Advent 2015: Pray - Study - Act
In This Issue
PRAY: Reflection for Second Sunday of Advent
STUDY: A peaceful future depends on climate justice now
ACT: Protect Syrian and Iraqi refugees
Quick Links




Join our list
Join Our Mailing List
Resources for the Second Week of Advent, Dec. 6-12
  
 
"Into this world, this demented inn, in which there is absolutely no room for him at all, Christ has come uninvited. But because he cannot be at home in it, because he is out of place in it, and yet he must be in it, his place is with those others who do not belong, who are rejected by power, because they are regarded as weak, those who are discredited, who are denied the status of persons, tortured, exterminated. With those for whom there is no room, Christ is present in this world. He is mysteriously present in those for whom there seems to be nothing but the world at its worst."  

~Thomas Merton


The upcoming second week of Advent, Dec. 6-12, offers many opportunities for prayer, study and action. The week will include a number of days of observance including the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of Mary (December 8), the International Day for Human Rights (Dec. 10) and the Feast of the Virgin of Guadalupe (Dec. 12). We'll be sending out special reflections on each of those days to your inbox as well as posting them to the website and on social media. 
   If you're looking for opportunities for prayer, study and action for this current week, the first week of Advent, you can find this week's PSA e-bulletin by clicking here. Any time you want to recall something you read earlier or if you're looking for an idea for your family, local group, church, or school to incorporate into your practice this season, you can find a link to everything we send out or post on our Advent webpage.

In peace,

Johnny Zokovitch
Director of Communications, Pax Christi USA
 PRAY: Dec. 6, Second Sunday of Advent
By Beatrice Parwatikar, PCUSA Ambassador of Peace

Baruch tells us to put on the beauty of God's glory and let go of our sorrow and distress. Luke reminds us that Isaiah's message was fulfilled in John the Baptist through his proclaiming the message from his desert experience. Proclaiming a message of justice should be spoken by someone who is speaking from a place of peace within. People who are seeking justice for themselves and others need to take time for personal prayer, for group prayer, and for personal reflection.....

* If you have not ordered this year's Advent booklet and would still like to do so, you can click here to purchase and download this version for your e-reader.
STUDY: A peaceful future
depends on climate justice now
The following is a statement from Pax Christi International on COP21, the UN conference on climate change, taking place in Paris this week and next.

Thousands of people from government, industry, intergovernmental organisations and civil society are expected to attend meetings and activities during the UN climate change conference (COP21), to be held 30 November-11 December 2015 in Paris.
    The Global Catholic Climate Movement (GCCM), of which Pax Christi International is a member, has collected more than 800.000 signatures on its Catholic Climate Petition, to be delivered on 28 November to world leaders attending COP21. The petition, inspired by the words of Pope Francis in Laudato Si', urges leaders to drastically cut carbon emissions.
  Pax Christi International and its member organisations strongly believe gross misuse of natural resources and environmental degradation significantly contributes to instability and conflict around the world. In that light, we want COP21 to be treated as a peace conference; if strong and effective decisions are made in Paris, a more peaceful future is possible. 
  Marches in support of definitive and strong results from COP21 have been scheduled to be held on 29 November in more than 2,000 cities around the world. Regrettably, the Paris march, which was supposed to be the largest one, was cancelled by the French government after the November 13 terrorist attacks....

ACT: Protect Syrian and Iraqi refugees
fleeing violence and death
from Justice for Immigrants

Background: In the aftermath of the violent attacks on Paris, 31 governors made public statements that they wanted resettlement of Syrian refugees halted in their states. Days later, the U.S. House of Representatives, with comparable intentions, passed H.R. 4038, The American Security Against Foreign Enemies (SAFE) Act, which would effectively halt all resettlement of Syrian and Iraqi refugees in the United States for a protracted time.
  This week (or next), the same bill or similar legislation will likely be introduced and voted on in the U.S. Senate, and even worse legislation may continue to be introduced. Meanwhile, some federal lawmakers may also try to use the Omnibus appropriations bill that must be passed by December 11th as a vehicle for securing passage of the SAFE Act or similar legislation...