July 12, 2021
Dear friends,
That time of the year is upon us again, when the President presents his State of the Nation address. For us Catholics, urged by our faith to listen to the “cry of the poor” and the “cry of the Earth” (Laudato Si), and inspired by the vision of one big human family where all have a seat at the table (Fratelli Tutti), what is the state of the nation today, and what does it call forth from us?
To aid you in your reflections, we offer 2 tools for discernment.
1. Lights & Shadows
The first is a mid-year edition of Lights & Shadows (L&S), a review of the policy decisions and responses of the Duterte administration during the first half of 2021, in the second year of a pandemic that is still raging across the world. Using the principles of Catholic social teaching, ICSI presents government pronouncements and actions that provide hopeful prospects (the “lights”) and matters of concern (the “shadows”) across eight select themes. We hope that this latest release of the L&S will help us all to reflect on the state of the nation today and the opportunities and challenges we face in building an inclusive and just world for our people.
2. Webinar: “SONA ALL: the State of the Nation is in Our Hands”
The second is a webinar presented by SLB and ICSI titled “SONA ALL: the State of the Nation is in Our Hands.” Having taken a look at all that we are facing as a nation, what does this mean for each of us, now? This webinar invites us to journey with several change makers in our country who are already working on building a brighter new day. Inspired by their example, let us reclaim once more the fundamental fact that the state of the nation is IN OUR HANDS. The way that each of us chooses to live our lives, share our gifts, work for peace, care for creation, and hold government to accountability affects the state of our nation. Are we willing to take up this power that is IN OUR HANDS?
Join us for a morning of inspiring discussion and sharing on Saturday, July 17, 10.00am – 12.15pm. Register here: https://bit.ly/SONAallWebinar
We hope that these tools for discernment will be helpful to you, and look forward to continue working with you in building a hope-filled future!
Yours sincerely,
Your friends from Simbahang Lingkod ng Bayan (SLB) and the John J. Carroll Institute on Church & Social Issues (ICSI)
