How are we operating under COVID-19 conditions?

The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in governments the world over imposing restrictions on society's social contacts with varying degrees of strictness resulting in hardship for everyone, but particularly the poor, the vulnerable, and those already isolated and alone - the very people to whom the Society of St. Vincent de Paul is called to assist.

Safe, Secure and Affordable Housing - April

Following are some extracts and highlights from CHANGING TIMES - April 2020, Safe, Secure and Affordable Housing Is a Human Right, an article by Jim Paddon, Chair of the National Social Justice Committee of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul published in the April, 2020 Social Justice newsletter of the SSVP National Council of Canada.



In a previous article, I mentioned the Working Group to End Homelessness (WGEH), which currently consists of 31 United Nations Non-Governmental Agencies (NGOs) who have come together to form the WGEH. The mission of the WGEH is “to influence the UN political proceedings to heighten Member States’ and Civil Society’s concern for and the action against the social injustice of homelessness.” There are several Catholic agencies who are members of the WGEH, including several who are Vincentian family members and, of course, the Society of Saint Vincent de Paul…

The WGEH has developed a description for homelessness, which reads as follows: “Homelessness is a condition where a person or household lacks habitable space, which may compromise their ability to enjoy social relations, and includes people living on the streets, in other open spaces or in buildings not intended for human habitation, people living in temporary accommodation or shelters for the homeless, and, in accordance with national legislation, may include, among others, people living in severely inadequate accommodation without security of tenure and access to basic services.” …

In Easter message, Pope Francis proposes universal basic income

The following is reprinted from  the Jesuit review, "America", under the title: In Easter message, Pope Francis proposes universal basic income by Kevin Clarke. (Italics and emphases have been added by me.)

Image credit: www.americamagazine.org

In a remarkable Easter Sunday letter to members of social movements around the world, Pope Francis, noting that the widespread suffering caused by the global coronavirus pandemic does not fall evenly, suggested that the crisis warranted the establishment of a universal basic income. He described it also as an opportunity for affluent societies to “downshift” and re-evaluate patterns of consumption and exploitation.

“This may be the time to consider a universal basic wage which would acknowledge and dignify the noble, essential tasks you carry out,” Pope Francis wrote. “It would ensure and concretely achieve the ideal, at once so human and so Christian, of no worker without rights.” (In the original text, the pope used an expression, “el salario universal,” that is typically used in Spanish to refer to the universal basic income.)

The People We Serve

This coming Sunday will be Palm Sunday of the Lord's Passion, marking the start of Holy Week and the Sacred Triduum beginning with Holy Thursday's Mass of the Lord's Supper. At this mass the Gospel reading is NOT about how Jesus took bread and wine but rather how he washed the feet of the disciples, an act which has been instituted into our liturgy of the day with a rite called in Latin, "Mandatum" meaning command or mandate: "If I, your Lord and Master, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another's feet… Love one another as I have loved you."

We know, of course, that what Jesus wants is not for us merely to mimic the act of foot washing but to take on the attitude or mindset of a lowly servant.

When there are options, the particular words we choose to name groups of people reflect our mindset, our attitudes, our preferences and, often, our prejudices. In turn, as these words are used in regular conversation, this repeated use tends to confirm us in that mindset. We are all aware of the range of words that run the spectrum from loving to unloving and pejorative with regard to people who are different from us, whether in race, ethnicity, culture, nationality, creed, gender, social class, politics, or physical or mental development. I sincerely believe that Vincentians are generally loving people and would never deliberately use pejorative words.

MESSAGE CONCERNING THE PANDEMIC - By Archbishop Emeritus Sylvain Lavoie OMI

MESSAGE CONCERNING THE PANDEMIC

- By Archbishop Emeritus Sylvain Lavoie OMI

  National Spiritual Advisor

Archbishop Emeritus Sylvain Lavoie OMI

Along with all the directives and information that have already been sent out by our Vincentian leadership, and on the occasion of the 40th anniversary of the martyrdom of St. Oscar Romero, I would like to add a brief reflection on this present Corona virus Covid-19 crisis.

Apparently, the word “crisis” in Chinese has two possible meanings – “escape” or “opportunity,” and it is up to us to determine which of these two meanings will characterize our response. I know it is the latter, which invites us to explore how best to realize that option.

The spiritual writer Jean-Pierre de Caussade, author of Abandonment to Divine Providence, advises living in the present moment, accepting obstacles with love and humility, and encountering God in our day-to-day activities. He also asserts everything which happens is in some sense God’s will, perhaps best expressed by the certitude that God can and does turn everything to the good for those who love God.