Following Jesus means learning to come out of ourselves in order to - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Following Jesus means learning to come out of ourselves in order to go to meet others, to go towards the outskirts of existence, to be the first to take a step towards our brothers and our sisters, especially those who are the most distant, those who are forgotten, those who are most in need of understanding, comfort and help. There is such a great need to bring the living presence of Jesus, merciful and full of love! Pope Francis

The Good Samaritan (version of Delacroix) Vincent Van Gogh, 1890

Prayer of Mother Teresa O God, we pray for all those in our world who are suffering from injustice: For those who are discriminated against because of their race, colour or religion; For those imprisoned for working for the relief of oppression; For those who are hounded for speaking the inconvenient truth; For those tempted to violence as a cry against overwhelming hardship;

For those deprived of reasonable health and education; For those suffering from hunger and famine; For those too weak to help themselves and who have no one else to help them; For the unemployed who cry out for work but do not find it. We pray for anyone of our acquaintance who is personally affected by injustice. Forgive us, Lord, if we unwittingly share in the conditions or in a system that perpetuates injustice. Show us how we can serve your children and make your love practical by washing their feet.

Questions to keep in mind:  Whose dignity is being denied?  Whose being victimized here?  Whose making the decisions?  Whose good is being served?  How does this make you feel?

Catholic Social Teaching sums up the teachings of the Church on social justice issues. It promotes a vision of a just society that is grounded in the Bible and in the wisdom gathered from experience by the Christian community as it has responded to social justice issues through history. It is documented in a repository of the writings and teachings of popes since the late 19 th century. While it has evolved to respond to the challenges and needs of the day, the values that characterise its nature are consistent.

Since the Vatican Council of the Catholic Church in 1962 this teaching has been promoted, asking us to read the ‘signs of the times’ using the ‘see, ‘judge’, ‘act’ method. It asks us to work systematically, looking first at the social justice issues as they exist in our communities (see), before assessing what is happening, and what is at stake (judge). Finally we need to discern what action to undertake in response (act).

This body of writings, has three major thrusts. Prophetic Pedagogical Practical

“the one thing dominant culture cannot tolerate or co -opt is compassion, the ability to stand in solidarity with the victims of the present order. It can manage charity and good intentions but it has no way to resist solidarity with pain or grief”. Walter Brueggemann Jesus was not especially dangerous to the standing social order because of any properties of divinity per se but because of how his ministry subverted the values and assumptions the imperial reality relied upon. His active ministry exemplified subversion through service. He witnessed the suffering of the marginal, took it as his own experience, and spoke to its cause as well as its alternative. http://www.auburnseminary.org/grief-compassion-and-vision- reflections-brueggemann%E2%80%99s-prophetic-imagination

Particularly in the past 120 years or so, a specific Pope has written letters and published sermons on various social issues. Over time this has contributed to an ongoing dialogue around global issues as they have manifested themselves during different periods of history. Pope Pius XI wrote a letter (1931) on the dignity of work and the right to form unions. This was a papal teaching about labour. There is no teaching in scripture about labour unions, but Jesus and the Apostles taught about work and human dignity and over time the Church has reviewed the times and made prior statements about work.

“It is not just a question of eliminating hunger and reducing poverty. It is not just a question of fighting wretched conditions, though this is an urgent and necessary task. It involves building a human community where men can live truly human lives, free from discrimination on account of race, religion or nationality, free from servitude to other men or to natural forces which they cannot yet control satisfactorily Pope Paul VI, On the Development of Peoples [Populorum Progressio], 1967, no.47

Each and every human being has a fundamental dignity and worth. Human beings are not judged to be worthwhile because of their capacity to earn money, or their physical capability, or their good or even their criminal behaviour, or their gender or their sexuality or their religion or their race. As human beings each one of us is worthwhile because we are a human being created by God. No one has to earn his or her worth- while-ness.

Key Question: Will what I’m about to do or say increase or improve this person’s sense of self worth, self respect and proper pride? In my dealings with people am I aware of the various attributes on which discrimination is prohibited?

To love someone is to desire that person’s good and to take effective steps to secure it. Besides the good of the individual, there is a good that is linked to living in society: the common good. It is the good of ‘all of us’, made up of individuals, families and intermediate groups who together constitute society ...” Benedict XVI, Caritas in Veritate , n 7 .

The principle of the Common Good reminds us that we are all really responsible for each other – we are our brothers’ and sisters’ keepers – and must work for social conditions which ensure that every person and every group in society is able to meet their needs and realise their potential. It follows that every group in society must take into account the rights and aspirations of other groups, and the well being of the whole human family. Common good does not simply value the greatest good for the greatest number it values the greatest good for each and every one. No one gets left out.

Key Questions: Will what I’m about to do or say help our community be a more welcoming, respectful, nurturing and encouraging place ? How empathetic and individualized can I be in dealing with clients in my area of responsibility?

“Solidarity helps us to see the ‘other’ - whether a person, people, or nation - not just as some kind of instrument, with a work capacity and physical strength to be exploited at low cost and then discarded when no longer useful, but as our neighbour, a helper (cf Gn 2:18-20), to be a sharer, on a par with ourselves, in the banquet of life to which all are equally invited by God .” John Paul II, Sollicitudo Rei Socialis , n 39

The principle of solidarity means basically that we are all really responsible for each other. It is not about a vague sort of compassion or shallow distress at others’ misfortune, but involves a determination to commit oneself to working for change so that everyone will be able to reach their potential. It is about respect for and the promotion of the dignity and rights of our sisters and brothers. Solidarity can also be understood as a firm and persevering determination to commit oneself to the common good .

Key Question: Will what I’m about to do or say help or harm this relationship? Will what I’m about to do or say help create a more welcoming community? How do I assess and acknowledge the potential of each of my clients?

“Subsidiarity is first and foremost a form of assistance to the human person ... Such assistance is offered when individuals or groups are unable to accomplish something on their own, and it is always to achieve their emancipation, because it fosters freedom and participation through assumption of responsibility.” Benedict XVI, Caritas in Veritate , n 57

Responsibility should be kept as close as possible to the grassroots. The people or groups most directly affected by a decision or policy should have a key decision-making role. More encompassing groups should only intervene to support smaller, more local groups in order to promote the common good by empowering the most vulnerable.

Key Questions: Have I considered what is required to support our clients to make decisions that affect their lives? Have I considered how others’ actions assist the client to meet their own responsibilities? How welcoming am I to others (e.g. other staff or family members) contributing to this decision?

These writings are progressively presented through history and “help to inform our ideas and fire our imagination and form a basis for respectful conversation” They are a synthesis of Ideas Imagination Passion Conversation Celebration (Frank Brennan sj)

Association Human Equality Participation Preferential Option for Poor Respect for Human Life Stewardship

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