We have heard the Pope speak several times about the culture of care, that is, the importance of taking care of one another.  The Pope tells us “that everything is connected, and that authentic care for our own lives and our relationships with nature is inseparable from fraternity, justice and fidelity to others”. The pain, suffering and injustices suffered by some damage the entire social fabric. One cannot live with one’s back turned to the suffering of others.

“Love one another as I have loved you” (Jn 15:12), becomes a reality and is concretized in taking care of one another, in putting into practice the culture of care.

This month’s prayer intention sheds light on the scourge of discrimination and the attack on the dignity of women in various parts of the world and invites us to pray and to trust that persistent prayer can change this reality and also our hearts. “Every human person is an end in itself, never a mere instrument to be appreciated only for its usefulness, and has been created to live together in the family, in the community, in society, where all members have the same dignity. From this dignity derive human rights, as well as duties, which recall, for example, the responsibility to welcome and help the poor, the sick, the marginalized, each of our “neighbors, near or far in time or space” (Pope Francis).

We are called to care for the sacred gift of every person, men and women equal in dignity, without opposition or confrontation, children of God, brothers and sisters in Christ. It is an invitation to take charge of this painful reality, which takes on different manifestations according to places and cultures. But which, nevertheless, enjoys a common guiding principle that must be made real everywhere in the world: the equal dignity of all people. To care for others, especially women this month, is to care for and respect their dignity. Moreover, the culture of care, taking care of one another and working to make it a reality is, as the Pope says, “a way of peace.” 

“The culture of care, as a common, solidary and participatory commitment to protect and promote the dignity and good of all, as a disposition to care, attention, compassion, reconciliation and recovery, mutual respect and acceptance, is a privileged way to build peace” (Pope Francis).

Let us pray this month for the culture of care to be a fact in all parts of the world, especially where women suffer violence and discrimination, and let us work especially in the care of good treatment, respect for others, welcoming and valuing the richness of the people with whom we live daily.

International Editorial Team