The Natural Environment & Social Justice

Pope Benedict's latest encyclical (Caritas in veritate) is focused on issues of social justice in our time. In that encyclical, the pope clearly connects environmental issues to social justice. He states:

"The environment is God's gift to everyone, and in our use of it we have a responsibility towards the poor, towards future generations and towards humanity as a whole... In nature, the believer recognizes the wonderful result of God's creative activity, which we may use responsibly to satisfy our legitimate needs, material or otherwise, while respecting the intrinsic balance of creation. If this vision is lost, we end up either considering nature an untouchable taboo or, on the contrary, abusing it. Neither attitude is consonant with the Christian vision of nature as the fruit of God's creation. Nature expresses a design of love and truth. It is prior to us, and it has been given to us by God as the setting for our life. Nature speaks to us of the Creator (cf. Rom 1:20) and his love for humanity... Reducing nature merely to a collection of contingent data ends up doing violence to the environment and even encouraging activity that fails to respect human nature itself."*

For more information, go to www.vatican.va/holy_father/benedict_xvi/index.htm and click on "Encyclicals" and then on "Caritas in veritate."
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* Pope Benedict XVI, Caritas in veritate, no. 48.
Copyright © 2009, Deacon Carl D. Smith. All rights reserved. Reprint permission granted to parishes for use in Sunday bulletins.

Racism & Social Justice

The Catechism of the Catholic Church defines racism as "unjust discrimination on the basis of a person's race." In a section entitled, "Equality and Differences among Men [and Women]," it says the following:

"The equality of men [and women] rests essentially on their dignity as persons and the rights that flow from it: 
     'Every form of social or cultural discrimination in fundamental personal rights on the grounds of sex, race, color social conditions, language, or religion must be curbed and eradicated as incompatible with God's design...' 

"There exist also sinful inequalities that affect millions of men and women. These are in open contradiction to the Gospel:
     'Their equal dignity as persons demands that we strive for fairer and more humane conditions. Excessive economic and social disparity between individuals and peoples of the one human race is a source of scandal and militates against social justice, equality, human dignity, as well as social and international peace.'" 

For more information, see Part 3 Chapter 2 of the Catechism, which you can read online at www.usccb.org/catechism/text/.
Copyright © 2009, Deacon Carl D. Smith. All rights reserved. Reprint permission granted to parishes for use in Sunday bulletins. 

Health Insurance Reform & Social Justice

(The following is adapted from a September 11, 2009 action alert from Kathy Saile, the Director of Domestic Social Development for the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.)

Now that Congress has returned to Washington and is again working on the health insurance bills, the US bishops need your advocacy more than ever. Please call your Members of Congress at 202-224-3121 and tell them to:

1. Support long-overdue health insurance reform that covers all people and protects the life, dignity, and health of all. Health insurance reform is an important national priority and moral imperative.

2. A fair and just health insurance reform bill must exclude mandated coverage for abortion, and uphold longstanding laws that restrict abortion funding and protect conscience rights. Urge Members to take whatever steps necessary in Committee or on the Floor to oppose abortion funding, abortion mandates, and weakening of conscience protections.

3. Support effective measures to safeguard the health of immigrants, their children and all of society. Maintain an adequate safety net for those who remain uncovered. Eliminate the five-year waiting period banning immigrants lawfully residing in the United States from enrolling in Medicaid. Do not place barriers to obtaining private health insurance coverage for immigrants.

You can find information on your Members of Congress at www.senate.gov and www.house.gov.
Copyright © 2009, Deacon Carl D. Smith. All rights reserved. Reprint permission granted to parishes for use in Sunday bulletins.

Adult Education for Social Justice

At this time of the year, students are heading back to school. For those of us with our diplomas or degrees, once we've graduated, we'd like to think that we are done. However, our religious education is never done!
       Our faith is one that calls us to continuing renewal and conversion. Thus, our religious education should continue through our entire lives. All of us can learn even more than we already know about Scripture, Tradition, and the teachings of the Church. One very excellent and enjoyable way of doing this is the JustFaith program. JustFaith began in one parish 15 years ago and is now a part of the program in over 600 parishes across the country. It is a program of prayer and study that leads to action. Its emphasis is Catholic Social Teaching, running the full spectrum from issues surrounding the right to life, poverty, non-violence, racism, global solidarity, and human development. It's not for everyone, but if you've been wanting to know more about the Catholic faith or wanting to know how the Bible speaks to us in today's world, this is a program for you to consider.

       For more information, go to www.justfaith.org or ask your parish's or diocese's social justice director for details. 

Copyright © 2009, Deacon Carl D. Smith. All rights reserved. Reprint permission granted to parishes for use in Sunday bulletins.