Justice and Peace - A style woven by Marie Poussepin

Justice, Peace and Integrity of Creation: a style woven by Marie Poussepin that forms and transforms

Justice, peace and the integrity of Creation constitute a formative pillar that plays a vital role in our path of transforming our lives to “imitate the life our Lord lived on earth” (R I), guided by the Dominican charism of Marie Poussepin.

From Colombia

Like Jesus, she encourages us to take part in God's work through a process of change, compassion, mercy, and liberation. She invites us to turn our gaze inward and, from there, to nurture the gifts, skills, and abilities the Creator has granted to each of us. Let us enter into the experience of the style woven by Marie Poussepin:

• Living a lifestyle centered on the service of charity, grounded in the transversal axis of Justice, Peace, and Integrity of Creation, reflects the deep connection between human beings and nature. This way of life involves choosing a style rooted in love and service. “The reason for the community's existence is the service of charity” (R I). This choice confronts us with our vulnerability in the face of human, communal, and social realities, highlighting the need for greater personal and communal development, and for perceiving the earth as a common home for all humanity.
• Environmental protection — as well as protection of the human environment — is understood as a “culture of care, a path to peace, essential for eradicating the culture of indifference” (Pope Francis, World Day of Peace, 2021). In this way, we care for our common home, a gift from God and a treasure for humanity. From this perspective of integral ecology, as a Congregation we are called to walk together in search of new attitudes and practices that contribute to preserving a sustainable future (56th GC, 2024).
• The fabrics of Dourdan that reach Sainville become a lifestyle that expresses the culture of encounter and care, establishing a connection with the Divine, where “caring for our common home is a shared responsibility” (56th GC, 2024). This perspective places us in a filial relationship, trusting that the Providence of God is revealed first through the gifts granted to each person. Love for Jesus, the foundation of all consecrated life, finds its center in following Christ; it embraces all dimensions of life, harmonizes them, and gives each one its rightful place (Charismatic Plan).
• In the style of growing in fraternity (56th GC, 2024), we lift our eyes to creative fidelity (C 82). In building community from the spirit of welcome as a gift from God, we confront our lives, understand humanity's aspirations and history, and in doing so can respond with boldness and passion to the cries of the new poor (56th GC, 2024), in the midst of the cultural diversity in which we live and proclaim Jesus Christ (Charismatic Plan 2024).

This is a lifestyle aimed at globalizing solidarity through everyday simplicity. Thus, God is revealed as a compassionate Father in recognizing our vulnerability; for this reason, He sent His Son: “God so loved the world that He gave His Son” (Jn 3:16). His mission is to come close to us, become our brother, and support us through the love that comes from the Father, acting as bridge and path. This way of life, and the deep sense of solidarity, inspired Marie Poussepin to respond to the call, leading her to embark on the exodus “from Dourdan to Sainville, where ignorance was great” (IP). There, charity excludes no one, although the poor are given preference and special attention (R XXXVII).

What does it mean for us today to leave Dourdan, a prosperous place, to move to the small communities of Sainville? In this context of new forms of poverty, it is there that we can live out our solidarity with the most in need, in the constant search for justice (C. 27). This gesture becomes a powerful form of testimony, revealing our consecrated life and generating hope in the processes of human dignity and promotion, so that we may proclaim with the psalmist: “The Lord is my shepherd; I lack nothing” (Ps 23:1). Thus, the fabrics of Dourdan become a living legacy of God’s Providence, the miracle of Sainville, a life woven from simplicity, knowledge, and the freshness of the Gospel’s message.

Text: Sr. Edilma Ardila, member of the JPIC team