On this day in1948, the newly formed United Nations issued the document known as the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. It was quite an extraordinary thing to do. Much of the impetus for such a document arose from the ashes of World War II.
Article 1 reads: “All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights.” Think of it: Not just men, or one particular race or lass, but ALL. Eleanor Roosevelt was part of the committee that helped to draft this statement. And the United States in 1948 there still had Jim Crow laws on the books in many Southern states.
These are words that we need to remember today not just as a statement but as a basis of action. We still need to have a human rights based economy, one that recognizes the worth of all human beings, one that leads to a new social contract wherein we have a healthy livable environment. The words of the Declaration reflect our faith as spoken by the Apostle Paul when he wrote: There is neither Jew nor Greek, male nor female, slave nor free, but all are equal in Christ Jesus.
Prayer for the Day
Preoccupied with the world around us, O Lord,
We lose with of you and fall into the trap of despair;
Bound to the past, we are fearful of the future,
And are hesitant to believe in the possibilities of peace.
Break into our lives, O God, and open our minds and hearts
So we are able to share your vision of a world with others.
In the name of the One who brings us the new world,
Even Christ Jesus our Lord, Amen.
Thoughts for the Day
When we achieve human rights and dignity for all people, they will build a just, peaceful, and sustainable world.
Anthony Guterres, Secretary General United Nations
Where, after all, do universal human rights begin? In small places, close to home - so close and so small that they cannot be seen on any maps of the world. ... Such are the places where every man, woman and child seeks equal justice, equal opportunity, equal dignity without discrimination. Unless these rights have meaning there, they have little meaning anywhere.
Eleanor Roosevelt, human rights activist (1884-1962)
The Lord exists forever; your word is fixed I heaven.
Your faithfulness endures to all generations;
You have established the earth, and it stands fast.
Psalm 119: 89-90