PRAYER - STUDY - ACTION
Second Week of Advent, Dec. 5-11
Empowered for the inner & outer work of decolonization
Thursday, December 2, 2021
Greetings of peace!

When I was at Pax Christi International, I had an incredible opportunity to travel throughout New Zealand/Aotearoa with members of the Pax Christi section there (at right, being welcomed in the traditional Maori greeting by Rangi Davis of the Ngapuhi hapu of northern Aotearoa/New Zealand). Addressing the legacy of colonization there was perhaps the most important priority for Pax Christi New Zealand/Aotearoa, and with leadership from their own members who were Maori, much of the work they did was steeped in an analysis that prioritized decolonization. One of those members talked to me specifically about how the work of decolonization was both inner and outer work, that spaces both external and internal were in need of liberation.

As we enter this second week of Advent, I'm aware of those guides in my own life who have opened up my eyes to how the interplay of racism, imperialism, sexism, and other ideologies have shaped history, culture, politics and religion. Our work -- both as individuals and as the Pax Christi USA community -- is empowered by so many who have picked up the cause of liberation, whether of the land, our social and political structures, or our bodies, minds and spirits. The items in this PSA lift up some of those voices which have most influenced me, as well as others in our movement -- whether in the biblical reflections of elders like Dianna Ortiz, OSU and Ched Myers, or our organizational commitment to anti-racism and racial equity that authenticates our work for peace with justice.

If you didn't get a chance to read the PSA for Thanksgiving and the first week of Advent from our National Field Organizer, Lauren Bailey, exploring the theme of decolonization, I encourage you to return to it here. Hers is the runway which leads to this week's PSA below and the ones other staff members will offer for the third and fourth weeks of this Advent season. Other resources for Advent & Christmas can be found on our website at this page.
Lastly, I hope you'll join me also in remembering the legacy of the 4 US churchwomen who were martyred in El Salvador 41 years ago today. We remember them and all of those who dedicated their lives to working for justice in El Salvador and throughout the world. Ita, Maura, Dorothy and Jean - Presente!
In peace,

Johnny Zokovitch
Executive Director, Pax Christi USA
PRAYER
Remembered by God
A reflection for the second Sunday of Advent, Dec. 5
by Sr. Dianna Ortiz, OSU

Stand upon the heights; look to the east and see your children gathered from the east and the west at the word of the Holy One, rejoicing that they are remembered by God. (Bar 5:5-6)
Moving into the second week of Advent, we have much to think about. In the musical Fiddler on the Roof, the milkman Tevye delivers a funny message with a hidden seriousness: “Traditions, traditions,” says Tevye, “Without our traditions, our lives would be as shaky as ... as ... as a fiddler on the roof!” Might this be said of Catholic Social Teaching as well? Without a collection of living traditions of thought and action rooted in biblical values of authentic justice and peace, our lives would have neither purpose nor direction.

The prophet Baruch summons us to see the children gathered from the east and the west—led away by their enemies. The path they walk is one of uncertainty—still they remain confident that the Holy One remembers them. In response to the multitude of problems of our times, God, through Catholic social doctrine, calls us to advocate for a just society, grounded in Scripture and in the wisdom gathered from the lived experience of the Christian community...
>> Join us each Monday evening in Advent over Zoom from 8:30-9pm for an Advent evening prayer service with Pax Christi USA members from around the nation. Click here to register.
STUDY
A Meditation on Repentance, Climate Crisis & Decolonization
by Ched Myers
The core message of the wilderness prophet John the Baptist, as reported by the evangelist Matthew, was to call his people, who were laboring under colonial occupation in first century Palestine, to turn their lives and history around, symbolized by a ritual of baptismal re-covenanting (Mt 3:1-2). It is traditionally the focus of the second week of Advent.

Repentance does not mean strictly private sorrow, or anguish, or shame—feelings which tend to animate either self-contempt, a desire for exoneration or cheap grace, or protests of innocence. This is illustrated in 3:7-9, where John directs his words not to the crowds, but to the urban authorities who had shown up to his wilderness revival (one might wonder whether they were there in order to try to “manage” this popular movement, as political operatives do)...
>> Join Bishop Stowe tonight, Thursday, Dec. 2 at 7pm ET for a discussion on “Faith and Politics: A Catholic Approach to a Complex Relationship”

>> Watch the Dismantling the Doctrine of Discovery panel program on “Stories of Repair!” with Elaine Enns & Ched Myers, Erica Littlewolf and John Stoetz.
ACTION
Anti-racism and Decolonization
AN EXAMEN OF CONSCIENCE FOR WHITE ACTIVISTS IN NATIVE-LED SPACES: In an article on Decolonizing the Sacred, author Lily Oster reflects on the actions that white settlers can take when entering into native-led spaces of resistance. She draws from her experience with the Dakota Access Pipeline protests, suggesting the Oceti Sakowin guidelines as a spiritual primer and a check on white entitlement:

  • “If you see someone who needs something, help them; don’t wait to be asked.”
  • “Give more than you take.”
  • “If this is not your home territory, remember that you are a guest.”
  • “Withhold from sharing your ideas right off the bat.”
  • “Listen ... just listen.”

She writes, "The work of decolonization—like contemplative practice—requires that white settlers improve our capacities for silence, for attention, for dispossession. It requires that we learn that not everything is about us; not everything is for us; not everything benefits from our input."
>> Join us at the Poor People's Campaign's Moral Monday March on Washington, Dec. 13 to agitate for voting rights! Pax Christi USA is one of the partners of the march.

>> Racial Equity Tools provides a comprehensive curated list of resources for action for decolonization theory and practice. In keeping with Pax Christi USA's commitment to becoming an anti-racist organization, these resources present an excellent opportunity to incorporate an anti-racist lens to the work of decolonization.

>> Five things you can do to decolonize, including links to an anti-racist decolonizing framework, posted by the American Friends Service Committee.
PAX CHRISTI USA TURNS 50 IN 2022!
If you can make a special contribution to our 2021 Advent-Christmas Appeal in celebration of our upcoming 50th anniversary, we'd be so grateful! 
Just click on the donation button to the right
to give securely & quickly online. Thanks!!