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Doers of the Word seek justice for all

By Fr Stephan Alexander

General Manager, CCSJ and AMMR

Last weekend we celebrated Sunday of the Word of God. In my preparation to celebrate Holy Mass, I asked myself the question, what would life be like if Christians really prioritised the Word of God and lived it as an active and compassionate way of life? This question resonated deeply as I came across the ‘Reverse St Francis Prayer’:

Lord, make me a channel of disturbance.

Where there is apathy, let me provoke;
Where there is compliance, let me bring questioning.
Where there is silence, may I be a voice.

Where there is too much comfort and too little
action, grant disruption.

Where there are doors closed and hearts locked,
Grant the willingness to listen.

When laws dictate and pain is overlooked…
When tradition speaks louder than need…
Grant that I may seek rather to do justice than to
talk about it;

Disturb us, O Lord.
To be with, as well as for, the alienated;
To love the unlovable as well as the lovely;

Lord, make me a channel of disturbance.

(Author unknown)

These challenging words invite us to confront the discomfort of true discipleship, a path that is neither passive nor complacent, but one that courageously engages with the injustices of the world.

The Scriptures are replete with calls to justice. The prophet Micah reminds us, “What does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?” (Micah 6:8).

Justice, as understood in the biblical tradition, is not simply fairness or the equal distribution of resources. It is a radical commitment to restoring relationships, lifting the oppressed, and ensuring that the dignity of every human being is respected.

To live this way requires us to embrace the disturbance of the gospel—a gospel that upends comfort zones and challenges systems of apathy and exclusion.

The prayer’s plea for disturbance echoes Jesus’ own mission, as proclaimed in Luke’s Gospel: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free…” (Lk 4:18).

It is a mission that calls each of us to action. Where there is apathy, we are called to provoke; where there is silence, we must become a voice for the voiceless.

But how often do we shy away from this call? Too often, we cling to comfort and compliance. We excuse ourselves from the hard work of justice because it is inconvenient, uncomfortable, or even risky.

Yet the prayer reminds us that we are not only called to observe injustice but to confront it—to disrupt systems of oppression and  challenge traditions and laws that perpetuate suffering.

In Trinidad and Tobago, the cries of the marginalised are all around us. The poor, the victims of crime, the migrants, the neglected elderly, and the abused children—each bear witness to a society in need of transformation.

To do justice here means more than charity; it demands advocacy, systemic change, and the courage to speak truth to power. It means asking tough questions: Why are so many excluded from opportunities? Why do systems designed to protect sometimes perpetuate harm? What can I, as a disciple of Christ, do to bring about change?

To answer these questions, we must immerse ourselves in the Word of God and allow it to disturb and transform us. James 1:22 admonishes us: “But be doers of the word, and not merely hearers who deceive themselves.”

Doing the Word means stepping into the messiness of the world’s pain and acting with love, courage, and hope. It means choosing to be a channel of disturbance, even when it costs us our comfort or reputation.

As we reflect on the prayer, let us also pray for grace to live its challenge. May we disturb the apathy within ourselves and our communities. May we question the injustices we witness and the silence that enables them.

May we seek to do justice, not merely talk about it. And may we find, in the unsettling disturbance of the Gospel, the true peace of Christ that comes when we walk humbly with God and work tirelessly for His kingdom of justice and love.

This week, let us take one concrete step toward justice. Speak out against an injustice, support a cause that uplifts the marginalised, or simply listen to the stories of those who suffer. Together, let us answer the prayer’s call and make the Word of God come alive in our world.

 

 

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