A Call to Mercy and Justice

By Jennifer Reyes Lay

Opening ceremonies of welcome and exchange

Last weekend Nov. 11-13^th I had the opportunity to attend Call To Action’s annual conference, hosted this year in Albuquerque, NM.  The theme for the Conference was “One Earth, One People, A Call to Mercy and Justice.”  Incorporating this theme into the spirit and activities of the Conference, there were many different presentations from people of various cultures, ethnicities, and parts of the world, sharing about our common work for mercy and justice.  Liturgical and prayer celebrations included song, dance, movement, and reflection from indigenous communities of Albuquerque and indigenous Latino communities.  The Conference opened with a special ceremony of representatives from one of the local indigenous communities welcoming us into their space and land, and sharing gifts of friendship and hospitality.  It then continue with women sharing stories about their ancestors, and honoring our various stories of how they arrived from Asia, Africa, Europe, and Latin America.  The preacher for the closing liturgy was a Navajo man who helped us (Catholics) reflect on our complicity in the Doctrine of Discovery and genocide of native peoples, and call us to repentance and conversion to respect and honor all peoples and creation.   

Young adults with Fr. Richard Rohr

During the weekend there were three main keynote presentations.  Friday night’s keynote was by Fr. Richard Rohr, reflecting on the dynamic relationship of God through the Trinity, and the transformative power that has to offer the Church and the world.  He focused on how relationship, specifically a relationship of giving and receiving love, is central to understanding and experiencing our God.  We too are called to model this dynamic relationship of giving and receiving love in our lives and interactions with the whole of creation.  Saturday’s keynote was a panel of young adult Catholics, sharing about their experiences of being church, Catholic identity, and building intergenerational communities.  It was a lively and inspiring conversation that fueled a lot of hope for moving forward together as an intergenerational church committed to the work of justice and peace in our world.  Sunday’s keynote was presented by Dr. Greer Gordon, a Roman Catholic theologian, author, and lecturer known for her work in the field of apologetics, evangelization, and catechetics.  She offered a powerful witness and challenge of what is means to be the body of Christ in the U.S. today given the reality of a Trump presidency.  She spoke of her own personal experiences of being targeted by racism and encouraged all those present to not give in to fear, but to stand as prophetic witnesses, imaging Christ in the world, and being prepared to give the ultimate sacrifice just like he did if necessary.  She challenged us to reflect on and take seriously what it means to be followers of Christ in the world today, and to act accordingly, pushing the Church to do the same where it currently fails to do so. 

Members of the CTA 20/30 community

In addition to the keynote speakers, there were many workshops held throughout the Conference on a wide range of topics including our responsibility to protect and care for the environment, decolonization and shadow work, peace and nonviolence, Latina and mujerista theology, mercy and restorative justice, and interfaith perspectives among others.  The Conference also had particular spaces for me, as a young adult Catholic, to gather with other young adults in our 20s and 30s to build community and share ideas.  I really appreciated these spaces to network with other young adults inspired by their faith to work for peace and justice in the world.  They give me a lot of hope for the years ahead of us! 

Joint CTA and Strong Families Press Conference

Call to Action as an organization has also made a commitment to actively work to become an anti-racist, anti-oppressive organization and to dismantle structural racism in our church and in the world.  Part of this work involves connecting with local organizations and communities where the Conference is held to see how they can partner with them to lift up their own local work against racism and oppression.  At this year’s conference, CTA partnered with Strong Families New Mexico to hold a joint march and press conference for mercy and justice.  Strong Families is active in the Albuquerque area supporting victims of violence and discrimination and working for justice.  Together CTA and Strong Families held a march with signs stating that we stand in solidarity together, we call for mercy and justice in our communities, and that love will always trump hate and violence.  I was grateful for the opportunity to participate in this action of solidarity. 

Overall it was a wonderful weekend, full of inspiring and challenging messages of how to be the body of Christ in the world today, particularly in light of the divides and hateful rhetoric we have experienced in this past election cycle.  The message I was left with is that we have a lot of work to do, but we can take comfort in the knowledge that we do not do this work alone.  God is with us as we stand together to create a world of mercy and justice for all.