The Great Commission Before ascending into heaven, Jesus said to his disciples, “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold I am with you always until the end of the age.” (Matt 28:19-20) Baptism incorporates us into Christ. We become members of the Body of Christ and the Church: the community of Disciples. Baptism makes us disciples of Christ in name but we need to become his disciples in fact by and through our thoughts, words, and actions. The Risen Christ sends each baptized member on a twofold mission. First to proclaim by one’s own life that there is a new way of living, the way of God’s Kingdom, the way of Agape Love; and second to transform the world, beginning with ourselves, our families, our neighbors and ultimately the entire world. We are called to witnesses by sharing our love in word and action. God will ensure the transformation. |
Transformation of the Individual and Community
We are called to a transformed life as individuals and as a community. The Church’s teaching and action in this regard is known as “Social Justice”. It is the way the Church, under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, contributes to the Transformation of the World.
The Basis for the Church’s Mission in the World:
The Church community is called to be a model, inspiration and catalyst for this transformation. Early Christians built schools, hospitals, orphanages to care for those most in need. Saint Teresa of Calcutta showed us want it meant to care for the poorest of the poor. The Church provides a framework and method for helping her members determine how to sort out the many issues facing people today. This approach has its roots in the Bible and has been developed through the centuries. In summary the framework for the Church’s social teaching rests on two pillars: Dignity and Respect for each Human Life and the Common Good of Society.
1) Respect for the Sanctity, Sacredness, and Dignity of All Human life.
The Church holds sacred each person’s life from the moment of conception until natural death. This presents
a range of life issues which need to be carefully considered and addressed to adhere to this fundamental
principal while taking into account the gift of and advancements in modern medicine and the dignity of all
involved.
2) The Common Good
In America, we are uniquely aware that we are individuals of dignity with certain inalienable rights and
responsibilities which no one can take from us. At the same time, we know we do not live in a bubble or as
isolated individuals. Each of us is a member of several communities. We are each members of: a family;
a neighborhood; a town, city or rural area; a state; a country; and the world. Most of all, we, and all humanity,
are all priceless children of God and members of God’s family.
Whatever mix of communities one may belong to, we all benefit from and have a moral duty to enhance the common good of these communities. It all begins at home. When parents tell their growing children to clean their rooms or to help with the dishes or to take out the garbage, it helps children learn that they are expected to contribute to the common good.
The Church understands the “Common Good” to be “the sum total of social conditions which allow people, either as groups or as individuals, to reach their fulfillment more fully and more easily” (The Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the Modern World Par 26 #1 and Par 26#74 and CCC #1906-1912). The Common Good consists of three elements: (1) Respect for each person as an individual; (2) The social well-being and development of the community as a whole; and (3) Peace, that is, the stability and security of a just order. The Common Good is always oriented toward the progress of persons. It is the role of the state to defend and promote the common good of civil society and its citizens along with various groups that promote the development of society. Today, because of the interdependence of people throughout the world, we can speak of a universal common good. (CCC # 1907)
The seven basic themes of social justice are:
1) Life and Dignity of the Human Person
The Catholic Church proclaims that all human life is sacred, and that the dignity of all human beings is the foundation of a moral vision for society. Direct attaches on innocent persons are never morally acceptable, at any stage or in any condition. In our society, innocent human life is especially under attack from such actions as abortion, euthanasia and assisted suicide, human cloning, embryonic stem cell research. The intentional targeting of civilians in war or in terrorist attacks is always wrong. Catholic teaching calls nations to protect the right to life by finding increasingly effective ways to prevent and resolve violent conflicts whether at home or abroad. Likewise efforts need to be made to put an end to the death penalty And the Church calls her members and all people to oppose human trafficking, work to end poverty and suffering and end racism and sexism of every type.
2) Call to Family, Community, and Participation
The person is not only sacred but also social. How we organize our society-- in economics, law, politics and policy -- directly affects human dignity and the capacity of individuals to grow in community. Marriage and the family are and remain the central social institutions that must be supported and strengthened, not undermined. We believe people have a right and a duty to participate in society, seeking together the common good and well-being of all, especially the poor and vulnerable.
While the Church does not consider what are now called “same-sex marriages” to be the equivalent of “a marriage between a man and a woman” it does want to promote other civil rights for those in same-sex committed relationships.
3) Rights and Responsibilities
The Catholic tradition teaches that human dignity can be protected and a healthy community can be maintained only if human rights are protected and responsibilities are met. Therefore, every person has a fundamental right to life and to those things required for human decency. Corresponding to these rights are duties and responsibilities--to one another, to our families, and to the larger society.
4) Option for the Poor and Vulnerable
A basic moral test is how our most vulnerable members are faring. In a society marred by deepening divisions between rich and poor, our tradition recalls the story of the Last Judgment (Mt 25:31-46) and instructs us to put the needs of the poor and vulnerable first.
5) The Dignity of Work and the Rights of Workers
The economy must serve people, not the other way around. Work is more than a way to make a living; it is a form of continuing participation in God’s creation. If the dignity of work is to be protected, then the basic rights of workers must be respected--the right to productive work, to decent and fair wages, to the organization and joining of unions, to private property, and to economic opportunity.
6) Solidarity
We are one human family with national, racial, ethnic, economic, and ideological differences. We are our brothers and sisters keepers, wherever they may be. Loving our neighbor has global dimensions in a shrinking world. At the core of the virtue of solidarity is the pursuit of justice and peace. Pope Paul VI taught that if you want peace, work for justice. The Gospel calls us to be peacemakers. Our love for all our sisters and brothers demands that we promote peace in a world surrounded by violence and conflict.
Subsidiarity means that what can be done at the local level should be done at that level.
7) Care for God's Creation
We show our respect for God by our stewardship of God’s creation. Care for the earth is not just an Earth Day slogan, it is a requirement of our faith. We are called to protect people and the planet, living our faith in relationship with all of God’s creation. This environmental challenge has fundamental moral and ethical dimensions that cannot be ignored. Pope Francis’s encyclical Laudatio Si is the Church’s most recent statement on caring for planet earth, our common home.
Biblical Justice
Biblical Justice is not the same as what we would call civil justice as Biblical justice has to do with the achievement of right relationships in the entire world. Biblical Justice is an emerging justice. Slowly but surely the human family is coming to understand and embrace that justice.
Slavery is a helpful example. Great progress has been made in combating the type of physical slavery we experienced in America prior before our Civil War, but there more, much more that stilt needs to be done. As a world community we have become painfully aware of other forms of slavery which persists today: human trafficking for sexual purposes, forced labor and children forced to fight in wars. Only when there is a true conversion of hearts occur will Biblical justice be complete.
We are called to a transformed life as individuals and as a community. The Church’s teaching and action in this regard is known as “Social Justice”. It is the way the Church, under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, contributes to the Transformation of the World.
The Basis for the Church’s Mission in the World:
The Church community is called to be a model, inspiration and catalyst for this transformation. Early Christians built schools, hospitals, orphanages to care for those most in need. Saint Teresa of Calcutta showed us want it meant to care for the poorest of the poor. The Church provides a framework and method for helping her members determine how to sort out the many issues facing people today. This approach has its roots in the Bible and has been developed through the centuries. In summary the framework for the Church’s social teaching rests on two pillars: Dignity and Respect for each Human Life and the Common Good of Society.
1) Respect for the Sanctity, Sacredness, and Dignity of All Human life.
The Church holds sacred each person’s life from the moment of conception until natural death. This presents
a range of life issues which need to be carefully considered and addressed to adhere to this fundamental
principal while taking into account the gift of and advancements in modern medicine and the dignity of all
involved.
2) The Common Good
In America, we are uniquely aware that we are individuals of dignity with certain inalienable rights and
responsibilities which no one can take from us. At the same time, we know we do not live in a bubble or as
isolated individuals. Each of us is a member of several communities. We are each members of: a family;
a neighborhood; a town, city or rural area; a state; a country; and the world. Most of all, we, and all humanity,
are all priceless children of God and members of God’s family.
Whatever mix of communities one may belong to, we all benefit from and have a moral duty to enhance the common good of these communities. It all begins at home. When parents tell their growing children to clean their rooms or to help with the dishes or to take out the garbage, it helps children learn that they are expected to contribute to the common good.
The Church understands the “Common Good” to be “the sum total of social conditions which allow people, either as groups or as individuals, to reach their fulfillment more fully and more easily” (The Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the Modern World Par 26 #1 and Par 26#74 and CCC #1906-1912). The Common Good consists of three elements: (1) Respect for each person as an individual; (2) The social well-being and development of the community as a whole; and (3) Peace, that is, the stability and security of a just order. The Common Good is always oriented toward the progress of persons. It is the role of the state to defend and promote the common good of civil society and its citizens along with various groups that promote the development of society. Today, because of the interdependence of people throughout the world, we can speak of a universal common good. (CCC # 1907)
The seven basic themes of social justice are:
1) Life and Dignity of the Human Person
The Catholic Church proclaims that all human life is sacred, and that the dignity of all human beings is the foundation of a moral vision for society. Direct attaches on innocent persons are never morally acceptable, at any stage or in any condition. In our society, innocent human life is especially under attack from such actions as abortion, euthanasia and assisted suicide, human cloning, embryonic stem cell research. The intentional targeting of civilians in war or in terrorist attacks is always wrong. Catholic teaching calls nations to protect the right to life by finding increasingly effective ways to prevent and resolve violent conflicts whether at home or abroad. Likewise efforts need to be made to put an end to the death penalty And the Church calls her members and all people to oppose human trafficking, work to end poverty and suffering and end racism and sexism of every type.
2) Call to Family, Community, and Participation
The person is not only sacred but also social. How we organize our society-- in economics, law, politics and policy -- directly affects human dignity and the capacity of individuals to grow in community. Marriage and the family are and remain the central social institutions that must be supported and strengthened, not undermined. We believe people have a right and a duty to participate in society, seeking together the common good and well-being of all, especially the poor and vulnerable.
While the Church does not consider what are now called “same-sex marriages” to be the equivalent of “a marriage between a man and a woman” it does want to promote other civil rights for those in same-sex committed relationships.
3) Rights and Responsibilities
The Catholic tradition teaches that human dignity can be protected and a healthy community can be maintained only if human rights are protected and responsibilities are met. Therefore, every person has a fundamental right to life and to those things required for human decency. Corresponding to these rights are duties and responsibilities--to one another, to our families, and to the larger society.
4) Option for the Poor and Vulnerable
A basic moral test is how our most vulnerable members are faring. In a society marred by deepening divisions between rich and poor, our tradition recalls the story of the Last Judgment (Mt 25:31-46) and instructs us to put the needs of the poor and vulnerable first.
5) The Dignity of Work and the Rights of Workers
The economy must serve people, not the other way around. Work is more than a way to make a living; it is a form of continuing participation in God’s creation. If the dignity of work is to be protected, then the basic rights of workers must be respected--the right to productive work, to decent and fair wages, to the organization and joining of unions, to private property, and to economic opportunity.
6) Solidarity
We are one human family with national, racial, ethnic, economic, and ideological differences. We are our brothers and sisters keepers, wherever they may be. Loving our neighbor has global dimensions in a shrinking world. At the core of the virtue of solidarity is the pursuit of justice and peace. Pope Paul VI taught that if you want peace, work for justice. The Gospel calls us to be peacemakers. Our love for all our sisters and brothers demands that we promote peace in a world surrounded by violence and conflict.
Subsidiarity means that what can be done at the local level should be done at that level.
7) Care for God's Creation
We show our respect for God by our stewardship of God’s creation. Care for the earth is not just an Earth Day slogan, it is a requirement of our faith. We are called to protect people and the planet, living our faith in relationship with all of God’s creation. This environmental challenge has fundamental moral and ethical dimensions that cannot be ignored. Pope Francis’s encyclical Laudatio Si is the Church’s most recent statement on caring for planet earth, our common home.
Biblical Justice
Biblical Justice is not the same as what we would call civil justice as Biblical justice has to do with the achievement of right relationships in the entire world. Biblical Justice is an emerging justice. Slowly but surely the human family is coming to understand and embrace that justice.
Slavery is a helpful example. Great progress has been made in combating the type of physical slavery we experienced in America prior before our Civil War, but there more, much more that stilt needs to be done. As a world community we have become painfully aware of other forms of slavery which persists today: human trafficking for sexual purposes, forced labor and children forced to fight in wars. Only when there is a true conversion of hearts occur will Biblical justice be complete.
Our Catholic Story
As Catholics we
Read this passage from the prophet Isaiah every Lent and believes it is foundational for the Church's teaching on Social Justice issues :
"Is this not the fast which I choose?
To loosen the bonds of wickedness,
To undo the bands of the yoke,
and to let the oppressed go free,
and break every yoke?
"Is it not to divide your bread with the hungry,
And bring the homeless poor into the house?
"Then you will call, and the LORD will answer;
You will cry, and He will say, 'Here I am.'
If you remove the yoke from your midst,
The pointing of the finger,
and speaking wickedness,
And if you give yourself to the hungry,
And satisfy the desire of the afflicted,
Then your light will rise in darkness,
And your gloom will become like midday.
"And the LORD will continually guide you,
And satisfy your desire in scorched places,
And give strength to your bones;
And you will be like a watered garden,
And like a spring of water whose waters do not fail.
(Is 58:6-11)
Biblical Justice
Biblical Justice is not the same as what we would call civil justice. Biblical Justice has to do with the achievement of right relationships in the entire world. Biblical Justice is an emerging justice. Slowly but surely, the human family is coming to understand and embrace that justice.
Slavery is a helpful example. Progress has been made in combating the type of physical slavery we experienced in America before our Civil War, but there is more, much more, that still needs to be done. As a larger community, we have become painfully aware of other forms of slavery which persist throughout the world (human trafficking for sexual purposes, forced labor, forced soldiers, etc). Only when there is a true conversion of hearts will true Biblical justice become a reality.
As Catholics we
Read this passage from the prophet Isaiah every Lent and believes it is foundational for the Church's teaching on Social Justice issues :
"Is this not the fast which I choose?
To loosen the bonds of wickedness,
To undo the bands of the yoke,
and to let the oppressed go free,
and break every yoke?
"Is it not to divide your bread with the hungry,
And bring the homeless poor into the house?
"Then you will call, and the LORD will answer;
You will cry, and He will say, 'Here I am.'
If you remove the yoke from your midst,
The pointing of the finger,
and speaking wickedness,
And if you give yourself to the hungry,
And satisfy the desire of the afflicted,
Then your light will rise in darkness,
And your gloom will become like midday.
"And the LORD will continually guide you,
And satisfy your desire in scorched places,
And give strength to your bones;
And you will be like a watered garden,
And like a spring of water whose waters do not fail.
(Is 58:6-11)
Biblical Justice
Biblical Justice is not the same as what we would call civil justice. Biblical Justice has to do with the achievement of right relationships in the entire world. Biblical Justice is an emerging justice. Slowly but surely, the human family is coming to understand and embrace that justice.
Slavery is a helpful example. Progress has been made in combating the type of physical slavery we experienced in America before our Civil War, but there is more, much more, that still needs to be done. As a larger community, we have become painfully aware of other forms of slavery which persist throughout the world (human trafficking for sexual purposes, forced labor, forced soldiers, etc). Only when there is a true conversion of hearts will true Biblical justice become a reality.
Your Story
Would you modify your story of what Mission means for you in some way?
Other Questions
What other questions do you have or would like to ask?
A) ________________________________________________________________
B) ________________________________________________________________
C) ________________________________________________________________
Would you modify your story of what Mission means for you in some way?
Other Questions
What other questions do you have or would like to ask?
A) ________________________________________________________________
B) ________________________________________________________________
C) ________________________________________________________________