“I pray…that they all may be one.” (Jn. 17:21)
The Catechesis of the Good Shepherd especially honors the spiritual values of childhood and wishes to nurture the formation of a consciousness which is oriented to the construction of the history of salvation in justice and solidarity.
#28 Characteristics of the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd, The 32 Points of Reflection
CGSUSA grieves the losses of those senselessly killed due to the heartbreaking truth that racism continues to choke the lives of our sisters and brothers of color in this country. This is as Archbishop Gomez says,”a sin that cries out to heaven for justice.” We have spent time listening, learning, and praying for the wisdom and understanding that will help all of us contribute to building bridges for change and reform even in the smallest of ways as we recognize that peace and justice begins within each of us. To aid our efforts, we would like to share a few links to resources that may aid our conversations and our prayers. The Good Samaritan parable calls us to consider our role as we cannot remove ourselves from the wrongs committed in our society. Are we like those two in the parable, who “saw the man” and then “passed by on the other side?” In these days, may we be “moved with compassion at the sight” of injustice and look to stand in solidarity with those who are vulnerable and oppressed.
We share a particular invitation to deeply love and care for everyone in our communities, to authentically live out our baptismal call to follow our Good Shepherd, and respect the dignity of every human being. Biblically, this gift was lived out through prophecy. The prophet is one who has a particular capacity to listen to God. As catechists, we learn to take a listening stance before God with the children. This is a capacity we can continue to cultivate as we listen deeply with our brothers and sisters of color in their pain, grief, anger, and hear the injustice they suffer. Only then can we truly work together to root out the systemic racism that continues to disrupt our American culture. In her book, The History of the Kingdom of God: From Creation to Parousia, Sofia Cavalletti says, “If the prophet can be identified as a voice the voice of God in the midst of the people it is because he has first been an ear straining to listen to what God has made known to him.” She goes on to point out that God “establishes a particular relationship with the prophets; the Lord enriches them with a great gift that leads to a mission. The prophet lends his ear and even more so his heart to the word of God, not to keep it to himself but to share it with all people, so they might take instruction from it.” Please read the CGSUSA full Statement on Racism with links to resources in downloadable format.