Bishops Commission for Social Justice, Mission and Service chair Tim Harris delivered the following address at the launch of the 2025 Social Justice Statement in Canberra on Wednesday, 13 August.
It is so good for me to be with those of you gathered here in Canberra and with those of you watching online for the launch of this year’s Australian Catholic Bishops Conference Social Justice Statement, “Signs of Hope on the Edge: Serving People Living in Homelessness and Mental Ill-Health”.
When this Statement was being written, I had no idea that I would eventually become the new Chair of the Bishops Commission for Social Justice, Mission and Service. You see, it is the Chair of the Commission who launches such a Statement. Now that I have this responsibility, I must say that the Statement has touched me deeply.
Firstly, in my Cathedral precinct in Townsville is a sculpture of the ‘Homeless Jesus’ by the well-known sculptor Timothy Schmalz. It’s a near life-size figure wrapped in a blanket and lying on a bench. The figure’s face and hands are obscured by the blanket, but his pierced feet indicate that it is a representation of Jesus.
So, the ‘Homeless Jesus’ lies in the Cathedral grounds as a powerful reminder that the homeless are welcome and that our community cannot ignore their plight.
The confronting figure calls on the community to involve ourselves in the life of those doing it tough – not in a patronising way but in a way that seeks to lift up and restore a broken humanity – to give our fellow human beings the dignity they deserve.
The beginning of St Matthew’s gospel gives us a clear way forward as to how we might proceed. Let us focus briefly on it for a few moments.
We read about the beheading of Jesus’ cousin, John the Baptist. After John’s disciples had buried him, they told Jesus. Naturally, this would have been terrible news for Jesus. The evangelist tells us that Jesus, on hearing this news, retreated by boat to a solitary place; but many had heard of Jesus’ movements and came quickly to see him.
Jesus would have been forgiven for wanting some quiet time to deal with his grief, but, instead, he responded to the people’s need.
He healed the sick and, when his disciples told him that it was getting late and people should be sent back so they could get food, Jesus, instead, told them to sit the large crowd down. He blessed the five loaves of bread and two fish his disciples had gathered for him and, miraculously, there was more than enough to feed the thousands who had come to see him.
Only after he had tended with compassion to the needs of the crowd did Jesus walk up a mountain side where he could privately grieve for his cousin and pray.
The chapter ends with the story of Jesus walking on the water to meet his disciples who were on a boat on the lake.
He told Peter to come out of the boat to meet him on the water, which Peter did. However, Peter began to sink. Jesus reached out to peter to stop him from sinking and they got onto the boat together. Seeing Peter’s lack of faith, Jesus asked peter: “Why did you doubt?” Seeing the amazing thing that had happened, the disciples worshipped Jesus.
The message is clear, isn’t it? When Jesus saw people who were sick, he tended to their needs. He put them first.
When he was told that people needed food, he made sure their needs were met with basket loads of food. He put them first. He put his own need to grieve the dreadful loss of his cousin to one side to reach out with compassion to the sick and hungry.
Jesus only tended to his own needs when he had helped the many needy people who had come to see him.
The chapter ends with the dramatic account of the disciples seeing clear evidence that Jesus was the son of God. Peter’s faith had deserted him.
He did not put his trust in Jesus and he began to sink. Jesus saved him from sinking and reminded him and the other disciples that, even in the midst of challenging and, sometimes, seemingly overwhelming situations, only good will come from believing in him and following in his ways.
So, it also is when we consider how we should respond to the plight of people living in homelessness and struggling with mental ill-health.
We can pass by people living on the streets asking for help and say we have too many challenges and troubles of our own; or we can put our faith in Jesus and follow in his footsteps no matter how difficult and confronting that might seem.
Reaching out with compassion to homeless people who are dealing with depression or other mental illnesses, people who are hungry, people who are lonely and starved of affection – some how, some way, that’s what Jesus shows us is to love as God loves.
And if we put our faith in Jesus, he will be there to offer his hand so that we do not sink beneath the waves as we try to help people who are facing enormous difficulties. Only good will come if we follow Jesus and put our trust in him!
The statement being launched today provides us with the stories of a number of people living in homelessness and mental ill-health.
They are stories of great hardship, desperation and loneliness. Some of these stories also give us some signs of hope in the midst of these troubles when good people reach out and offer a hand of friendship and practical support.
The statement also provides facts and figures about the rising rate of homelessness and mental ill-health, about some of the causes and also the difficulties specialist homelessness services face in helping homeless people. This is important information which helps us to understand the nature and extent of the struggle so many people face.
However, the key message of this statement is that people of faith and people of goodwill must try to notice what is happening in the lives of people living on the streets, to understand the hardship they face and find ways, big and small to make a difference in their lives.
Our call, as Christians, is to accompany people living in homelessness and mental ill-health and offer them hope that they can overcome the challenges they face.
We honour Jesus when we serve them in this way, but they also help us to draw closer to Jesus who invites us to reach out to them with compassion and love, no matter how difficult it may seem.
I applaud those who are already working to support people living in homelessness and mental ill-health. Your work is admirable and inspiring. I also thank those who have had a hand in writing and publishing this statement. I hope it inspires many more to ‘step out of the boat’ and reach out to people living in homelessness and mental ill-health.
I encourage you all to not only read this statement, but to be inspired by it to take action to share with our homeless sisters and brothers the abundant love and hope God offers us all.
The statement can be found at socialjustice.catholic.org.au