Social Justice Week 2024 Bishops’ Statement He Puakitanga nā ngā Pīhopa Katorika o Aotearoa Niu Tīrene
Choose forgiveness, know peace
“Peace is never made with weapons, but with outstretched hands and open hearts” – Pope Francis, 31 March 2024.
Peace is not just something God wants for us, but something He wants from us – it is something we must make an active choice to build. As bishops, we recognise the enduring call for peace in our world and the imperative for us, as followers of Christ, to actively pursue peace and to be peacemakers. Last year, we began a three-year Social Justice Week focus on peace by working on building peace within our own lives. In the time since, we have sadly seen further conflict and division across our society and our world, underscoring the importance of becoming peacemakers.
In 2024, we are focusing on forgiveness and reconciliation. Forgiveness is often treated as something we give to other people; but by forgiving others, we also give something to ourselves. This can manifest differently in different situations, but in all cases, gives us an opportunity to build peace in our lives. When someone who has wronged us is truly contrite and remorseful, we give ourselves a chance to mend a damaged relationship. When we are met with partial apologies and shifted blame, forgiveness gives us the opportunity to move past things and learn from the experience. And even when it is not possible or desirable to continue our relationship with someone who has wronged us, we can release the hurt and anger we feel, to give ourselves freedom from the wrongs of the past.
Holding onto anger and hurt impedes our ability to love, limiting our spiritual growth and our relationships. Forgiveness offers a remedy, replacing violence with peace, hatred with love, and vengeance with mercy. In Jesus, we witness God’s boundless love and mercy, demonstrated in his plea during his crucifixion, ‘Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do’ (Luke 23:34). Jesus transcends sin’s offence, advocating for healing and restoration.
Forgiveness and reconciliation must not be treated as abstract ideals, but practical approaches for our everyday lives. Our relationships with those around us are often pressured by disagreements, from small personal matters to divisive social issues. These relationships will only suffer if we are not prepared to forgive others their mistakes, and especially to ask for forgiveness ourselves. The very first step in this process is coming to the table to talk – processes such as restorative justice do not work without active participation by both parties. The initial step on the path to peace is not reconciliation, or even forgiveness, but simply a willingness to sit down, engage in dialogue, and listen.
In the spirit of peace, we encourage you to read and reflect on the resources that have been prepared for Social Justice Week this year. Beyond a single week, we hope that understanding forgiveness as a pathway to peace will enable you to actively build peace within yourself through your relationships, families, schools, and communities. It takes great strength to forgive, and great humility to ask to be forgiven; but if we choose forgiveness, we will know peace.[ for resources see https://www.caritas.org.nz/parishes/social-justice-week]
✠ Stephen Lowe, Bishop of Auckland, NZCBC President
✠ Richard Laurenson, Bishop of Hamilton
✠ John Adams, Bishop of Palmerston North
✠ Paul Martin SM, Archbishop of Wellington, NZCBC General Secretary
✠ Michael Gielen, Bishop of Christchurch
✠ Michael Dooley, Bishop of Dunedin, NZCBC Vice-President
[ sourced from Caritas Social Justice Week Liturgy Guide, pp 4-5, https://www.caritas.org.nz/parishes/social-justice-week ]
Kids Corner:
It is important to support younger children in developing deep and consistent prayer lives. Help them know that God lovingly calls us into a personal relationship
and always hears our prayers.
God want to be part of EVERY aspect of our lives not just when things are difficult.
Here are some fun ways to encourage you to be in relationship with God everyday and to bring all things to God in prayer.
Prayer Dice
A prayer dice can be used as a quick and way to have prayer in the morning. Each side of the dice will have a word on it, for example, family, grandparent, animals, teachers, siblings, the environment, people who are sick, people who are lonely, pets or animals, your choice. Whatever the dice rolls on is what we pray for. At prayer time, maybe roll the dice 2 -3 times.
Finish with a response e.g., “Merciful God hear our prayers”
Meditation Prayer
Write down your own prayer or think about something you want to pray about. Go outside or find somewhere quiet at home and find a space on their own. Set a timer for 3-5 minutes. Get everyone to lay down on their backs and do a mediation type of prayer. Encourage stillness and a return to your prayer if your attention wanders, but leave space to just be in God's presence.
Prayer Ball
Buy a small ball and write different things that you could use to spark prayer. Throw the ball to each other and stop every 5 passes. Wherever your thumb is pointing use that to create a prayer. Here are some examples of things you could use:
- Pop up and say one thing to praise God for something
- Ask God to help someone who is sick
- Shout out loud somewhere you can be like Jesus today
- With a friend
- Pray for a child who lives where there is war
- ask God to help you cheer up someone who is feeling sad
- Tell God about a fun day you have had and thank God for that day
- what makes you sad? Why? Ask God for comfort
- some children have no clean water , ask God to help them
- pray for someone you have seen on TV
- thank God for someone who is older than you
- shout out the name of someone who helps you
- put you left foot into the circle - then pray for those kids who don't have any shoes and warm clothes
- pretend to swim around the room and prayer for those people who live on island effected by climate change
- if you could email God .... what would you say? Tell God now.
- with a friend pray for all the babies and mothers in the world
- what is stopping you from helping others? Ask God to help you be brave!
- What could you donate that someone else could use? Ask God to help you be more generous.
- what is your favourite thing about God? Tell your friend
- zoom around the room and tell God 3 people you are thankful for
- stand like a tree and pray that we can be more careful with our environment
- think of something you have done wrong. Silently tell God you are sorry.
- make the sound of a lion or wild animal - thank God for the amazing creatures we share this planet with
- find 3 people and tell each one something you are thankful for
Prayer Marbles
Choose between 3-5 marbles
Take turns to put the marble into the box saying one thing that you are thankful for.
Prayer Book
Writing down things you are thankful for to God for in the front of the journal. This can be family, friends, sky, grass, etc. anything that they love and appreciate about the world
In the back things that you want to asking God about: for example, 'Loving God please stop hunger and war.' or 'God of miracles please heal my cat who is feeling sick.’
M&M Prayer
5 colours
blue - family
green - friends
yellow - church
red - people of other religions
orange - leaders and teachers
The children get 3-5 m&m’s or counters which they have to pray for and take turn to share their prayers.
Prayerful playdoh
Think of something in your life you are struggling with or having problems with. Use the dough to create an image that represents this. Are you make the image listen to what God might be saying to you about the situation. Have a discussion with God and allow it to move back and forth, from talking to listening.
Once everyone has finished creating end the prayer with something like, God give us the courage to deal with things are Jesus would. Amen
Lego Prayer
Choose a piece of lego
Step 1: Hold your brick, pray for yourself. Thank God for the things you have been given. Ask God to bless you and to help you to bless others.
Step 2: Count the bumps on your brick.
For each bump on your brick, pray for a different person - friends or family members. Ask God to bless them this week.
Step 3: Find someone in the group who has a different colour brick to you. Thank God for something about this person. This could be a trait, attribute or skill. Thank God for making each person special and unique. Pray that we will learn how to celebrate, understand and include people who are different to us.
Step 4: Find someone with the same number of bumps on their brick as you.
Thank God for families and friends and all who care for us. Ask God to help us to be make an effort to be friends with those who are lonely.
Step 5: Swap your brick with someone.
Thank God for the person you swapped with and ask God to bless them this week.
Step 6: Put all the bricks together and build a structure or tower with them.
Thank God for the church and the communities we live in. Pray that God will help us to include others and to help people know that they are loved and valued.
5 Finger Prayer
To take home.
Thumb – for the ones we love (our thumb is closest to us.
1st finger – for the teachers (this is our pointing finger)
2nd finger – for out leaders (this is the tallest finger)
3rd finger – for the sick and vulnerable (this is our weakest finger)
4th finger – for me
THE PALM - Mother Earth who's future we hold in the palm of our hands.
and always hears our prayers.
God want to be part of EVERY aspect of our lives not just when things are difficult.
Here are some fun ways to encourage you to be in relationship with God everyday and to bring all things to God in prayer.
Prayer Dice
A prayer dice can be used as a quick and way to have prayer in the morning. Each side of the dice will have a word on it, for example, family, grandparent, animals, teachers, siblings, the environment, people who are sick, people who are lonely, pets or animals, your choice. Whatever the dice rolls on is what we pray for. At prayer time, maybe roll the dice 2 -3 times.
Finish with a response e.g., “Merciful God hear our prayers”
Meditation Prayer
Write down your own prayer or think about something you want to pray about. Go outside or find somewhere quiet at home and find a space on their own. Set a timer for 3-5 minutes. Get everyone to lay down on their backs and do a mediation type of prayer. Encourage stillness and a return to your prayer if your attention wanders, but leave space to just be in God's presence.
Prayer Ball
Buy a small ball and write different things that you could use to spark prayer. Throw the ball to each other and stop every 5 passes. Wherever your thumb is pointing use that to create a prayer. Here are some examples of things you could use:
- Pop up and say one thing to praise God for something
- Ask God to help someone who is sick
- Shout out loud somewhere you can be like Jesus today
- With a friend
- Pray for a child who lives where there is war
- ask God to help you cheer up someone who is feeling sad
- Tell God about a fun day you have had and thank God for that day
- what makes you sad? Why? Ask God for comfort
- some children have no clean water , ask God to help them
- pray for someone you have seen on TV
- thank God for someone who is older than you
- shout out the name of someone who helps you
- put you left foot into the circle - then pray for those kids who don't have any shoes and warm clothes
- pretend to swim around the room and prayer for those people who live on island effected by climate change
- if you could email God .... what would you say? Tell God now.
- with a friend pray for all the babies and mothers in the world
- what is stopping you from helping others? Ask God to help you be brave!
- What could you donate that someone else could use? Ask God to help you be more generous.
- what is your favourite thing about God? Tell your friend
- zoom around the room and tell God 3 people you are thankful for
- stand like a tree and pray that we can be more careful with our environment
- think of something you have done wrong. Silently tell God you are sorry.
- make the sound of a lion or wild animal - thank God for the amazing creatures we share this planet with
- find 3 people and tell each one something you are thankful for
Prayer Marbles
Choose between 3-5 marbles
Take turns to put the marble into the box saying one thing that you are thankful for.
Prayer Book
Writing down things you are thankful for to God for in the front of the journal. This can be family, friends, sky, grass, etc. anything that they love and appreciate about the world
In the back things that you want to asking God about: for example, 'Loving God please stop hunger and war.' or 'God of miracles please heal my cat who is feeling sick.’
M&M Prayer
5 colours
blue - family
green - friends
yellow - church
red - people of other religions
orange - leaders and teachers
The children get 3-5 m&m’s or counters which they have to pray for and take turn to share their prayers.
Prayerful playdoh
Think of something in your life you are struggling with or having problems with. Use the dough to create an image that represents this. Are you make the image listen to what God might be saying to you about the situation. Have a discussion with God and allow it to move back and forth, from talking to listening.
Once everyone has finished creating end the prayer with something like, God give us the courage to deal with things are Jesus would. Amen
Lego Prayer
Choose a piece of lego
Step 1: Hold your brick, pray for yourself. Thank God for the things you have been given. Ask God to bless you and to help you to bless others.
Step 2: Count the bumps on your brick.
For each bump on your brick, pray for a different person - friends or family members. Ask God to bless them this week.
Step 3: Find someone in the group who has a different colour brick to you. Thank God for something about this person. This could be a trait, attribute or skill. Thank God for making each person special and unique. Pray that we will learn how to celebrate, understand and include people who are different to us.
Step 4: Find someone with the same number of bumps on their brick as you.
Thank God for families and friends and all who care for us. Ask God to help us to be make an effort to be friends with those who are lonely.
Step 5: Swap your brick with someone.
Thank God for the person you swapped with and ask God to bless them this week.
Step 6: Put all the bricks together and build a structure or tower with them.
Thank God for the church and the communities we live in. Pray that God will help us to include others and to help people know that they are loved and valued.
5 Finger Prayer
To take home.
Thumb – for the ones we love (our thumb is closest to us.
1st finger – for the teachers (this is our pointing finger)
2nd finger – for out leaders (this is the tallest finger)
3rd finger – for the sick and vulnerable (this is our weakest finger)
4th finger – for me
THE PALM - Mother Earth who's future we hold in the palm of our hands.