and culture. To Secular Franciscans the world is both the Lord's vineyard and our cloister.

This fragment from Jeremiah tells of the vassal king Jehoiakim.  He was enthroned by the Egyptians to which he paid a heavy tribute (see 2 Kings 23:24).  Jeremiah accuses him of engaging in vast building projects and refusing to pay his laborers (see vv 13-15).   Jeremiah compares him to his more pious father, King Josiah (vv 15 - 17).  So it is was King Josiah who justly 'dispensed justice to the weak and the poor'.   Jeremiah tells us that this is true knowledge of the Lord.   It was social injustice perpetrated by the kings that is the cause of much of Jeremiah's condemnation.  It is both interesting and sad that we still have problems similar to Jeremiah's.   It is also interesting to note that the Jeremiah teaches of the New Covenant to come, a covenant we believe is fulfilled in Jesus.  

The term "social justice" was first used in the 1840's by Luigi Taparelli, SJ. Interestingly, it was in 1839 that Pope Gregory XVI condemned the slave trade and it has been said that this was the beginning of modern Papal moral persuasion in the field of social justice. Again, we come back to reflect on how can we be "fervent in spirit and serve the Lord". Pope Benedict XVI said to the Pontifical Council for the Laity on 15 November 2008: "I confirm the necessity and urgency ..... of a new generation of Catholics working in politics, that they be coherent with the professed faith, that they have moral firmness, the capacity of educated judgement, professional competence and passion for service to the common good." That cannot we accomplished by lukewarm Catholics, only by ones fervent in their desire to serve the Lord.