Taking sides with the poor, the excluded, the victims of violence, not only leads to the renewal of our theological practices, but also affects our other practices, such as: esthetics, ethics, liturgy Justice and Peace must impact these different areas of our life in order to come to fruition, it cannot be limited to practices of social action or to remaining simply an "ideological" discourse.

Ethical Practices

Ethics consist in a group of values that are present in one's conscience and are capable of being directly applied and formulated around an understanding of the human being which takes into account the uniqueness of the person.

In order to do the work of ethics;

- we must be conscious of these values and make a deliberate choice about them,

- be attentive to the concept of the human person expressed by them,

- make certain that these values guide us in our decisions and actions.

When we look at Justice and Peace and its relationship with the ethical dimension of our religious life, we see that it is an invitation to question our lifestyle so that we can rediscover the real meaning of religious life, which is the art of Christian living.

Our level of life consists of the quantity of goods and services that we can purchase in exchange for our revenue. The type of life or the lifestyle consists of the manner in which these goods and services are chosen, whether they are used or not. Lifestyle is the result of an ethical decision, of a choice of consumer goods that symbolically and culturally associates us to one or the other social groups, and this whether we want it or not.

The communal option for Justice and Peace is most often manifested by a lifestyle that is both frugal and simple When we say frugal, we mean a life where we minimize waste and give priority to recycling Such a choice rests on ecological options and on the decision to live the situation of the poor who have no other alternative than to practice this type of lifestyle because of their lack of revenue.

The majority of the Constitutions of the Congregations of men and women religious recommend that we live a simple and modest lifestyle (LCO 33,34,37). At their chapter in Mexico the brothers said:

"Our goods should not create a barrier between us and those most in need. Our compassion compels us to share their struggles and their means of livelihood." (Mexico 66, B 2b).

In their founding texts the Dominican sisters insist on the coherence that must exist between the way we manage our goods and our option for Justice and Peace. The following are two examples among others.

The financial administration of material goods should be a practical exercise of Justice and poverty The alms that we receive from the hands of the poor should lead us to live a lifestyle that is coherent with the Gospel, living like the poor..." (Dominican Sisters of St. Thomas in Mexico, Constitution n 298)

"The communities should compare their resources with those of the poor. Our solidarity with the poor should be a reality that we live through certain renunciations which is one form of compassion. We should also be fair with our employees (just salaries, food, dignified life, lawful working hours...)" (Missionary Sisters of St. Dominic)

The choice of a simple lifestyle in view of greater proximity with the poor leads to a number of choices in the investments made by the community, in its buildings, modes of transportation However this does not exclude good taste and the desire to be as efficient as possible. It also leads to choices in the area of apostolic ministry, the way we use our time, our network of relationships There are many important issues here that could be decided at the various chapters. Justice and Peace promoters have an important role to play in these decisions; their role is that of initiator, catalyst.

"The economic reality of the congregation, made known through the various documents from the provinces, makes it possible for the General Chapter to give financial reality its place within the lived experience of the members, to take decisions and reflect on our responsibility today.

When faced with issues such as unemployment, insecurity and poverty, the general chapter must ask how we can reconcile responsible stewardship and gospel risk.

Our relationship with money should be translated by:

• a simple lifestyle lived within the context of our consumer society,
• solidarity with others lived within the context of an individualistic society,
• the sense of gratuitousness within a context of greed,
• demands of justice when confronted with situations of poverty.

The General Chapter asks that the local communities and the provinces reflect on the place they give to these values when they establish their budgets. The General Chapter proposes the following questions be reflected upon by the provinces :

• in what way can we exercise solidarity in a world where there are not enough jobs for everyone?
• how do we deal with the many requests for volunteer work and pastoral ministry for
which we receive little remuneration and still have the necessary means to live?
• in what way are our goods at the service of life and of the mission?
• does the world situation lead to a new way for us to see the vow of poverty?

(Roman Congregation of St. Dominic, general chapter 1993).

A very original approach has been adopted by some communities (particularly women's communities in the USA), which consists in having a special committee to monitor the ethical nature of the investments of the congregation.

In 1974, the Adrian Dominicans created the PAB (Portfolio Advisory Board), whose responsibility was to evaluate the investments of the congregation based on gospel criteria. In 1978, a complementary fund was set up to provide the possibility of making loans at a very low interest rate to NGOs working with the poor, especially those working with women, minorities or in very precarious situations. Since then, 131 projects have received funding. The PAB is composed of a committee of sisters who are responsible for ensuring that the money loaned from the fund is given for projects that respect the main objectives of the congregation. The sisters also participate in the ICCR (Interfaith Center for Corporate Responsibility), an organization at the service of more than 200 ecumenical religious associations in the USA. The ICCR helps the congregations communicate their point of view and makes sure that it is heard at the shareholders' meetings of the large corporations in which they invest their money. Their goal is to make sure that the employees have good working conditions, that the company respects environmental laws and that there are just social practices in place The sisters have participated in boycotts of those companies that go against the principles of justice and peace.

In 1982, the Dominican sisters of San Rafael created a "committee for just social investments" whose responsibility was to evaluate the investment policy of the congregation. They too have set up a fund for alternative investments (for socially-oriented NGOs) and a fund to assist the sisters working in the area of Justice and Peace, they provide scholarships for students who do not have the means to pay for their studies. They give financial assistance to programs that promote actions in favor of Justice and Peace and help through international and local projects.

The ethical practices involved in our Justice and Peace options can also be used in the context of our apostolates or of our presence within society. We are today in dire need of ethical reflection and deeply require a few points of reference. This "search" for meaning is an opportunity for Christians to play an active role, by putting forth within the context of this social debate some of their fundamental values. This is a place where we, the brothers and sisters, can become involved.

The following is a model of a process for ethical reflection.

1. Consider the fact that there are many possibilities inherent to every situation or issue. That there exist spaces of freedom and constraints that are more or less meaningful and inevitable.
2. Be as thorough as possible in your research about every possible consequence imaginable.
3. Identify the values that support each one of the possible choices as well as the conflict of values inherent to the solutions.
4. Take a decision that is consistent with the hierarchy of values identified in the previous steps.

Among the different areas of ethical reflection we find Social Ethics. Social Ethics is an area that should be of special interest, particularly for those developing a commitment for Justice and Peace. It seeks to define the criteria for judgment and for decision-making on issues touching upon the future of a nation or of a specific social group. It invites us to reflect on military expenditures, national security (and nationalism), on the rights of workers, (strikes, negotiations), unemployment, economic policies, public solidarity, social protection All of these areas of reflection should be a mobilizing force that brings us together for both the reflection and the implementation process.

Reflecting on issues of Social Ethics, particularly in developing countries, is a good way to promote an ethic of responsibility. The example of Songhai given in Workbook #1 is very significant for it tells us that we must preach by example and shows that alternatives are possible. This example is particularly meaningful today, when all Christians find themselves confronted with the urgency to take up the fight against unemployment as well as economic and social exclusion. There is a felt need to counteract by offering innovative structures promoting employment and remunerated activities.

In those countries that have recently experienced civil war or strong revolutionary situations, the brothers and sisters present are called to be agents of reconciliation, forgivenessand of truth. There are times when they are called upon to act as mediators as was the case in Chiapas Although these situations are particularly difficult to live, they help us rediscover the strength of mercy, the place where justice and peace embrace. Social Ethics should inform us in our search for answers. Training courses in mediation do exist are we aware of them?

Liturgical Practices

The liturgy also plays a role in the "translation" of Justice and Peace, for it is the act of offering to God the work and struggles of those men and women who have committed themselves to building a more just and loving world. It is also the place where the Church enters into direct contact with the difficulties of the people, with the real concerns of the men and women to whom it has been sent to bring the Good News.

There are numerous examples of brothers and sisters throughout the world who have taken up the struggle to outrightly condemn injustice and violence. By so doing they have been able to present their hopes and achievements to the Lord and to the Christian community. Workbook #5 will deal with this form of liturgical practice, of its inculturation at the service of the advancement of men and women and of the rejection of violence.

Chuck works in a parish in Chicago where there are many gangs and a great deal of violence. These gangs are always looking for new members who are not afraid to kill, who take drugs and are willing to deal drugs on the street. The level of violence and the number of murder are extremely high. Chuck and his parishioners decided to take action. With the consent of the local authorities, they called upon the people of the neighborhood to bring in all of the guns, assuring them that those who accepted to collaborate would be given impunity. They asked the local police to step up protection, particularly the protection of youth. They went as far as to organize a campaign against the drug dealers. They set up a center to help the young people who wanted to change their ways to learn to control themselves and thus free them from the infernal spiral of violence. They also provide legal counsel for the accused and the victims.

Chuck and his friends go out into the streets to celebrate the Eucharist. They go for the funeral mass to the places where people were killed. Celebrating the Eucharist in these places of violence makes it clear that they must stop killing and hurting each other and learn to be more understanding and tolerant. The liturgy is a privileged time to ask forgiveness and to begin to walk the path of conversion. It is a time to reflect on our actions and to put an end to violence and death. These celebrations bring together the people of the neighborhood and gives them the opportunity to reflect on the chaos that surrounds them The violence of our youth is like a plague, it is almost impossible to be freed from its clutches. The only way out is through the profound transformation of the life of the entire community.

Esthetical practices

The fight for beauty, already existent in liturgical practices, is an inherent part of the work of Justice and Peace. In Workbook #1, we had the example of. Friar J.P. in Mexico and the way he went about his ministry with the street kids. Similar examples have been initiated by the Adrian Sisters of the USA. When we analyze the works of Fra Angelico we see his concerns are very much like the ones put forth in these workbooks: for example, the place of women.

It would be important to communicate these types of experiences to the members of the Order. Art is a very important source of support, for it allows us to communicate to men and women the existence of a place of gratuitousness, a sacred place. In a world that has lost faith, art becomes a school of spirituality that provides us with the means to enter into the experience of creation and be touched by beauty.

A Model: The Ak'kutan Center of Coban in Guatemala The Ak'kutan Center was created in Verapaz Guatemala and was the result of the experience of the Dominican brothers and sisters of the region, who for twenty years had evangelized and lived a life of solidarity with the poor. The event that was the catalyst for the center was a colloquium held in 1988 to reflect on the genocide in which the indigenous peoples were the victims. The Center officially opening its doors at the end of 1991. Their first task was to write a book recounting the experience of solidarity with the Indigenous people as lived by the Dominicans of the region. Since then, they have set in place a publishing house where they produce numerous books through which they introduce, to a varied audience of readers, the culture of the indigenous peoples (quiche, pokomchi, achi, maya), along with research and a methodology for presenting faith within the context of local reality. The center also has a large library that is open to all types of pastoral ministries. The Ak'kutan Center specializes in the inculturation of faith and the defense of indigenous cultures. The center is open to all of those who want to do this type of research, so that faith will be integrated into the culture of the poor. The center is particularly concerned with helping the pastoral agents of the dioceses. They also do research on the theology of the different Churches and on the "seeds of the Word" existent in the various cultures. They bring together the brothers and sisters of the region and are doing their best to involve the laity. They make every effort to live in accordance with the local culture. Ak'kutan, through its work on inculturation, was lead to adapt the liturgy to the local practices of the Indigenous people and to make proposals for the various Christian celebrations (see the study done on "Evangelio y culturas en Verapaz," 1994). Ak'kutan studied all of the facets of the culture of the Maya people (art, stories, celebrations ), with the goal of making this culture known to others and to defend it in the face of the phenomenon of the globalization of the economy and of culture that we are experiencing in our modern times. These cultures are a heritage left to all people and are a great contribution to our universal culture as well as to the process of humanization.

Preliminary Conclusions

The specific goal of Workbook #4 was to look at the different ways that some of us live our option for Justice and Peace. Participation within a specific social context, the work of theology, the various ethical and liturgical practices are all different aspects of the Justice and Peace process.

The act of taking sides with the victims, the poor and the voiceless most always leads to the transformation of the religious life of the sister or brother. In many cases it also gives the person the opportunity to rediscover the reason why he/she accepted to allow him/herself to be seduced by the Gospel and why they chose to follow in the footsteps of St. Dominic. The action of Justice and Peace is not reserved to a small portion of our life. On the contrary, it is life lived to the fullest by our openness to those who are poor and humiliated by life, there where the Lord is truly present. In this way, Justice and Peace is a true school of spirituality.

In the next Workbook we will focus on the ongoing process of evaluation that is so necessary for us to do so as not to lose sight of our objectives and even more important, not to lose sight of the spiritual dimension which is itself the very core of our action.

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