Justice and Peace
Human Dignity
Every life is sacred...
so the life and dignity of every individual deserves respect and protection at every age. This holds especially true for those who dwell in circumstances where respect and protection are rare, including: the materially poor, abused, marginalized and discarded. The right-to-life is the most fundamental human right leading Marists to work for a world of greater respect for human life and greater commitment to justice and peace.
Our Marist Constitutions call us clearly to the need for dignity for all humankind, especially those who are most marginalized in the world today.
From our Marist Constitutions:
12. … They (Marists) attend especially to the most neglected, the poor, and those who suffer injustice. They are ready to carry out these tasks anywhere and at any time.
111. They (Marists) should be attentive to the cry of the poor which makes an urgent and continuous appeal for a conversion of minds and attitudes.
Marists acknowledge that action for justice is an integral part of the proclamation of the Gospel and they strive, therefore, to remedy injustice in economic and social relationships.
Prayer for Human Dignity
Thou Who Art Over Us – Dag Hammarskjold (1905 – 1961)
Thou who art over us,
Thou who art one of us,
Thou who art also within us,
May all see thee in me also,
May I prepare the way for thee,
May I thank thee for all that shall fall to my lot,
May I also not forget the needs of others,
Keep me in thy love
As thou wouldest that all should be kept in mine.
May everything in this my being be directed to Thy glory
And may I never despair.
For I am under thy hand,
And in thee is all power and goodness.
Give me a pure heart–that I may see Thee,
A humble heart–that I may hear Thee,
A heart of love–that I may serve thee,
A heart of faith–that I may abide in thee.
To love life and men as God loves them–
for the sake of their infinite possibilities,
to wait like him to judge like him without passing judgment,
to obey the order when it is given and never look back–then he can use you–
then, perhaps, he will use you.
And if he doesn’t use you–what matter.
In his hand, every moment has its meaning,
its greatness, its glory, its peace, its co-inherence.