On the fifth day of the Diocese of Phoenix Black Catholic Ministry’s Novena for Racial Justice, Father Francis Katuta of the Diocese of Mazuzu in Malawi in Central Africa offered a reflection on the day’s intention. 

In a Facebook video for the Diocese of Phoenix Black Catholic Ministry, Katuta highlighted the theme for the day as “principles of justice and fairness,” stating justice stems from God’s will and command to love, and emphasizing the necessity to act justly and love others wholeheartedly. 

“Without love, we cannot act justly" Katuta said in the video. "We can only act justly if we truly acknowledge that every man deserves our love. Indeed, we all deserve God’s love, but do we also acknowledge the fact that our brothers and sisters deserve our love?” 

The Novena for Racial Justice, hosted by the Diocese of Phoenix Black Catholic Ministry, was led by Katuta from Jan. 8-16. Katuta is a scholar, an author and a Zambian citizen, the Diocese wrote in a Facebook post announcing the Novena. 

According to the post, each day of the Novena has a special intention. The first was the image of God “as the true nature of human dignity,” the second day was “the intrinsic and unconditional value of the human person,” the third was “oneness of human origin as the true nature of social justice” and the fourth day focused on social identity. 

In a 2019 post by the blog, "Blessed Is She" describes the term “novena,” stating it comes from the Latin word for “nine” and refers to saying a novena prayer for nine consecutive days. While the number nine could signify the nine months that Mary was pregnant with Jesus, it could also refer to when the Apostles and Mary prayed for the nine days between Jesus’s Ascension into Heaven and the Pentecost.