The last Sunday of September is designated by the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference as Social Justice Sunday. The social justice aspect of Christian teaching and action will be emphasised at Masses today, but we need to be aware that worship and justice are always intimately connected.
On this Sunday every year the Bishops release their annual Social Justice Statement, as they have done since 1940. In the Statement’s we see the application of the Church’s social principles to critical issues of the day This year’s statement is titled: A Place to Call Home: Making a home for everyone in our land.
The Statement highlights the challenge of homelessness in Australia – a problem that continues to grow despite the great prosperity of our nation. We are reminded that safe and secure housing is a human right that must be afforded to all. It is the inherent dignity of each brother and sister in need of a place to call home that urges us on to confront the growing challenge of homelessness and housing insecurity in Australia.
Everyone deserves a place to call home.