Latest OMI JPIC News
Jubilee USA: Keeping our Promises to Finance Development December 20th, 2019
Author: Eric LeCompte, Executive Director, Jubilee USA Network (OMI JPIC Partner)
According to UNCTAD, the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) could be achieved with a 5-7 trillion US dollar investment. If we fund the SDGs, the Business and Sustainable Development Commission notes that 12 trillion US dollars of new market opportunities and 380 million new jobs could be created. Yet we know that the developing world is losing a trillion dollars a year, and according to the IMF’s latest report – 15 trillion US dollars is held in tax havens and financial secrecy havens.
UNCTAD notes that debt sustainability in developing countries is “deteriorating fast”, and the IMF states that as of last August, 47 per cent of low-income countries were in debt crisis or facing high debt distress. Human beings are suffering. In too many poor countries, high debts mean people don’t eat, people don’t see doctors and communities are unprepared to deal with the havoc caused by tsunamis, hurricanes, earth quakes and other extreme weather events. Read the full article on Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung’s website.
Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung ((FES) is a non-profit German foundation
Daily Reflections for Advent by Fr. Ron Rolheiser, OMI December 16th, 2019
These audio Advent Reflections run between 2 and 3 minutes each
Click On Any Date to Hear That Day’s Reflection
December 1, 2019 December 2, 2019
December 3, 2019 December 4, 2019 December 5, 2019
December 6, 2019 December 7, 2019 December 8, 2019
December 9, 2019 December 10, 2019 December 11, 2019
December 12, 2019 December 13, 2019 December 14, 2019
December 15, 2019 December 16, 2019 December 17, 2019
December 18, 2019 December 19, 2019 December 20, 2019
December 21, 2019 December 22, 2019 December 23, 2019
December 24, 2019
Religious Institutions Urge Senate to Pass Financial Transparency Legislation December 13th, 2019
Nearly 80 national religious bodies and local churches, synagogues and Muslim groups, including Missionary Oblates sent a letter to the US Senate urging passage of the ILLICIT CASH Act (S.2563) and the Corporate Transparency Act (S.1978).
OMI JPIC partner Jubilee USA coordinated the letter. In a press release, Jubilee’s director Eric LeCompte notes: “It will be more difficult for dictators to use shell companies to secretly steal development aid and for human traffickers to hide their profits once this legislation passes the Senate. The legislation reveals the true owners of shell companies to law enforcement.”
The letter states: “We write to urge you to support legislative actions in line with our faith…legislation that promotes transparency, fights corruption and protects the vulnerable,” stated the religious groups which included the Evangelical Lutheran, United Methodist, Presbyterian, Episcopal and United Church of Christ Churches.
The legislation is supported by the White House and passed the House of Representatives in October.
Read the Religious Organization Senate Transparency Letter here
Link for Sharing the Press Release: https://www.jubileeusa.org/pr_cta_letter_2019
Link to Religious Senate Letter and Signers: https://www.jubileeusa.org/jusa_cta_sign_on_letter_2019
Link for your Faith Community to Sign-on before next Senate Delivery: https://forms.gle/bzUEuXejacH5iS6T6
Jubilee USA Network is an alliance of more than 75 US organizations and 700 faith communities working with 50 Jubilee global partners. Jubilee USA builds an economy that serves, protects and promotes the participation of the most vulnerable. Jubilee USA wins critical global financial reforms and won more than $130 billion in debt relief to benefit the world’s poorest people. www.jubileeusa.org
Advent Reflection – First Sunday December 1st, 2019
What Shall I Wear at Christmas?
Romans 13:11-14 – First Sunday of Advent (A)
Each year, during the weeks leading up to the holiday season, advertising strips of traditional Christian songs in order to set the stage for a commercial process. Let us listen for a moment to these jingles on the radio, not to enjoy but to see how they don dressed up and cheerful tunes, making the original words of faith disappear as they are switched with commercial refrains and choruses. This all as an attempt to hypnotize us and make us believe that to be generous and to love is to consume, to buy material goods and to offer them to those who are dear to us. Far be it from me to suggest that we should all stop, but I ask: Is this what “Christmas Magic” really means? I this what we have reduced it to?
We are entering the Advent season, which has nothing to do with the stressful coming and going of our bodies and finances, which is the race for Christmas presents. Advent is, in fact, a liturgical time that predisposes us to celebrate joyfully the coming of the Son of God in our world. For us Christians, it is a question of not remaining passive in front of this dark display of an outrageous materialism that has been imposed on humanity. Thus, the apostle Paul urges us to take concrete action, that akin to waking from sleep (Rom 13.11; Eph 5:14), in order to live in the open and free ourselves from our alienating behaviors (Rom 13:13). He exhorts us to “clothe yourselves in the Lord Jesus. “ (Rom 13:14; Gal 3:27; Eph 4:24) Wearing Christ as in the wearing of a garment, bringing the Good News and bearing the Spirit’s fruits (Gal 5.22 to 23), this is for me the true meaning of Christmas!
Serge Cazelais
Biblical Specialist and Historian of World Religions
Originally published in French from Échos de la Parole – Office de cathéchèse du Québec.
Translated by Bro. Joey Methé OMI.
Republished with permission from the author.
Catholic University Students Meet for Evening Prayers in French at Oblate Administrative Offices November 6th, 2019
In anticipation of All Saints’ Day, students from Catholic University (Dept. of Modern Languages) met for evening prayers in French at the Oblate Administrative offices across the street from the school.
There were twelve participants at the prayer event, organized by Br.Joey Methé, OMI. The students later publicly extended a warm thank you to Frère Joey for hosting the prayer group, posting about the event on social media and the school’s website.
There are tentative plans for OMI JPIC to host more of these events in the future.
