See our birthday message to the World Bank
The World Bank is 80 this year. But with 2.4 billion people having no regular access to food, we have shared one single birthday wish with them.
Fishermen attending a safety at sea training session in Liberia.
“He who is not with me is against me; and he who does not gather with me scatters.”
Jesus faces opposition in today’s reading. He is accused of using the devil’s power, when he heals a man who cannot speak.
Jesus calls for unity. He reminds people that a kingdom or a household which is divided is heading for ruin. He cannot therefore be using the power of evil to heal.
We are stronger when we stand together to face the difficult times in our lives. When we are united, we can make a real difference in our world.
Fishermen in Liberia lash their boats together to prevent them from capsizing or drifting too far in high winds and waves, as James explains:
“We call each other together and tie our canoes together. Then we have to wait for two or three hours and just survive together. It’s very dangerous then at sea. We have to come together to remain safe. We have to have unity…. If you don’t hold onto something and the waves come, they will make you capsize.”
When working alone, it is hard to make a difference, but together we are better able to make our voices heard. This Lent, let us help each other when we are facing difficult times. Let us raise our voices as one, calling for change in our world.
Prayer
God of unity, lead us to unite despite our differences. Working together, may we make our voices heard, as we call for a fairer world free from poverty and injustice. Amen.
Act
Last year over 70,000 parishioners stood in solidarity with Salina, a small-scale farmer from Bangladesh, calling on the World Bank to protect farmers’ rights to freely access their own seeds. This year marks the 80th birthday of the World Bank, a publicly-funded bank that was created to eradicate poverty. Let’s come together to share with the World Bank one single birthday wish: to bring back seeds into the hands of farmers.