September 7, 2025 • Twenty-third Sunday in Ordinary Time
. . .no longer as a slave but more than a slave, a brother, beloved especially to me. . .—Philemon 16
There is no doubt about it; human slavery was an accepted institution of antiquity. With the above words, Paul sends a runaway slave from Colossae back to his master, Philemon. The slave, Onesimus, was converted to Christ by Paul. But the Letter to Philemon takes a twist as Paul breathes “the spirit of Christ and of equality within the Christian community.” In doing so, Paul “voiced an idea revolutionary in that day and destined to break down worldly barriers of division ‘in the Lord’” (The Catholic Study Bible, NAB, Oxford, 1990).
Human slavery continues to exist today with a new name: it is now human trafficking and it can be for sex and/or labor, both of which are fundamental violations of human rights. The Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000 (TVPA) defines labor trafficking as: “The recruitment, harboring, transportation, provision or obtaining of a person for labor or services, through the use of force, fraud, or coercion for the purpose of subjection to involuntary servitude, peonage, debt bondage or slavery.” Sex trafficking is also a modern-day form of slavery that is recognized in the TVPA in which a commercial sex act is induced by force, fraud, or coercion, or in which the person induced to perform such an act is under the age of 18 years.
Here in beautiful North Carolina, this modern slavery exists. We have the distinction of being the 9th most likely state in the nation to be a site for trafficking. For a state that likes to be recognized for its finest features, this is appalling (Human trafficking cases: North Carolina ranks among worst 10 states). If you would like to learn more about how to recognize signs of trafficking and what to do, check out this website: Project No Rest – Stop Human Trafficking in North Carolina
If you think you have come in contact with a victim of human trafficking, call the police if the person is in immediate danger or call the National Human Trafficking Resource Center at 1-888-373-7888. Locally, the Salvation Army has Project Fight if you would like to get involved: Project FIGHT.
Paul’s letter serves as a reminder that in Christ we must see the actions of this world differently and pursue alternative routes to correct corrupt social structures.
Barbara Molinari Quinby, MPS, Director
Office of Human Life, Dignity, and Justice Ministries
Holy Name of Jesus Cathedral Raleigh, NC