Midterm Elections & Social Justice, part 2

For a couple of decades now, negative campaigning has been commonplace in the US. Negative campaigning is marked primarily by a candidate saying how they are not like their opponent. Sometimes it goes further by using innuendo, half-truths, out-of-context statements, and even name-calling in an attempt to turn the voters off to the other candidate. The sad truth is that this strategy has been statistically proven to work, despite the un-Christian character of the approach.
       Recently, as campaigns began in Australia, the main television network in Australia invited the two candidates for prime minister to be interviewed (separately) for the morning news program. The network did one thing to make the interviews compelling: they insisted that each candidate talk only about themselves and their political views. Furthermore, when either candidate began saying things like, "My opponent says…," the interviewer cut them off and did not permit them to proceed. From the standpoint of these American eyes and ears, it was remarkable.
       Perhaps the approach of the Australian television network is a good approach for us: look only at what each candidate says about herself or himself and cut them off (or tune them out) when they start the negative rhetoric. Once we know what a candidate stands for, then we can apply our well-formed consciences to make a good decision.
Copyright © 2010, Deacon Carl D. Smith. All rights reserved. Reprint permission granted to parishes for use in Sunday bulletins. (http://bit.ly/16p8ws)
  

Midterm Elections & Social Justice, part 1

As we move into fall, we start seeing and hearing campaign rhetoric once again. This year is not a presidential election year, but it is a year in which all members of the US House and a third of the US Senators are elected. In addition, there may be other state and local races, referenda, and initiatives.
       The US bishops update their document Faithful Citizenship (www.faithfulcitizenship.org) only in presidential election years, but it is nonetheless applicable for the midterm elections, as well. In the campaign period leading up to every election, Catholics should review Faithful Citizenship, form their consciences on the issues, and then vote their consciences on election day. It is time-consuming and at times difficult, especially to figure out what a candidate's stand is (or isn't) on an issue. However, it is what we must do to truly live our faith in the public square.
       (Next week: Negative campaigning.)
Copyright © 2010, Deacon Carl D. Smith. All rights reserved. Reprint permission granted to parishes for use in Sunday bulletins. (http://bit.ly/16p8ws)
  

Buying the Poor for a Pair of Sandals

Hear this, you who trample upon the needy
and destroy the poor of the land!…

Never will I forget a thing they have done! (Amos 8:4,7LFM)

In the first reading for this Sunday, the profit Amos decries the neglect of the poor and lists some of the abuses, such as adjusting weights and measures to cheat the poor out of what is justly theirs. 
       The line that should catch our attention in these days refers to "buy[ing]… the poor for a pair of sandals." How often do we prefer shoes that were made in foreign sweatshops just because we can get away with paying a lower price for them? When we defend doing so by claiming that the people who work in those sweatshops are at least doing better than their neighbors, isn't that like buying the poor for a pair of sandals?
       Furthermore, wouldn't our country be better off economically if we would search out domestically produced goods, made by factories that pay just wages?
Copyright © 2010, Deacon Carl D. Smith. All rights reserved. Reprint permission granted to parishes for use in Sunday bulletins. (http://bit.ly/16p8ws)
 

Building Hope through Social Justice

This weekend in the Archdiocese of Seattle, parishes will be taking up the annual Build Hope collection. This special collection supports the Catholic Campaign for Human Development (CCHD) and the Catholic Communication Campaign. CCHD is the organization nationally that the US bishops has established to fund and promote social justice activities in the US. CCHD fight poverty and injustice by investing in organization that involve the poor in the development and execution of their programs. This principle was reaffirmed in Pope Benedict's encyclical Caritas in veritate as the only way to truly solve problems and bring about the development of peoples.
       Please see the CCHD web site (www.usccb.org/cchd/) for more information, and please be generous when the baskets are passed this weekend.
Copyright © 2010, Deacon Carl D. Smith. All rights reserved. Reprint permission granted to parishes for use in Sunday bulletins. (http://bit.ly/16p8ws)
 

The Bishops' Annual Labor Day Statement

Each year for Labor Day, the US bishops' Committee on Domestic Justice and Human Development issues a Labor Day Statement. At over four pages in length, this year's statement is the longest of recent years. Yet, this is for good reason, as the opening paragraphs of the statement point out. With the West Virginia mine disaster, the explosion of the oil rig in the Gulf, and high unemployment, this past year has been marked by some significant events and conditions. As the bishops review the history of papal writings on the matter — from Pope Leo XIII's Rerum novarum to Pope Benedict XVI's Caritas in veritate — the bishops conclude that the protecting the life and dignity of each worker should be at the heart of a new "social contract" for the growth and governance of our economy.
       This year's statement (and other statements by the bishops on labor) can be found at http://bit.ly/9vcbkG.
       Happy Labor Day!
Copyright © 2010, Deacon Carl D. Smith. All rights reserved. Reprint permission granted to parishes for use in Sunday bulletins. (http://bit.ly/16p8ws)
 

Back to School Shopping & Social Justice

This is the time of year when students are preparing to head back to school. In recent years, this has also been an occasion for families to go on shopping sprees, filling their homes with new clothes and gadgets. It is important to realize, though, that the consumer mentality in this country of buying things because they are cheap or because advertising has created the desire for them has resulted in poverty and environmental problems in other countries.
       So, this year, as you do your back-to-school shopping ask yourself a few questions: 

• Do I really need this item, or is someone else (like a TV ad) telling me that I want it?
• If I need the item, do I really need a new one, or will a used one serve my needs just fine? Have I looked in thrift and second-hand stores lately?
• What do I know about the people who made the item? Was it most likely produced in a facility with fair labor practices, or was it most likely made with sweatshop labor? 

Copyright © 2010, Deacon Carl D. Smith. All rights reserved. Reprint permission granted to parishes for use in Sunday bulletins. (http://bit.ly/16p8ws)
 

Mary & Social Justice

This Sunday, we celebrate the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, and we hear in the gospel Mary's song of social justice, the Magnificat. With a careful read, it is easy to see that the mother of Jesus was a radical proponent of social justice:

[The Almighty] has shown the strength of his arm,
      and has scattered the proud in their conceit.
He has cast down the mighty from their thrones,
      and has lifted up the lowly.
He has filled the hungry with good things,
      and the rich he has sent away empty.

What can we do this week to lift up the lowly and fill the hungry with good things? It's what our Mother would like us to do!
Copyright © 2010, Deacon Carl D. Smith. All rights reserved. Reprint permission granted to parishes for use in Sunday bulletins. (http://bit.ly/16p8ws)
 

"Much Will Be Required" & Social Justice

The gospel for this Sunday ends with Jesus saying to his disciples, "Much will be required of the person entrusted with much, and still more will be demanded of the person entrusted with more." In the United States, we have been entrusted with much: rich natural resources, fertile land that can produce much food, an abundant supply of clean water, and a temperate climate that supports a wide range of human activity, such as industry and tourism. As a result, our nation has emerged as a world leader in nearly every respect.

       In such a blessed position, God demands much of us. With our power and resources, we have a biblical obligation to do even more than other nations to bring about God's reign on earth. Therefore, it is important for us as a nation to promote the cause of justice and mercy throughout the world. We are uniquely called upon to be promoters of the common good and agents of peace, reconciliation, and environmentalism. Our bishops realize this, and are constantly asking Catholics to make their voices heard on such issues. For an overview of current issues and an easy way to make your voice heard, go to http://capwiz.com/catholicbishops/home/.
Copyright © 2010, Deacon Carl D. Smith. All rights reserved. Reprint permission granted to parishes for use in Sunday bulletins. (http://bit.ly/16p8ws)
 

The Church's Liturgy & Social Justice, part 3

How we pray and who we pray for in our liturgical assemblies must praise God by demonstrating our concern for God's least ones. The General Intercessions, in particular, have ample opportunity for this. Besides praying for our sick and deceased loved ones (which most parishes do), we should also be sure to pray for suffering people throughout the world, regardless of whether they're related to us by faith or blood. While we're at it, we should also pray for our enemies.
Copyright © 2010, Deacon Carl D. Smith. All rights reserved. Reprint permission granted to parishes for use in Sunday bulletins. (http://bit.ly/16p8ws)
 

The Church's Liturgy & Social Justice, part 2

[This sound-bite is prepared for running in bulletins on 7/25/2010]

One important aspect of achieving social justice is also a part of our liturgy: reconciliation. Justice is a matter of right relationship. If something is keeping us from right relationship, such as a past wrong or unfair discrimination, we must be reconciled in order to return to a right and just relationship. Reconciliation involves (1) acknowledging our faults to the offended party, (2) asking for and receiving forgiveness, and (3) making reparations and/or doing penance.
       To model that for us in our interpersonal relationships, we have the Sacrament of Penance and the Penitential Rite of the Mass by which we are reconciled with God. The Sacrament of Penance provides the fullest expression of reconciliation (as outlined above) and is our only way of reconciling serious sins against God's law. The Penitential Rite of the Mass heals the lesser offenses so that we can be properly disposed for our reception of Holy Communion.
       The challenge for us is to take these opportunities for reconciliation seriously. This Sunday, when the liturgy comes to the Penitential Rite, make a serious examination of your conscience, fervently ask God for forgiveness, and then feel the forgiveness God offers through the words of the priest.
Copyright © 2010, Deacon Carl D. Smith. All rights reserved. Reprint permission granted to parishes for use in Sunday bulletins. (http://bit.ly/16p8ws)
 

The Church's Liturgy & Social Justice, part 1

At the end of every Mass, we are urged to "Go in peace to love and serve the Lord." The new language of the Order of Mass which will be implemented in the US next year has a new option, which is, "Go in peace, glorifying the Lord by your life." The two are seen as equivalent by the Church: loving and serving the Lord means living the faith. 
       It means being the "good Samaritan" as we heard about last Sunday. 
       It means striving for justice in our world, as we are told time and again by Jesus and the prophets who came before him. 
       It means being a force for reconciliation, not only between ourselves and one another, but also between polarizing forces in our world.
       And it is (or should be) the Church's liturgy that causes us to see what must be done and to provide an example of how we are to live between Sundays. More on this in the coming weeks.
Copyright © 2010, Deacon Carl D. Smith. All rights reserved. Reprint permission granted to parishes for use in Sunday bulletins. (http://bit.ly/16p8ws)
 

Random Acts of Kindness & Social Justice

The Sunday gospel for this week is the familiar story of the lawyer who tests Jesus about salvation and ends up getting the parable of the "good Samaritan." It's a good reminder that there are a lot of people who need immediate help in the world today, especially with the economy continuing to struggle. Providing immediate help and mercy as the good Samaritan did is a sign of our Christianity — being a neighbor and offering basic care or random acts of kindness to someone in need is a mark of our faith, just as it is for Jews and those who profess some other religions.
       The work of social justice goes beyond that and asks works on the more difficult problem of how a person or persons find themselves in such need. It seeks to prevent others from having such a need by eliminating structures or systems that have negative impacts, and by creating new structures and systems that support and raise up those in need. For example, caring for injured pedestrians at a busy street corner is an example of providing basic care to those in need, whereas social justice would involve upgrading the intersection with pedestrian crossings, traffic signals, and warning signs.
       Thus, social justice can be thought of as investing in a future where there are fewer people in need and all are raised up.
Copyright © 2010, Deacon Carl D. Smith. All rights reserved. Reprint permission granted to parishes for use in Sunday bulletins. (http://bit.ly/16p8ws)
 

Independence & Social Justice

Today we celebrate Independence Day, the day when 56 very active residents of this land declared on behalf of all that the king of England had been abusive in his rule of the colonies in North America, and that such abuse would no longer be tolerated. The Declaration of Independence lists 27 specific actions of the king that were objectionable because they violated the dignity and freedom of human beings in this country. In Catholic social justice language, the Declaration of Independence was about the life & dignity of the human person; the call to family, community, and participation; and rights & responsibilities (see http://bit.ly/9qwkCG for the seven themes of Catholic social teaching).
       The final sentence of the Declaration of Independence also contains a great testament to the colonists' reliance on God and their commitment to endure the sacrifices that needed to be made for the sake of their common good: "[F]or the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor." Words that should guide us all today for the support of our nation.
       To read the Declaration and for related resources, check out http://bit.ly/ckkyhD.
Copyright © 2010, Deacon Carl D. Smith. All rights reserved. Reprint permission granted to parishes for use in Sunday bulletins. (http://bit.ly/16p8ws)
 

Summer Eats & Social Justice

Summer is here and the seasonal fruits of the land are starting to appear at grocery stores and farmers' markets. This is the perfect time to think more critically about the justice of the food we eat. That may seem strange, but there are significant social justice aspects to the growing, harvesting, transportation, distribution, and consumption of food.
     Patrick Carter, a recent graduate of Creighton University, has completed a research project about that. According to a recent interview posted at http://ncronline.org, to be more just in our eating, he says we need to change ourselves first: “Buy local food, eat out less, eat less meat and don’t over eat. We, as Christians, have a responsibility to care for God’s creations — humans, animals, earth and water — and the way we currently grow and eat food is not reflective of this call… We can have a sustainable existence by first changing ourselves by buying locally grown and ethically harvested food that has a minimized impact on the environment… [I]f the food [we eat] would more closely reflect our Christian values to love the poor and care for God’s creation, then the eaters could be in solidarity with the growers, the land, the farmers, the livestock, the harvesters and the hungry of the world, in addition to the others in the room.”
       This summer, consider doing more of your grocery shopping at your local farmers' market and selecting organically grown produce. In addition to finding healthy, fresh foods at a competitive price, you will also be promoting justice.
Copyright © 2010, Deacon Carl D. Smith. All rights reserved. Reprint permission granted to parishes for use in Sunday bulletins. (http://bit.ly/16p8ws)
 

Landmines & Social Justice

This past week, the Office of International Justice and Peace of the US bishops issued an Action Alert, asking Catholics to make their voices heard regarding a treaty to ban landmines. The alert points out that, "Landmines are 'inhumanly insidious because they continue to cause harm even long after the cessation of hostilities.' The U.S. bishops have long supported elimination of landmines as they are indiscriminate, morally unacceptable weapons that do not distinguish between soldier and civilian, or between times of war and times of peace."
       Download the full Action Alert at http://bit.ly/9Flf0j. It has the instructions for contacting the President and your US Senators about ratifying this treaty.
Copyright © 2010, Deacon Carl D. Smith. All rights reserved. Reprint permission granted to parishes for use in Sunday bulletins. (http://bit.ly/16p8ws)
 

Summer Vacations & Social Justice

Summer vacation time is here once again, and families are finalizing their plans for getting away for a week or two of vacation. It's easy to do the same old thing: go to a resort or amusement park and be entertained for a week. Lately, though, many families recognize the great needs in the world and look for ways to help. Taking a "volunteer vacation" is an approach that many have done and others are considering. In addition to serving a world in need, a lot of families also find that it strengthens their relationships with each other.
       As a family or as a single person, there is no end to the possibilities for working for a better world while on vacation. Opportunities exist locally, nationally, and internationally. An internet search of "volunteer vacations" will allow you to quickly find lots of possibilities. One particularly good site in http://charityguide.org. Click on their "volunteer vacation" page to get a quick overview of the types of projects available.
       Or, if you know where you want to go and don't mind pounding a few nails, Habitat for Humanity has a schedule of their projects around the world at www.habitat.org/cd/gv/schedule.aspx. There you will find lots of opportunities, including in the hot tourist destinations, like Hawai'i, New Zealand, and Kenya. All Habitat trips include local cultural opportunities.
       This summer, have your family vacation mean something — take a trip with a purpose!
Copyright © 2010, Deacon Carl D. Smith. All rights reserved. Reprint permission granted to parishes for use in Sunday bulletins. (http://bit.ly/16p8ws)
 

Oil Spill and Social Justice

As the oil well continues to pollute the waters of the Gulf of Mexico, it may be time to look back on this and other matters of environmental justice. In November 1991, the US bishops said the following in their pastoral statement, Renewing the Earth: "…[H]umans, made in the image and likeness of God, are called in a special way to 'cultivate and care for it (Earth)' (Genesis 2:15). Men and women, therefore, bear a unique responsibility under God: to safeguard the created world and by their creative labor even to enhance it. Safeguarding creation requires us to live responsibly within it, rather than manage creation as though we are outside it. The human family is charged with preserving the beauty, diversity, and integrity of nature, as well as with fostering its productivity." Thus, our faith teaches us that such environmental disasters are contrary to God's will for us.
       For more on Renewing the Earth, go to www.usccb.org/sdwp/ejp/bishopsstatement.shtml.
       Also, if you'd like to donate to help those who are most affected by the spill (fisherman and their families), Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of New Orleans is taking donations on their web site. Go to www.ccano.org and click the link on the right side of the page. (By the way, British Petroleum has contributed $1 million to help in Catholic Charities' efforts; however, much more is needed.)
Copyright © 2010, Deacon Carl D. Smith. All rights reserved. Reprint permission granted to parishes for use in Sunday bulletins. (http://bit.ly/16p8ws)
 

The Trinity as a Model for Social Justice

Today we celebrate the Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity. To be sure, the mystery of a three-in-one God can be difficult to comprehend. However, one thing is clear: the Trinity exists as a communion of three persons who mutually cooperate with each other in acts of creation, sanctification, justification, and salvation. Many theologians have pointed to the Trinity as a model that we can use for all sorts of life-in-common, including families, the Church, and other forms of community. 
       Thus, the Trinity also tells us something about social justice. The relationship between Father, Son, and Holy Spirit is one of close, intimate love. One powerful image of the Trinity can be found in the "Throne of Grace," in which artists using everything from canvas to stained glass have depicted the crucifixion of the Son, with the saddened Father supporting the cross and the Holy Spirit hovering nearby in solidarity.
       Such should be our relationship with each other — we should care deeply about other human beings and want to always uphold them, especially those who are suffering. We should support them, be in solidarity with them, and do what we can to raise them up.
Copyright © 2010, Deacon Carl D. Smith. All rights reserved. Reprint permission granted to parishes for use in Sunday bulletins. (http://bit.ly/16p8ws)
 

Economic Life & Social Justice (part 6)

The final two principles of A Catholic Framework for Economic Life (www.usccb.org/jphd/economiclife) indicate how everyone in an economic system — from the workers to global leaders — is responsible for a just outcome:

• Principle 9. Workers, owners, managers, stockholders, and consumers are moral agents in economic life. By our choices, initiative, creativity and investment, we enhance or diminish economic opportunity, community life and social justice.
• Principle 10. The global economy has moral dimensions and human consequences. Decisions on investment, trade, aid, and development should protect human life and promote human rights, especially for those most in need wherever they might live on this globe. 

An exercise for this week: What role are you in with respect to Principle 9? What moral responsibilities can you identify as being a part of your role? 
Copyright © 2010, Deacon Carl D. Smith. All rights reserved. Reprint permission granted to parishes for use in Sunday bulletins. (http://bit.ly/16p8ws)
 

Economic Life & Social Justice (part 5)

The seventh and eighth principles of A Catholic Framework for Economic Life (www.usccb.org/jphd/economiclife) declares the checks and balances that are necessary between the free market, voluntary groups, and the government:

• Principle 7. In economic life, free markets have both clear advantages and limits; government has essential responsibilities and limitations; voluntary groups have irreplaceable roles, but cannot substitute for the proper working of the market and the just policies of the state.
• Principle 8. Society has a moral obligation, including governmental action where necessary, to assure opportunity, meet basic human needs, and pursue justice in economic life.

Principle 7 makes the case that all parties with economic interests have roles to play, and Principle 8 speaks specifically to he important role that we as a society should be asking our government to play in assuring a just and compassionate society.
        An exercise for this week: Consider the news this week. Ask yourself, "Are our leaders’ actions benefiting everyone, including families, workers, and the most vulnerable among us?" If not, pick one elected leader and write to them about your feelings.
Copyright © 2010, Deacon Carl D. Smith. All rights reserved. Reprint permission granted to parishes for use in Sunday bulletins. (http://bit.ly/16p8ws)
 

Economic Life & Social Justice (part 4)

The fifth and sixth principles of A Catholic Framework for Economic Life (www.usccb.org/jphd/economiclife) could easily be named the "individual rights and responsibilities" principles:

• Principle 5. All people have the right to economic initiative, to productive work, to just wages and benefits, to decent working conditions as well as to organize and join unions or other associations.

• Principle 6. All people, to the extent they are able, have a corresponding duty to work, a responsibility to provide for the needs of their families and an obligation to contribute to the broader society. 

Principle 5 is rooted in our belief that, by working, we are participating in God's creation, and therefore it is a noble and worthy endeavor that no one should be deprived of. It goes further to state that work should be justly compensated and dignified, and a worker may associate with others in order to balance the power between employer and employee.
       The sixth principle outlines the why we should work, if we are able: to financially take care of our families and to contribute to the common good.
       An exercise for this week: As we come out of the current recession, many individuals still suffer unemployment or underemployment. Consider them in your prayers this week.
Copyright © 2010, Deacon Carl D. Smith. All rights reserved. Reprint permission granted to parishes for use in Sunday bulletins. (http://bit.ly/16p8ws)
   

Economic Life & Social Justice (part 3)

The second and third principles of A Catholic Framework for Economic Life (www.usccb.org/jphd/economiclife) lay a key piece of foundation for looking at our spending as individuals and as a nation:

•  Principle 2. All economic life should be shaped by moral principles. Economic choices and institutions must be judged by how they protect or undermine the life and dignity of the human person, support the family and serve the common good.

• Principle 3. A fundamental moral measure of any economy is how the poor and vulnerable are faring.

Principle 2 calls us, in our personal lives, to make economic decisions in ways that go beyond our style preferences our notions of what constitutes a "good deal," and calls us to ask the question, "A good deal for whom?" Were the goods made with sweatshop labor? Was the food produced in a way that respected God's creation and the environment? Does the merchant pay fair wages and support the common good?

       Principle 3 applies that same decision-making on a national level and gives the concrete measure of the perspective of the poor and vulnerable. Isaiah, Jeremiah, and other prophets of the Old Testament were constantly calling on the ancient Israelites to care for the poor and vulnerable, and we are part of that same spiritual tradition.

       An exercise for this week: Look at what you are buying and throwing out this week. Ask yourself whether those decisions are consistent with these principles.
Copyright © 2010, Deacon Carl D. Smith. All rights reserved. Reprint permission granted to parishes for use in Sunday bulletins. (http://bit.ly/16p8ws)
   

Economic Life & Social Justice (part 2)

In the US bishops' 1996 document, A Catholic Framework for Economic Life, they identified ten important principles to help Catholics reflect on the values that should shape our participation in economic life. The first and the fourth principles are related:

• Principle 1. The economy exists for the person, not the person for the economy. 
• Principle 4. All people have a right to life and to secure the basic necessities of life (e.g., food, clothing, shelter, education, health care, safe environment, economic security.)

The first principle is rooted in our teaching that human life is of paramount importance; we should not subordinate persons to government, corporations, or some "invisible hand." People are not mere resources for production of goods and services; rather, the production of goods and services exist in order to (1) help human beings develop and meet basic necessities, and (2) provide an opportunity for dignified work.
       The fourth principle is related, in that it defines the rights to which all human beings are entitled, regardless of their economic status or their means. The list of basic goes beyond the bare minimum of food, clothing, and shelter and includes the items that point at what the bishops mean by human dignity: education, health care, safe environment, and economic security. So, while a lot of politicians debate issues of food, clothing, and shelter, our bishops teach us that we have to go way beyond that. 
       An exercise for this week: as you hear about budgets, financial market reforms, spending allocations, and similar stories coming out of the state capitol and Washington, DC this week, review them carefully in light of these two points. Then, consider calling your representatives and tell them how feel about one of these issues.
Copyright © 2010, Deacon Carl D. Smith. All rights reserved. Reprint permission granted to parishes for use in Sunday bulletins. (http://bit.ly/16p8ws)
   

Nuclear Disarmament & Social Justice

The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) has welcomed the signing of the new Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START) between the United States and the Russian Federation, according to an April 8 letter from the president of the USCCB to President Barack Obama. The letter states, “The horribly destructive capacity of nuclear arms makes them disproportionate and indiscriminate weapons that endanger human life and dignity like no other armaments. Their use as a weapon of war is rejected in Church teaching based on just war norms."

       The treaty now goes to the US Senate for ratification, and the USCCB is asking that Catholics urge their senators and urge them to give bipartisan support to the New START Treaty. For information on contacting your senators, visit www.senate.gov. You can also call the Capitol switchboard at 202-224-3121.

       For more information on the USCCB letter to President Obama and other resources related to nuclear weapons, go to www.usccb.org/sdwp/international/nuclear.shtml.
Copyright © 2010, Deacon Carl D. Smith. All rights reserved. Reprint permission granted to parishes for use in Sunday bulletins. (http://bit.ly/16p8ws)
   

Economic Life & Social Justice (part 1)

One very important part of Catholic social teaching is the Church's teaching on economic life (i.e., how a society organizes its financial resources). The Church teaches that all economic life should be shaped by moral principles. The social justice principals of life and dignity of the human person, concern for the common good, and support for the family are key to evaluating economic choices and institutions. 
       In November 1996, the US bishops produced a document called A Catholic Framework for Economic Life. In it, they outline ten important principals to help Catholics reflect on the values that should inform our consciences as we participate in economic life. Even though that document is over thirteen years old, the principals are timeless and can offer great guidance in our current economic situation in the US.
       For more information, including Catholic Framework document, some reflection questions, links to downloadable documents, and podcasts), check out the USCCB web page at www.usccb.org/jphd/economiclife/.
Copyright © 2010, Deacon Carl D. Smith. All rights reserved. Reprint permission granted to parishes for use in Sunday bulletins. (http://bit.ly/16p8ws)
   

The Promise of Resurrection & Social Justice

Happy Easter! Today we celebrate our belief that suffering and death does not have the final say. There are many challenges to God's sense of justice in our society today, and most of these also existed at the time of Christ — people without adequate food, clothing, shelter, healthcare, education, or dignified work; people who suffer from discrimination and abuse.

       And then there are those blessed ones who, like Jesus, work to change the systems that cause those injustices. Like Jesus, they suffer, as well, since their work upsets the status quo. As Dom Helder Camara once said, "When I feed the poor, they call me a saint. When I ask why so many people are poor, they call me a communist."

       Easter reminds us to never lose faith or hope, since God is looking out for us and wants us all to have life and have it more abundantly. The hope of Jesus' resurrection — and our own — is that, through suffering, we find new life, and that every experience of suffering is also an opportunity to offer a hand in compassion to someone else.
Copyright © 2010, Deacon Carl D. Smith. All rights reserved. Reprint permission granted to parishes for use in Sunday bulletins. (http://bit.ly/16p8ws)