Catholic Social Teaching: Called to Charity and Justice
Summary
TLDRThis video script explores the dual Christian principles of charity and justice, emphasizing that true charity is incomplete without a commitment to justice. It challenges the traditional view of charity as mere acts of kindness, arguing for a more systemic approach that addresses the root causes of societal issues. The script discusses the Catholic Church's role in promoting social justice through its social teachings and the importance of creating a just society that reflects love for all people. It also addresses misconceptions about social justice within some religious circles and the importance of caring for both the spiritual and material well-being of individuals.
Takeaways
- 😇 The core message of Jesus to his disciples was to love one another as he loved them, which is fundamental to Catholic social teachings.
- 🏥 Catholic charitable works like hospitals, schools, and shelters are founded on the principle of loving one's neighbor.
- 🤔 The video challenges the notion that charity is the only aspect of Christian service, introducing the concept of justice as an essential complement.
- 👥 The traditional image of charity, often depicted by media as nuns or priests helping the poor, is a stereotype that needs to be expanded to include justice.
- 🛡 Justice in a Christian context is about establishing right relationships with God, others, and creation, and ensuring what is rightfully due to each individual.
- 🚑 Charity addresses the effects of situations, while justice tackles the root causes to prevent recurring issues, like saving someone from drowning versus preventing them from falling in the river.
- 🌐 The Catholic Church encourages questioning the systemic causes of societal problems like poverty and oppression, and taking action to fix them.
- 📜 Seven principles of Catholic social teaching guide believers in creating a just society, including the protection of human dignity, rights, and responsibilities.
- 🌟 The Church's mission includes the redemption of humanity and liberation from oppressive situations, emphasizing the importance of justice in Christian identity.
- 🏛️ Historically, the Church has been involved in defining societal structures, from the use of money to the conditions for war, to promote justice.
- 💬 The video addresses the controversy around the terms 'social justice' and 'economic justice,' suggesting that seeking justice is not inherently controversial but challenging the status quo often is.
Q & A
What is the commandment Jesus gave to his disciples regarding love?
-Jesus commanded his disciples to 'love one another as I have loved you,' which is the way they were to live after he was gone.
How does the Catholic Church demonstrate its commitment to charity?
-The Catholic Church demonstrates its commitment to charity by founding hospitals, schools, shelters, and encouraging its members to donate their time, talent, and treasure.
What is the relationship between charity and justice in Christian faith?
-In Christian faith, charity is incomplete unless it is lived out through justice. Justice involves addressing the causes of suffering and injustice, not just the effects.
What is the biblical notion of justice as described in the script?
-The biblical notion of justice is about giving each one what is rightfully due to them, living in right relationship with God, one another, and creation.
How does the script differentiate between charity and justice?
-Charity, according to the script, is about alleviating the effects of painful outcomes, while justice is about addressing the causes of those outcomes to prevent them from happening in the future.
What are the seven general principles of Catholic social teaching mentioned in the script?
-The seven general principles of Catholic social teaching include caring for God's creation, protecting the life and dignity of the human person, being active members of family and community, upholding the rights and responsibilities of all people with a preferential option for the poor, and practicing solidarity with all people around the world.
Why is justice considered essential to Christian identity according to the script?
-Justice is considered essential to Christian identity because it is an extension of charity and ensures that societal structures reflect love for all people.
What is the script's perspective on the relationship between the physical world and spiritual salvation?
-The script suggests that while Christians seek spiritual salvation, they should not be unconcerned with the physical world or material conditions, as God became human and entered into the material conditions of humanity.
How does the script address the controversy surrounding the terms 'social justice' and 'economic justice'?
-The script acknowledges that some people view 'social justice' and 'economic justice' as controversial or even as code words, suggesting that these terms challenge the status quo and are met with resistance by those who prefer to maintain it.
What does the script suggest is the role of the Catholic Church in addressing societal issues?
-The script suggests that the Catholic Church has a role in addressing societal issues by promoting justice, caring for creation, protecting human dignity, and advocating for the rights and responsibilities of all people, especially the poor and marginalized.
Outlines
💖 The Essence of Christian Charity and Justice
This paragraph explores the foundational commandment of Jesus to love one another as a guiding principle for Christians. It discusses how this love manifests in charitable acts such as founding hospitals, schools, and shelters, and donating time, talent, and resources. The speaker challenges the audience to consider that charity is incomplete without justice, introducing the concept that true Christian living involves addressing both the symptoms and root causes of societal issues. The paragraph also touches on the traditional images of charity in the Church, often portrayed by nuns and priests, and how these images have become archetypes of charity. It emphasizes that justice is about living in right relationship with God, others, and creation, and that it involves not only responding to immediate needs but also working to change the systems that create those needs.
🌐 The Interconnectedness of Charity and Justice
The second paragraph delves into the concept of justice in the context of Christian faith, distinguishing it from the legal sense and linking it to the biblical idea of ensuring everyone receives what is rightfully theirs. It contrasts charity, which alleviates the effects of suffering, with justice, which addresses the underlying causes. The speaker uses the metaphor of saving drowning people to illustrate the difference between charity and justice, urging Christians to not only help those in immediate need but also to question and work to change the conditions that lead to such needs. The paragraph highlights the Catholic Church's historical role in promoting social justice, referencing theologians and popes who have contributed to the development of social teaching principles. It outlines seven principles of social teaching that guide Christians in building a just society, emphasizing the importance of these principles in the Christian mission and the church's commitment to social transformation.
📢 The Call to Action in Christian Social Teaching
The final paragraph serves as a call to action, emphasizing the necessity of justice in the Christian life. It discusses the broad categories of social teaching principles that guide Catholics in their daily lives, without dictating specific actions, reflecting the diversity of faithful living. The speaker points out that while the church does not prescribe exact ways to live out one's faith, a commitment to justice is a non-negotiable aspect of Christian identity. The paragraph addresses misconceptions and resistance to the idea of social justice within some Christian circles, highlighting the importance of challenging the status quo and systems of injustice. It concludes by linking the physical and spiritual aspects of human existence, arguing that because God became incarnate and engaged with the material world, Christians should also be concerned with the physical well-being and the conditions of the world. The speaker encourages viewers to learn more about Catholic Social Teaching and to engage with the principles of charity and justice in their own lives.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Charity
💡Justice
💡Disciples
💡Catholic Social Teaching
💡Social Encyclicals
💡Solidarity
💡Preferential Option for the Poor
💡Structural Sin
💡Embodied Spirits
💡Kingdom of God
Highlights
Jesus commanded his disciples to love one another as he had loved them, which is the foundation of Catholic charitable actions.
Charity is incomplete without justice in the Christian faith.
Charitable works such as feeding the poor and caring for the sick are often associated with traditional church figures like nuns and priests.
Catholics Come Home's 2009 commercial emphasized the church's role as the largest charitable organization.
Justice in Christianity refers to the biblical notion of giving each person what is rightfully due to them.
Justice is about addressing the causes of painful outcomes, not just the effects, which is the role of charity.
The church is called to not only save people from their conditions but also to question the causes of societal problems.
Theologians like St Augustine and St Thomas Aquinas have contributed to the understanding of a just society.
Popes have written social encyclicals to guide the church in building a just society based on current issues.
The Catholic Church is guided by seven general principles of social teaching, including the protection of human dignity and the preferential option for the poor.
A life of justice is required of all Christians, as stated by the 1971 Synod of Bishops.
Justice is an extension of charity, ensuring societal structures reflect love for all people.
Discussions of social and economic justice can be controversial, with some viewing them as challenges to the status quo.
The physical world and material conditions are important to God, as evidenced by Jesus' incarnation and life among humans.
Jesus' actions in feeding the poor and healing the sick exemplify both charity and justice.
Father Ken Heims shares wisdom on the importance of justice in the Christian faith.
The video encourages viewers to learn more about Catholic Social Teaching and to explore the USCCB's website for resources.
Transcripts
love one another as I have loved you
this is the command that Jesus gave his
disciples as the way they were to live
once he was gone for us as Catholics is
the reason that we founded hospitals
schools shelters it's the reason that we
donate our time talent and treasure
loving one another means doing
charitable things but what if I told you
that charity was only half of the story
and that as Christians charity is
incomplete unless is lived out through
Justice
[Music]
when we think about people doing
charitable Works feeding the poor caring
for the sick teaching the
underprivileged most people no matter
how they feel about the church or
religion will inevitably think of a nun
in a habit or a priest in a Roman collar
this is partially conditioned by the
movies and television we watch even in
secular media we often find traditional
images of the church appearing when
someone is in need when Society crumbles
around them or a situation calls for
Selfless Love there's often a random and
unidentified religious there to help in
a lot of ways these traditional images
of the church have become a sort of arch
type of Charity even a cliche at times
for those helping the poor and it's no
wonder why for Christians charity is an
essential aspect of living the gospel
quite simply the response of disciples
to the uh commandment of Jesus that we
are to love our neighbors as ourselves
and so part of the task of being a
disciple or one might say the measure of
being a disciple is not only love of God
but also love of neighbor which is
Charity charity is so intrinsic to our
faith as Christians and the work we do
as Catholics that the organization
Catholics come home made it the main
selling point of its 2009 commercial
with God's grace we started hospitals to
care for the sick we establish
orphanages and help the poor we are the
largest charitable organization on the
planet bringing relief and comfort to
those in need we educate more children
than any other scholarly or religious
institution overall it's a fantastic
commercial that highlights our good
works prayerfulness diversity of members
and positive impact on history and the
organization has done a lot to produce
positive and inviting images of the
church for a popular audience and yet
there is one aspect of our faith
completely missing from it justice when
we say justice we're not talking about
lawyers and judges we're not talking
about doing out punishments we're
talking about the very biblical notion
of giving each one what is rightfully
due to them the whole point about
Justice is biblically speaking it's
about living in right relationship with
God with one another and with creation
so how is this different from charity it
seems to me the whole point of justice
is to deal not just with the effects or
the outcomes of a situation but to try
to remedy and deal with the causes that
bring about painful outcomes or
Consequences think about it this way say
you go for a walk by the river and you
find someone drowning you decide to dive
into the water to save them in doing so
you have spent your time alleviating the
effects of a painful outcome for someone
this is Charity but say this begins to
happen a lot and you find yourself
diving in the river four or five times a
week to save someone you begin to ask
yourself why are there so many people
falling in the river that need saving
and what can I do to stop it from
happening in the future in doing so you
have spent your time alleviating the
causes of a painful outcome for someone
else this is Justice in our world around
us there are many people drowning in a
sense dealing with poverty violence
loneliness oppression and fear as a
church we are obviously called to pull
them out of the water of their condition
but we're also called to ask some
important questions what is it in our
world that's causing these problems and
what can we do to fix them part of the
task of us as Christians is simply to be
concerned with what what is the
environment and I don't just don't mean
the physical environment but what is the
wider environment in which we are asking
people to live their lives uh if we care
about people we should care about the
communities that we plant people in we
should care about the environments in
which people are growing up the Catholic
church has an extensive history of doing
just that theologians like St Augustine
and St Thomas aquinus thought deeply
about what a Society looked like
defining proper uses of money authentic
forms of government even the conditions
under which one could wage war in the
modern era popes have written what are
called social encyclicals letters meant
to be read by the whole church as a
guide for building a just Society based
on the current issues it is from these
letters built on the foundation of
scripture and tradition that we are
Guided by seven general principles of
social teaching we are called to care
for God's creation that which was
created before us and we are a part of
to protect the life and dignity of the
human person to be active members of
family and Community the building blocks
of society to uphold the rights and
responsibilities of all people but
especially those who are poor for which
we have a preferential option and those
who are workers all the while
remembering that we are all in this
together in solidarity with all the
people around the world what's great
about these principles is they are
fairly broad categories to live by the
official Church rarely if ever dictates
specific or exclusive ways in which a
cathol is to live in the world because
there are plenty of good and faithful
ways to live as a Catholic in this world
what the church does dictate however is
that a life of justice is required of
all Christians the 1971 Senate of
Bishops wrote action on behalf of
justice and participation and the
transformation of the world fully appear
as constitutive dimension of the
preaching of the Gospel or in other
words of the church's mission for the
Redemption of the human race and its
Liberation from every oppressive
situation and so what we really saying
is if the Christian Community lacks a
commitment to Justice it's really not
the Christian Community any more than it
would be the Christian Community if it
lacked a commitment to reflection and
prayer over the Bible if it lacked a
commitment to celebrate the Eucharist
just as these things are essential to
Christian identity what the church
maintains is being committed to justice
has that same essential quality if you
want to be a Christian you have to be
concerned about Justice and how can you
blame them at his core Justice is simply
an extension of Charity making sure our
societal structures reflect our love for
all people there's nothing inherently
controversial about Seeking Justice each
of these principles is clearly rooted in
scripture and our tradition and while we
may disagree on how we are to live these
things out there shouldn't be a debate
that we should but really is there
anything not controversial in our world
I beg you look for the words social
justice or economic Justice
on your Church website if you find it
run as fast as you
can social justice and economic Justice
they are code words if you have a a
priest that is pushing social justice go
find another Parish go alert your uh
bishop and tell them excuse me are you
down with this whole social justice
thing everyone's fine with a nun handing
out bread or a priest blessing the sick
but when someone begins talking about
structures of sin or systems of
Injustice eyebrows begin to rise as
Cardinal doel de former Brazilian
Archbishop once said when I give to the
poor they call me a saint when I ask why
they are poor they call me a communist
these sorts of questions challenge the
status quo and people with power status
and privilege tend to like the status
quo when something challenges it in
their minds it can't be true religion
well I can't speak to the exact reason
that Glenn Beach finds social justice to
be so antithetical to living the gospel
I can say that there is a common
objection I hear from time to time if
the world will eventually pass away
shouldn't we be focused on saving Souls
not the world and I completely agree
sort of well I would remind us that
we're not just Souls we are embodied
Spirits if God becomes human and enters
into the material conditions of humanity
if God takes on a body
if God Lives the lives that you and I
live as material creatures in history we
are not to be too Cavalier about being
unconcerned about history or unconcerned
about material conditions or unconcerned
about the well-being of embodied people
because that's precisely what God
entered into exactly ultimately we may
be Soul seeking salvation but we know no
existence without a body everything we
do everything we know everything we
believe believe is the result of living
in this physical world sometimes the
physical world can be oppressive painful
and without love inhibiting our ability
to authentically develop into the person
God created us to be and effectively
hiding the kingdom of God in our midst
in taking on flesh Jesus did not just
announce the kingdom of God with words
he made it present with his actions he
fed the poor healed the sick cured the
blind wonderful acts of Charity but he
also denounced the oppression of the
religious leaders including those who
were excluded and challenged the
corruption of wealth Jesus loved us in
our physical reality and called us to do
the same through charity and through
Justice thanks to Father Ken heims for
sharing wisdom on this issue what I
share was just the tip of the iceberg of
our conversation there was simply too
much good stuff to fit in one video if
you're interested in learning more about
Catholic Social teaching or where you
can read some of the social and cyclical
yourself check out the Us ccb's website
finally if you haven't done it yet click
here to subscribe to the breaking in the
habit YouTube channel here to see what
I've been writing lately on my blog and
follow me on Facebook Casey Cole FM
[Music]
تصفح المزيد من مقاطع الفيديو ذات الصلة
Catholic Social Teaching (part 1 of 3)
Complete History of Catholic Social Doctrine
what is Peace Education|| Concept and meaning of peace education| need of peace Education
(4/7) A virtude cardeal da JUSTIÇA ~ Pe. Paulo Ricardo
Formula Divina para ATRAER la RIQUEZA
Mental health and criminal justice | Crystal Dieleman | TEDxMoncton
5.0 / 5 (0 votes)