By Sr. Doreen SSJD
Freedom Sunday is an opportunity for your entire church family to deepen their understanding of God’s heart for justice, discover the realities of modern slavery and join the fight to end it.
“Because you are precious in my sight, and honoured, and I love you.” Isaiah 43:4
From the Anglican Church of Canada’s website: “In the Anglican Church of Canada, Freedom Sunday shines light on the connections between human trafficking, labour exploitation, and missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls, and 2SLGBTQI+ persons.”
Sunday February 23 is Freedom Sunday, a time to focus intentionally but with that view that it is not just on this one Sunday, but every day, that is an opportunity for people of faith to express compassion and solidarity with the crimes against trafficked peoples, labour exploitation, and missing and murdered indigenous women and girls, and 2SLGBTQI+ persons, and make commitments to tackle these dehumanizing crimes.
“Is this not the fast that I choose, says God: to loosen the bonds of injustice, to undo the thongs of the yoke, to let the oppressed go free, and to break every yoke … Then your light shall break forth like the dawn, and your healing shall spring up quickly …” (Isaiah 58: 6,8). Globally, human trafficking, exploitation, and all forms of human slavery and injustice, sees millions of children, women, and men victims. Again and again in scripture it is clear that God cares deeply for those who are vulnerable. Restoration and transformation are the central calling of the Gospel.
Nelson Mandela said: “To be free is not merely to cast off one’s chains, but to live in a way that respects and enhances the freedom of others.” No matter our experiences or backgrounds, all people dream of a hopeful future, whether it’s to be loved, to be seen, to belong, or to find a better future. So often traffickers exploit these desires among individuals who are most vulnerable and make deceptive promises.
“What does the Lord require of you, but to act justly and love mercy and walk humbly with your God” (Micah 6:8) Acting justly requires a deep commitment to compassionate care for those around us. It involves us in personal and corporate confession, repentance, and forgiveness – we have all made mistakes, or errors of omission by ignoring injustices that we see around us. Micah’s call is for a just and hopeful practice in all areas of life, calling us to be and become people who embody a hopeful alternative to oppression and injustice.
Perhaps we need to be reminded from time to time that hope is a lifeline for those who hang by the threads of injustice. Paradoxically, it is also a reminder that as long as there are people held in captivity of any kind, oppressed, and denied basic human rights, we ourselves trying to embody hope as a lifeline are also hanging by the same frail threads of injustice. Unless there is justice for all, I don’t believe that there is real justice for anyone. We all belong to each other, and when one person is held down, there is also a portion of that ‘being held down’ that spreads to everyone else. Perhaps this is something that we have forgotten or tend to overlook.
Archbishop Desmond Tutu said: “If you want peace, be sure everyone’s dignity is intact. Any effort to undermine that dignity, be it undertaken by a repressive government, or some group, must be opposed strenuously…”
To be able to treat people with the dignity that he is referring to is the end result of living with strong roots in the fruit of the spirit. I believe that real dignity is a gift of the Spirit, born from a life open to growing in the fruit of the spirit. In order to live giving dignity to life and others, those strong roots, built by the fruit of the spirit, are needed. Needed in order to treat others with respect and fairness, and to believe that everyone has inherent worth. It’s a fundamental part of a good life. Living the good life as Jesus proclaimed, rested on the gift of the spirit, working through a person whose character was being developed through the fruit of the spirit: those qualities of love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Being open to allowing the Spirit to grow these qualities in our lives is an important understanding as we consider Freedom Sunday. It is also an important understanding of the real spiritual meaning of dignity, that dignity that Archbishop Tutu was talking about.
One of the hymns that resonates with me when I begin to ponder freedom and justice for everyone, in a world so fractured as the one we live in now, is called “Longing for Light” written by Bernadette Farrell.
“Longing for light, we wait in darkness. Longing for truth, we turn to you.
Make us your own, your holy people, light for the world to see.
Christ, be our light, shine in our hearts, shine in the darkness.
Christ, be our light! Shine in your Church gathered today.
Longing for peace, our world is troubled, longing for hope, many despair.
Your word alone has power to save us. Make us your living voice.
Christ, be our light, shine in our hearts, shine in the darkness.
Christ, be our light! Shine in your Church gathered today.
Longing for food, many are hungry. Longing for water, many still thirst.
Make us you bread, broken for others, share until all are feed.
Christ, be our light, shine in our hearts, shine in the darkness.
Christ, be our light! Shine in your Church gathered today.
Longing for shelter, many are homeless. Longing for warmth, many are cold.
Make us your building sheltering others, walls made of living stones.
Christ, be our light, shine in our hearts, shine in the darkness.
Christ, be our light! Shine in your Church gathered today.
Many the gifts, many the peoples, many the hearts that yearn to belong.
Let us be servants to one another, making your kingdom come.
Christ, be our light, shine in our hearts, shine in the darkness.
Christ, be our light! Shine in your Church gathered today.”
From the Anglican Church of Canada website for Freedom Sunday a closing prayer:
Eternal God,
You comfort the afflicted and heal the broken.
You have fed us this day by your Word of grace, freedom, and hope.
Teach us to walk the ways of gentleness and peace in your world.
Keep your people from callous indifference
To racism, sexism, and violence,
That your children from all four directions
May flourish in the beautiful life that is your intention for creation.
Strengthen us as we seek to serve your mission of healing of your beloved creation. As you cradle the world and all its creatures in your love, help us to trust in the firm and gentle hold of that embrace, that we might commit ourselves with steadfast faith and persistent hard work to pursue justice, to speak truth in the light where violence hides in the dark. Sustain and guide us as we seek to heal the festering conditions that breed violence and hatred. Be our teacher in the ways of compassionate care. Make firm and longstanding our commitments.
We ask this in Jesus name.
Amen.
