If we want to achieve Peace, Justice must be served. If we want to live harmoniously with nature, we have to protect our environment, writes Fr Jun Perez SVD.

When we talk about JPIC, it is not just about justice, peace and ecology. It is the very core of our existence as human beings. These three components are intertwined with one another in order to achieve the fundamental values in our life.

We are living in a complex and wounded world where indirectly, we are also responsible for it. The issues we are facing right now either societal or ecological are the product of our indifference with one another. We are called to break the bonds that divide us as citizens of this world where we are all living on one planet that we call Earth.

One of the pressing issues that we need to address is refugees and migration. All of us are dreaming of living in a peaceful environment where we can express ourselves freely, practice our religious beliefs, enrich our cultural heritage and develop our given talents. But war, tribal conflict, religious persecution can hinder our purpose in life. People have to leave their country of birth by force to save their lives. How can we listen to their cry, feel their anguish, and walk with them in a turbulent journey toward a welcoming community? How can we help in solving the problem of conflicts that inflict the pain in the different facets of human life as well as the other living organisms that are part of our system?

Poverty pushes people to seek for a greener pasture.  No matter what it takes, they will find the land of milk and honey. Separation anxiety, cultural shock, language barrier, and faith lived boundaries are the realities they have to endure to gain a brighter and better future for their loved ones.

The inequality of the division of wealth separates the poor and the rich, the weak and the powerful, the master and the servant. If only we would see our fellow human beings as equal where we help one another, building bridges instead of walls, respecting the uniqueness of every individual, then, we can walk side by side even hand in hand.

We, the human beings, are not the only living species even non-living species occupying our Mother Earth. There are also other organisms that breath the air we breathe. They are fashioned to balance our ecology. But the Earth is in danger because the stewards who are called to protect the environment are abusing it. We are now experiencing the wrath of Mother Earth: unusual floods everywhere, severe heatwaves or cold waves, melting of glaciers that contributes to the rise of sea water level and the sinking of low-land islands. What must we do to save the only planet that we can live on, our common home? It is our responsibility to take care of her, to nourish her and be her guardian.

It is our vocation to adhere to the integrity and dignity of our fellow human beings as well as the integrity of God’s creation. It is in our hands if we want to live in a peaceful, just, and humane society where environment is protected and well-kept as well. We have to co-exist in this green planet given to us.

Jun Perez SVD

AUS – JPIC Coordinator