“The Mission of Justice in a Globalizing World”

Peter Leuthold
Dr. Elliis
10/10/07
Event Analysis
“The Mission of Justice in a Globalizing World”

Globalization, which is the integration of economic, political, and cultural systems across the globe, is something which should be combined with Jesuit values in order to diminish the amount of poverty. Combining Jesuit values with the mission of justice was what Father Paul Locatelli stressed about during his formal speech. Father Locatelli and Peter-Hans Kolvenbach share many of the same beliefs in globalizing the world in order to help out the needy.
Father Locatelli’s main argument at his speech was that as Jesuits we need to take advantage of the opportunities which we encounter and participate in community service trips around the world, but most importantly in poor regions like El Salvador. The commitment to justice and a Jesuit education was another point which Father Locatelli brought upon us. He said that in order for a Jesuit to truly develop he or she must go out of their way in order to make a change in the world. Last year, I was fortunate enough to travel to New Orleans, Louisiana with thirty of my classmates in my high school’s Habitat for Humanity club. It was so sad to see that families who were once living in large houses had lost everything they owned and were now living in poverty. Being able to help build homes for these families in poverty and seeing them smile was a priceless moment in my life which I will never forget. Since I was able to relate to the mission of what Father Locatelli was describing, I feel as if my relationship with God has strengthened and I also feel that if another opportunity for me to help out the poor arises I will take advantage of that as well. Being a Jesuit has greatly changed my life and the way I view things. Poverty is something which is horrible and something which I feel I can help to change. The mission of globalizing the world as told by Father Locatelli was also similar to the views and arguments which Peter-Hans Kolvenbach made in his conference on the commitment to justice in Jesuit high education.
Peter-Hans Kolvenbach, a Jesuit, had a very strong argument on the issue of promoting justice and serving God. Like Father Locatelli, Kolvenbach said that as Jesuits, we are required to help out others, especially through community service. One of his main arguments was that we can only give from what we have learned. A very important expression about the mission of faith and the promotion of justice which he made was: “the service of faith and the promotion of justice has all the characteristics of a world-conquering slogan using a minimum of words to inspire a maximum of dynamic vision, but at the risk of ambiguity.” This is such a crucial statement because he summed up the importance of being able to go out of your way to make a change in the world. If everyone could participate in one single community service trip, the percentage of poverty around the world could decrease and therefore improve the world as a whole. Both Father Locatelli and Kolvenbach feel as if it is necessary and required for all Jesuits to take part in using their knowledge to help overcome the horrors of poverty and inequality occurring across the globe. The influence which I obtained at my high school, a private Catholic prep school, gave me many opportunities to partake in helping others out. Along with traveling to Louisiana, I choose to participate in many day trips to various locations in New York City. Bringing food to shelter homes for the homeless was another way for me to connect to the mission that Father Locatelli and Kolvenbach were talking about.
The mission of justice and globalization around the world is a problem that Jesuits can help to resolve. Father Locatelli’s speech accurately defines what Kolvenbach talked about in his conference. Kolvenbach also brought up a strong argument about how the service of faith could not be achieved without the influence that God has given us. Father Locatelli also talked about this importance of participating in community service trips to make a difference in the world since there are so many different ways to do so. Globalization and poverty are a way for Jesuits to take an opportunity and make a statement. By attending Father Paul Locatelli’s formal speech and reading Kolvenbach’s conference, the concern of globalization and poverty around the world has proven to be a problem. As a student at Loyola, I plan to participate in many community service trips so that I can gain more knowledge and help to make a change for someone else.