I write a lot about the elimination of poverty in our world. There are several reasons for this. One, I think it stinks that people still live in poverty and we all need to be more aware of the situation and find ways to help.
Two, lots of the international days in one way or another, aim to reduce poverty. Three, there’s so much we can do to help, and many of us don’t even realize it, so if I keep bringing it up maybe you’ll think about it more often…sly, eh?
In November of 2007, the United Nations decided that starting in 2009, February 20 would be World Day for Social Justice .
Essentially, social justice means that all aspects of society are fair, not just the application of law. That individuals and groups are treated fairly and that all persons share in the benefits of society – i.e. some form of social welfare, be it universal healthcare, free/subsidized education, income support etc… Social justice refers to a society where no one goes without, everyone t
akes care of each other, presumably through the works of the government and its publicly funded services.
The launch for World Day for Social Justice took place on February 10th. You can check it out for yourselves, lots of speeches and the like.
What can we do to promote social justice?
There are groups like Amnesty International and UNICEF that work hard to right the wrongs that take place in society, the former focuses mostly on legal issues in developing countries and the latter helps children in need. As individuals we can support charities that help create social justice, and tear down barriers. And we can make sure that we don’t create barriers between ourselves and others or allow others to do so. We have to look out for each other, love each other and support each other, just as Jesus told us.
On February 20, 2009 think about Social Justice and just what that means for you, as an individual, as a Christian, and as a part of a larger whole.
