"social justice" thing is driving me crazy! help!

[caroljm36]

My parish sent out a questionnaire asking us to tell them how we can have a “faith that does justice.” There is a social concerns committee that has been meeting and there were some early Sunday morning lectures on the Church’s social teaching, which I did not attend because we go to vigil Mass. Guess I should have. Anyway, now they’re having a meeting and they want (name removed by moderator)ut as to how the parish is doing now and what it can do better, how we can “work for social justice” and frankly* I just don’t know what this means*. The terms they use are all so vague.

But it appears now that the committee doesn’t really know what to do with its mission. I do know one concrete fact, that a local Catholic homeless shelter will be losing its premises nearby and needs a place to go. And we have some vacant buildings in the parish complex that they’re interested in. But the idea that they would move over here was quickly shot down, because the homeless patrons might intimidate the parishioners.

What do I do with this? What do other parishes do with social justice? I volunteer at the homeless shelter, and we donate canned goods and food in church collections. What else can we do?

 

[JKirkLVNV]

“Social Justice” within our Church has gotten a bad rap of late, but that’s its own heterodox “devotee’s” fault. They’ve confused the Church’s concept of social justice with things like women’s ordination, gay rights, liberation theology, the forcible redistribution of property, etc. If you are interested in what the Popes and the Magisterium have to say about social justice from an orthodox Catholic viewpoint, I rec. that you do some research on Google for things like HH Pope Leo XIII’s encyclical *Rerum Novarum. *Someone else could probably help you more. Also, I’ve always thought that if we practiced the Corporal Acts of Mercy, that would be the best way to be socially just.

 

[bengeorge]

“Social Justice” is an extremely fuzzy concept, as documented by Thomas Sowell in his books “The Quest for Cosmic Justice” and “Rethinking Social Justice”

contumacy.org/14SocialJustice.html

I belive the best approach to “social” justice, for individuals, is to act as individuals with other individuals. In other words, “How can ~I~ help THIS person,” rather than, “How can WE help these people?”

I don’t know how Catholic my approach is, but I know that several attepts at “social justice” have been anything BUT Catholic.

And I think it is ironic and sad that the one concrete example of aid that you could think of was shot down.

 

[caroljm36]

“Social Justice” within our Church has gotten a bad rap of late, but that’s its own heterodox “devotee’s” fault. They’ve confused the Church’s concept of social justice with things like women’s ordination, gay rights, liberation theology, the forcible redistribution of property, etc. If you are interested in what the Popes and the Magisterium have to say about social justice from an orthodox Catholic viewpoint, I rec. that you do some research on Google for things like HH Pope Leo XIII’s encyclical *Rerum Novarum. *Someone else could probably help you more. Also, I’ve always thought that if we practiced the Corporal Acts of Mercy, that would be the best way to be socially just.

I am familiar with Rerum Novarum and it is probably the best of the social justice encyclicals. Unfortunately I don’t think the Church is in its element when it tries to pass on political economy.

I looked up the acts of mercy, and found this:
To feed the hungry.
To give drink to the thirsty.
To clothe the naked.
To visit the imprisoned.
To shelter the homeless.
To visit the sick.
To bury the dead.

It reminded me that I just devoted a lot of time visiting and looking after a friend who went from hospital to nursing home…also I take communion to a homebound parishioner every Sunday. My husband faithfully drives 80 miles every month to visit a relative in prison.

Is it morally legitimate to say that the parish should stick to direct action, like the corporal acts of mercy, rather than try to influence politics on economic matters?

 

[Bobby_Jim]

I agree, I think you had a really great idea in helping the local homeless shelter find a new space. If it’s really a concern about intimidating the parishoners, then your priest might need to hit that issue in a homily. I can imagine also some zoning and permitting issues that are harder to negotiate.

By serving the poor in your community, your parish is off to a good start. Like with everything, it’s about interior disposition and conversion of heart, i.e. are people holding their nose with disdain and thinking of charity work as an odious obligation, or are they truly seeking Christ in the poor. Mother Teresa would be a great example for a social justice group - maybe an informational seminar on her life and ministry would get people motivated?

There are lots of little ways people can volunteer to help the community… for those people who can afford to make bigger committments, there are sometimes opportunities for things like prison ministry, or material support for poor single mothers, or taking in foster children from troubled backgrounds. But there’s a lot of need out there, and I think the Church’s teaching on social justice is calling on us to recognize it where it exists, and to do what we can out of love for Christ and for the poor.

 

[Lisa_N]

Our SJ committee does focus on acts of mercy and systemic issues. For example helping with renovation of units for low income, opening a hot meal program, organizing donations for a battered women’s shelter. I think the only mission we don’t have is a prison ministry. We are a relatively new parish and so one thing at a time

Our SJ did get involved in helping get people registered to vote but did not get involved in any political campaigns

Lisa N

 

[KCT]

I heard a priest once say that social justice isn’t just taking care of the financially less fortunate. He says we’ve totally neglected to reach people of means. They need evangelizing. Once they’ve heard the gospel, they realize they have a duty to help others. I guess what father was saying is, it’s fine to help the poor, but don’t neglect the rich because they need Christ, too! (and in the long run can help financially more than I ever will!!) —KCT

 

[Lisa_N]

KCT:

I heard a priest once say that social justice isn’t just taking care of the financially less fortunate. He says we’ve totally neglected to reach people of means. They need evangelizing. Once they’ve heard the gospel, they realize they have a duty to help others. I guess what father was saying is, it’s fine to help the poor, but don’t neglect the rich because they need Christ, too! (and in the long run can help financially more than I ever will!!) —KCT

Excellent point! There are hungers other than physical hungers. Plus you are also right that if we can inspire those of means to see their brothers and sisters they can do a lot more good than the amount I can give. Great idea thank you for making this suggestion.

Lisa N

 

[JKirkLVNV]

caroljm36:

Is it morally legitimate to say that the parish should stick to direct action, like the corporal acts of mercy, rather than try to influence politics on economic matters?

Hmmmmm, I don’t know, if you’re talking about the parish corporately. That’s where it gets fuzzy, for me at least, and I really depend on the Church to guide me. Some people say that the Church should stay out of politics, which she should if that means priests being in secular office, but she shouldn’t if it means Catholics divorcing their moral conscience each time they vote, or bishops being hauled before “human rights” commissions for legitmately exercising their duty to teach and form Catholic consciences, as is happening in Canada. Politics has a moral dimension, and I think economics does as well, but I’m not able to clearly articulate how I think it should be expressed. I guess I would want to see a parish/diocese loudly denouncing and boycotting a porn shop (an economic indeavor as well as a moral one), but would be a little uneasy in hearing a parish/diocese calling for tax increase. Dunno!

 

[vern_humphrey]

There are a lot of good points here, so I’ll say something that usually gets me in trouble – the two things we need to do in Social Justice are:

1. End abortion and restore the respect for human life.
2. Expand our Catholic schools and give poor children a chance to get a good education.

 

[caroljm36]

KCT:

I heard a priest once say that social justice isn’t just taking care of the financially less fortunate. He says we’ve totally neglected to reach people of means. They need evangelizing. Once they’ve heard the gospel, they realize they have a duty to help others. I guess what father was saying is, it’s fine to help the poor, but don’t neglect the rich because they need Christ, too! (and in the long run can help financially more than I ever will!!) —KCT

Well I was going to say, that’s one thing I know the parish (or at least the pastors) do NOT want to do! We’re supposed to “evangelize by example” only. There is no direct evangelizing of the people at the homeless shelter e.g. This is a Jesuit parish and I’m pretty sure all 8 parishes in my town think evangelizing is uncool. Yet I do believe conversion is the ONE thing that would change these people’s lives.

But I wish someone had gotten to me 10 years earlier…you’d see the Mormans and JW’s walking around trying but it didn’t seem like the mainstream churches were interested in new converts at all. Even when you finally come to the Church all on your own, nobody really seems to care, like “that’s nice, I’ve been Catholic my whole life…” I’ll never understand all that. The Church just doesn’t seem to pick up cues from people.

OK I’m done ranting.