Call To Action's 2022 Advent Calendar provides 27 days of prayer and study to lead into action and solidarity with Indigenous communities. Here is today's meditation.
Thursday of the First Week of Advent
December 1st, 2022
Anyone who is entrusted with the care of any child should have, as their first concern, the physical and emotional well-being of that child.
Jesus’ words about causing a child to “sin” must be interpreted in light of our enlightened understanding of the emotional and spiritual needs of even the youngest of children.
Truly, anyone who “causes one of these little ones” to lose hope, or lose even their own sense of self-worth, should be held accountable, and the laws of the land written in such a way as to protect children and prevent such abuse.
-Meditation by Indigenous Solidarity Collective Member Mary Ann Reed.
Call to Action: 5-6
Child Welfare
and Education
“5. We call upon the federal, provincial, territorial, and Aboriginal governments to develop culturally appropriate parenting programs for Aboriginal families.
6. We call upon the Government of Canada to repeal Section 43 of the Criminal Code of Canada.
Section 43 states: Correction of a child by force. Every school teacher, parent, or person standing in the place of a parent is justified in using force by way of correction toward a pupil or child, as the case may be, who is under his care, if the force does not exceed what is reasonable under the circumstances.”
Organizations to know and follow
Urban Native Youth Association, a Canadian organization, provides educational programs and health and housing services for Indigenous youth.
First Nations Child and Family Caring Society provides education initiatives, public policy campaigns, and quality resources to support First Nations youth and their families.
Center for Native American Youth is an advocacy and research group that strives to improve the health, safety, and overall well-being of Native American youth.
The watercolor paintings featured on this calendar were created by Duane Yazzie, an artist of Hopi and Navajo ancestry. Yazzie creates artwork that reflects his Indigenous heritage and his childhood spent in the Southwest.
The 2022 Advent Calendar is a project of CTA's Indigenous Solidarity Collective, a working group that addresses the Catholic Church's historical and current role in colonialization. To support more projects from working groups like this one, please consider making a contribution!
