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LETTER FROM THE EDITOR
Dear JCTR Bulletin readers,
Towards the very end of each year, 25 December, we celebrate Christmas, the birth of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. A couple of significant questions can be asked surrounding this event: What does this birth teach us? Why should we celebrate the birth of Jesus? These questions have been posed many times and are usually themes of discussion during the period of Christmas. Undoubtedly, they will come up again for discussion, especially among readers of our JCTR Bulletin.
Responses to these questions have usually been wide-ranging. Truly speaking, the birth of Jesus means and implies a lot for us Christians. Particularly significant is that through Jesus Christ we can have the way to God. As we recall through the teaching of the Bible, Jesus explicitly told us during the time he walked the earth, “I am the way, the truth and the life” (John 14:6).
Important too is the fact that there are a myriad of issues upon which we draw the teachings of Jesus. One of these specific issues is the question of social justice. Jesus Christ himself, the lead Author, Architect, Proponent, etc., of social justice challenged a lot of unjust social structures, spoke the truth, spoke against evil, etc. For he is light and truth. I am reminded of a particular expression found in one of the articles in this issue of the Bulletin: “Truth? What is that?” said Pontius Pilate, that archetype of a cynical man of power, in his confrontation with Christ, the voice of truth. Since that confrontation, brute power and defenceless truth have clashed countless times.
Have we examined our social structures in light of what Jesus taught us, stood for, say in the field of education, health, the prevailing problem of hunger in Malawi, Zambia and the rest of Southern Africa? Admittedly, one of the greatest disappointments that has starkly characterised the human race today is the failure to have a sense of empathy translated into action when dealing with a lot of difficulties of wide and deep deprivation, emotional anguish, HIV/AIDS, etc., confronting many of our disadvantaged sisters and brothers in their daily lives. I can imagine what Jesus would have done in our situation today.
I will also attempt to say that in a world where there are abundant resources and many alternatives in ways of assisting those who do not have, the existence of various forms of suffering of some people becomes a fundamental moral question.
Moral decisions need to be central in addressing the problems of external debt, HIV/AIDS, the current hunger crisis in Southern Africa and the general lack of development of third world people. Moreover, beyond morally responding to these problems ought to be the realisation that these problems will become increasingly difficult to confine geographically. They will manifest themselves one way or the other elsewhere.
The church’s social teaching is more explicit on this subject when it teaches on Solidarity. It says:
The solidarity which binds all [humans] together as members of a common family makes it impossible for wealthy nations to look with indifference upon the hunger, misery and poverty of other nations whose citizens are unable to enjoy even elementary human rights. The nations of the world are becoming more and more dependent on one another and it will not be possible to preserve a lasting peace so long as glaring economic and social imbalances persist (Christianity and Social Progress, #57, John XXIII, 1962).
(Solidarity) is not a feeling of vague compassion or shallow distress at the misfortunes of so many people, both near and far. On the contrary, it is a firm and persevering determination to commit oneself to the common good; that is to say, to the good of all and of each individual, because we are all really responsible for all (The Social Concerns of the Church, #38, John Paul II, 1988).
At all times and in all various difficult situations being experienced by many people in Malawi, Zambia, the rest of Africa and developing world, we need to express strong compassion for and solidarity with their suffering. We need to emphatically pledge to redouble our efforts to promote just and morally based responses to their difficult situations. This also means concerted efforts of all political parties, churches, NGOs, international partners, government offices and political figures to commit themselves to meeting the challenges as number one priority. This is what the JCTR believes in, stands for, will encourage, etc., in ensuring that the suffering of the people in its various forms is eradicated
God bless you,
Muweme Muweme
Editor