We celebrate several things on January 1: the Solemnity of Mary, the Mother of God, New Year's Day, and World Day of Peace. Pope Paul VI established a day for peace in 1968. He asked that, "every year, this commemoration be repeated as a hope and a promise, at the beginning of the calendar which measures and outlines the path of human life in time, that peace with its just and beneficent equilibrium may dominate the development of events to come."
Pope Francis has decided that the focus of the 2015 commemoration is: "Slaves no more, but brothers and sisters." The Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace explains the relevance of the theme for today's world. "Many people think that slavery is a thing of the past. In fact, this social plague remains all too real in today's world. Slavery deals a murderous blow to our fundamental fraternity, and so to peace as well. Peace can only exist when each human being recognizes every other person as a brother or sister with the same dignity." The Council identifies forms of slavery: human trafficking, trade in migrants and prostitutes, exploitation, slave labour, and the enslavement of women and children.
Our 21st century Christian and human ways of proceeding cannot conceive of how individuals and groups can profit from this slavery. They are modern parasites who take advantage of our world's many conflicts, of the worldwide economic crisis and of corruption in order to carry out evil. The Council paints a graphic picture of this slavery: "A terrible open wound on the contemporary social body, a fatal running sore on the flesh of Christ." It is not hard to imagine this in a world of ISIS, an organization that thrives on inflicting torture. The contrast with slavery is a world in which the dignity of each human person is recognized. Such dignity is anchored in a fraternal relationship where enslavement is out of the question, where liberation and inclusion are available to all.
December 2, 2014 was International Day for the Abolition of Slavery. On that day, religious leaders from various faith traditions signed a joint declaration against slavery. This was part of the Global Freedom Network, a network with the aim of uprooting modern forms of slavery and the traffic of persons. Pope Francis was one of the signers. He said, "Therefore, we declare, in the name of each and all of our creeds, that modern slavery in terms of traffic of persons, forced labor, prostitution, exploitation of organs, is a crime against humanity. Its victims are of every condition, but more often they are among the poorest and most vulnerable of our brothers and sisters."
The theme of peace is also the Pope's universal prayer intention for the month of January: That those from diverse religious traditions and all people of good will may work together for peace. For most of us, January 1 marks a time to look ahead, to make resolutions and to start afresh. I would suggest that part of our focus for this new year be prayer and action for the eradication of slavery. It may seem far removed from our comfortable lives. Yet, if we scratch the surface, we'll discover how close slavery is to us. The situation of missing and murdered aboriginal women is a close cousin to these issues.
As well, this summer will see a major sporting event in the Greater Toronto Area. The Pan Am Games are set for July 2015. Events such as this have been documented as relying heavily on human trafficking for labourers, sex workers, and other victims of the global trade in this modern form of slavery. A group of Toronto area religious women and men is organizing the Interfaith Alliance to End Human Trafficking. We will have UN GIFT Boxes (The UN Global Initiative to Fight Trafficking) located in different parts of Toronto, as part of a project to raise awareness about the issue. You can get involved. If you have an interest, send an email to me at pshano@jesuits.ca [1]. I'll make sure you are connected to the appropriate person.
Meanwhile, on this January 1, let’s resolve to start and finish 2015 with peace – inner peace, peace with God, peace with our families and friends, peace with our enemies, peace with strangers, and peace with creation.