Enterprise of justice

Transcription

1 MMTC WMCW WBCA Enterprise of justice Implement the social teaching of the church SEE - JUDGE - ACT Educational tool WMCW - Boulevard du Jubilé B Bruxelles

2 INTRODUCTION The importance of the social teaching of the Church in the movement. Since its foundation, the WMCW has always tried to promote and further the knowledge and practice of the social teaching of the Church. In fact, the movement works with the see-judgeact method. The Gospel message and the social teaching of the Church play an important role in this. In his Apostolic Letter Octogesima Adveniens, published on the occasion of the 80th anniversary of the Encyclical Rerum Novarum, Pope Paul VI writes: "It is up to the Christian communities to analyze with objectivity the situation which is proper to their own country, to shed on it the light of the Gospel's unalterable words and for action from the social teaching of the Church. (...) It is up to these Christian communities, with the help of the Holy Spirit, in communion with the bishops who hold responsibility and in dialogue with other Christian brethren and all men of goodwill, to discern the options and commitments which are called for in order to bring about the social, political and economic changes seen in many cases to be urgently needed" (n 4). The Pope invites us to see-judge-act. He clearly points out: 1. the need for objective analysis by local communities; 2. an approach to situations in the light of the Gospel and the social teaching of the Church; 3. discernment by these very communities as to what action to take in collaboration with all men of good will. As Father Sylvain Urfer SJ has said: "The social teaching of the Church does not deliver pat answers; it is not a first-aid kit for charity workers, still less a Sunday school for activists lost in the maze of society. On the contrary, it is: 1. an instrument for investigating and understanding social reality in all the dimensions of civic, economic, social, cultural and spiritual life; 2. a guide to moral reflection: why take action? to defend what principle? and to what end? 3. an incitement to action upon and within those structures in which each Christian is involved through their jobs, unions, communities or religions". l Rather than using the term "the social doctrine of the Church", Vatican Council II preferred to talk of "the social teaching" of the Church, adapted to be of relevance to the various situations. With Vatican Council II and Paul VI, the social teaching of the Church passed from the deductive method to the inductive method. In line with this thinking, the majority of publications use the term "social teaching", even if Pope Jean-Paul II restored the term "social doctrine" of the Church to its former glory, notably in his Encyclical Letter on human labour, ' L'enseignement social de PEglise - Ny Fampianaran'Ny Fiangonana Momba Ny Fiarahamonina, p. 7; Foi et Justice - BP 3822 Antananarivo, Madagascar. This book, amongst others, guided us in our choice of texts i -»oimi»»c

3 Laborem Exercens, on the occasion of the 90th anniversary of the Encyclical Rerum Novarum. An educational aid We have found that people only have limited knowledge of the Encyclicals and the Apostolic Letters and exhortations and that many grassroots groups do not know how to work effectively with these valuable documents. Recently, at our Executive Council, we had a daily time of prayer and meditation starting with an extract from the social teaching of the Church. Assessment of this was very positive and we have decided to perfect this working procedure and promote it throughout the movement. This book/brochure is an educational aid for the grassroots groups in our movement. The 26 texts we have selected all have a different theme. They are relatively short and suitable for reading in meetings. Moreover, the text reference permits a more in-depth look at the context of the chosen passage. The texts were chosen to correspond to the movement's work and action plans. The last two action plans are perfect examples of this: "Human life and work in the 21st century" and "Positive ways to achieve worthy work in a new society". We have chosen passages that our target group will find easy to read and that will encourage them to share their own experience of life. For each theme, each extract from the social teaching of the Church, we have chosen a corresponding text from the Bible. Even if the biblical context differs from the actual context, the biblical message contains values that will guide us in our judgement of the real-life situations around us. 2 The method we use is the same for each theme. After reading the extract from the social teaching of the Church, we propose the following steps: 1. Exchange on real-life circumstances 2. Ethical viewpoint: judging the situation in the light of the social teaching of the Church and the biblical message. 3. Call to action 4. Prayer: free prayer or a text chosen by a member of the group. A few prayers published in our INFOR magazine and/or used in our celebrations are annexed to this document. Additional remarks Although the importance of the social teaching of the Church is beyond doubt, we must recognise that it also has its limits. "The most important thing about an Encyclical is its publication date", a professor used to say every time he lectured on these documents. In fact, the texts were written for the times, in a well-defined economic, social, political and religious context, and often differ from country to country, continent to continent. Pope Paul VI therefore says in his Encyclical Letter Octogesima Adveniens (N 4): "In the face of such widely varying situations it is difficult for us to utter a unified message and to put forward a solution which has universal validity. Such is not our ambition, nor is it our mission". The biblical texts are taken from using the "New International Version" version.

4 There are also limits to how far this teaching can be put into practice. It must be said that the Church has not always practiced what it preaches. It has not always acted in accordance with its own principles. For the purposes of this educational aid, we have only chosen papal texts. We would recall that addresses from Episcopal Conferences and individual bishops also form part of the Church's teaching. And we meet a lot of Christians - with or without responsibility in the community - who, by the witness of their lives, teach us in word and deed. We do not propose to limit ourselves to the suggested texts. Groups can find texts by themselves that are suitable for discussion on the concrete realities of life, that guide them in their judgement and that lead them to take action for a fairer and more humane world. Enterprise of justice: May you come to reign! This document is available in French, Spanish, English and German. November 2004 Abbreviations CA : Centesimus Annus (1991) GS : Gaudium et Spes (1965) LE : Laborem Exercens (1981) OA : Octogesima Adveniens (1971) PP : Populorum Progressio (1967) SRS : Sollicitudo Rei Socialis (1987)

5 SUMMARY Introduction I. The working community 1. The question of work, the key to the social question. Priority of "labour" over "capital" (LE3.12) 2. The employment issue (LE 18) 3. Work and the emigration question (LE 23) 4. Just remuneration for work done: the key problem of social ethics (LE 19) 5. Various social benefits must ensure the life and health of workers and their families (LE 19) 6. The importance of unions (LE 20) 7. The right to strike LE 20) 8. Solidarity of the workers and with the workers: to truly be the "Church of the poor" (LE8) II. A new society is essential 9. Economic production at the service of man (GS 65) 10. The personal and collective development of man (PP 20-21) 11. Growing distortion - Beyond liberalism (PP 57-58) 12. The temptation of materialism - Superfluous goods (PP 41.49) 13. The whole of creation is for all people (PP 22-24) 14. Capitalism, the only model? (CA 42) 15. All men are fundamentally equal (GS 29) 16. The inalienable rights of man (Jean-Paul II, UNO-New York, 1979) 17. Respecting differences (Jean-Paul II, ONU-New York, 1995) 18. Choosing democracy (CA 46-47) 19. Peace as an "enterprise of justice" (GS 78)

6 20. The ecological question (CA 37) 21. Solidarity and interdependence (SRS 39) III. Call to Action 22. The Christian meaning of political activity (OA 46) 23. Call to action (OA 48) 24. The love of preference for the poor (SRS 42) 25. Work as a sharing in the activity of the Creator (LE 25) IV. Conclusion 26. The social doctrine of the Church, a tool for evangelism (SRS 41) ANNEX: Prayers - Reflections 1. Prophets of the future 2. Our Father and our Mother 3. For God's sake, give us work! 4. Act of faith for the 21 st century 5. Foreigners are always my friends 6. Between hope and fear 7. I believe in the God of Live 8. There is a time for Open your eyes 10. Lord, you bestowed upon women great kindness 11. A psalm for labour day 12. Purify may anger, Lord! 13. Seeds of live 14. May your solidarity be based on hope 15. God, hear our voices 16. May your kingdom come 17. We believe 18. Create something new amongst us

7 1. The question of work, the key to the social question The priority of labour over capital (LE 3.12) Extract from Laborem Exercens While in the present document we return to this question once more - without, however, any intention of touching on all the topics that concern it - this is not merely in order to gather together and repeat what is already contained in the Church's teaching. It is rather in order to highlight - perhaps more than has been done before - the fact that human work is a key, probably the essential key, to the whole social question, if we try to see that question really from the point of view of man's good. And if the solution - or rather the gradual solution - of the social question, which keeps coming up and becomes ever more complex, must be sought in the direction of "making life more human,"(gs 38) then the key, namely human work, acquires fundamental and decisive importance. (3) In view of this situation we must first of all recall a principle that has always been taught by the Church: the principle of the priority of labour over capital. (...) This truth, which is part of the abiding heritage of the Church's teaching, must always be emphasized with reference to the question of the labor system and with regard to the whole socioeconomic system. We must emphasize and give prominence to the primacy of man in the production process, the primacy of man over things. Everything contained in the concept of capital in the strict sense is only a collection of things. Man, as the subject of work, and independently of the work that he does - man alone is a person. This truth has important and decisive consequences.(12) Method 1.Exchange on real-life circumstances. - Each person relates this passage from the Social Teaching of the Church to everyday living by providing examples based on their own experience in the community, workplace, homeland. - What impression does their combined experience give of current social and economic circumstances? - What are the causes and the consequences? 2.Ethical viewpoint. Guidelines for judging the situation. In view of our values, how do we respond to the situation? What are the moral principles laid down by the Social Teaching of the Church? What values inherent in the Gospel message can guide us in our judgement? Read the Bible passage below or select another text, for example, one from the liturgical readings for the day.

8 Reading from Deuteronomy (15, ) and from Leviticus (25, ) The Year for Canceling Debts - The Year of Jubilee 1 At the end of every seven years you must cancel debts. 2 This is how it is to be done: Every creditor shall cancel the loan he has made to his fellow Israelite. He shall not require payment from his fellow Israelite or brother, because the LORD'S time for canceling debts has been proclaimed. 4 However, there should be no poor among you, for in the land the LORD your God is giving you to possess as your inheritance, he will richly bless you, (...). 12 If a fellow Hebrew, a man or a woman, sells himself to you and serves you six years, in the seventh year you must let him go free. And when you release him, do not send him away empty-handed. 14 Supply him liberally from your flock, your threshing floor and your winepress. Give to him as the LORD your God has blessed you. 8 " 'Count off seven sabbaths of years-seven times seven years-so that the seven sabbaths of years amount to a period of forty-nine years. 10 Consecrate the fiftieth year and proclaim liberty throughout the land to all its inhabitants. It shall be a jubilee for you; each one of you is to return to his family property and each to his own clan. 13 " In this Year of Jubilee everyone is to return to his own property. 14 " 'If you sell land to one of your countrymen or buy any from him, do not take advantage of each other. 15 You are to buy from your countryman on the basis of the number of years since the Jubilee. And he is to sell to you on the basis of the number of years left for harvesting crops. 23 " 'The land must not be sold permanently, because the land is mine and you are but aliens and my tenants. 3. Call to action. What can we do as individuals? What can we do in our groups, movements, various other roles? 4. Prayer 8

9 2. The employment issue (LE 18) Extract from Laborem Exercens When we consider the rights of workers in relation to the "indirect employer," that is to say, all the agents at the national and international level that are responsible for the whole orientation of labor policy, we must first direct our attention to a fundamental issue: the question of finding work, or, in other words, the issue of suitable employment for all who are capable of it. The opposite of a just and right situation in this field is unemployment, that is to say the lack of work for those who are capable of it. It can be a question of general unemployment or of unemployment in certain sectors of work. The role of the agents included under the title of indirect employer is to act against unemployment, which in all cases is an evil, and which, when it reaches a certain level, can become a real social disaster. It is particularly painful when it especially affects young people, who after appropriate cultural, technical and professional preparation fail to find work, and see their sincere wish to work and their readiness to take on their own responsibility for the economic and social development of the community sadly frustrated. Method 1.Exchange on real-life circumstances. Each person relates this passage from the Social Teaching of the Church to everyday living by providing examples based on their own experience in the community, workplace, homeland. What impression does their combined experience give of current social and economic circumstances? - What are the causes and the consequences? 2.Ethical viewpoint. Guidelines for judging the situation. - In view of our values, how do we respond to the situation? - What are the moral principles laid down by the Social Teaching of the Church? - What values inherent in the Gospel message can guide us in our judgement? Read the Bible passage below or select another text, for example, one from the liturgical readings for the day. Reading of the gospel according to St. Matthew (20,1-12) The Parable of the Workers in the Vineyard '"For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire men to work in his vineyard. 2 He agreed to pay them a denarius for the day and sent them into

10 his vineyard. 3 "About the third hour he went out and saw others standing in the marketplace doing nothing. 4 He told them, 'You also go and work in my vineyard, and I will pay you whatever is right.' 5 So they went. 6 "He went out again about the sixth hour and the ninth hour and did the same thing. About the eleventh hour he went out and found still others standing around. He asked them, 'Why have you been standing here all day long doing nothing?' 'Because no one has hired us,' they answered. "He said to them, 'You also go and work in my vineyard.' 8 "When evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his foreman, 'Call the workers and pay them their wages, beginning with the last ones hired and going on to the first.' "The workers who were hired about the eleventh hour came and each received a denarius. 10 So when those came who were hired first, they expected to receive more. But each one of them also received a denarius. H When they received it, they began to grumble against the landowner. 12 'These men who were hired last worked only one hour,' they said, 'and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the work and the heat of the day.' 3. Call to action. What can we do as individuals? What can we do in our groups, movements, various other roles? 4. Prayer 10

11 3. Work and the emigration question (LE 23) Extract from Laborem Exercens The most important thing is that the person working away from his native land, whether as a permanent emigrant or as a seasonal worker, should not be placed at a disadvantage in comparison with the other workers in that society in the matter of working rights. Emigration in search of work must in no way become an opportunity for financial or social exploitation. As regards the work relationship, the same criteria should be applied to immigrant workers as to all other workers in the society concerned. The value of work should be measured by the same standard and not according to the difference in nationality, religion or race. For even greater reason the situation of constraint in which the emigrant may find himself should not be exploited. All these circumstances should categorically give way, after special qualifications have of course been taken into consideration, to the fundamental value of work, which is bound up with the dignity of the human person. Once more the fundamental principle must be repeated: the hierarchy of values and the profound meaning of work itself require that capital should be at the service of labor and not labor at the service of capital. Method 1.Exchange on real-life circumstances. Each person relates this passage from the Social Teaching of the Church to everyday living by providing examples based on their own experience in the community, workplace, homeland. - What impression does their combined experience give of current social and economic circumstances? What are the causes and the consequences? 2.Ethical viewpoint. Guidelines for judging the situation. In view of our values, how do we respond to the situation? What are the moral principles laid down by the Social Teaching of the Church? - What values inherent in the Gospel message can guide us in our judgement? Read the Bible passage below or select another text, for example, one from the liturgical readings for the day. Reading from the prophet Jeremiah (7,1-7) False Religion Worthless 1 This is the word that came to Jeremiah from the LORD : 2 "Stand at the gate of the LORD'S 11

12 house and there proclaim this message: " 'Hear the word of the LORD, all you people of Judah who come through these gates to worship the LORD. 3 This is what the LORD Almighty, the God of Israel, says: Reform your ways and your actions, and I will let you live in this place. 4 Do not trust in deceptive words and say, "This is the temple of the LORD, the temple of the LORD, the temple of the LORD!" 5 If you really change your ways and your actions and deal with each other justly, 6 if you do not oppress the alien, the fatherless or the widow and do not shed innocent blood in this place, and if you do not follow other gods to your own harm, 7 then I will let you live in this place, in the land I gave your forefathers for ever and ever. 3. Call to action. What can we do as individuals? What can we do in our groups, movements, various other roles? 4. Prayer 12

13 4. Just remuneration for work done: the key problem of social ethics (LE19) Extract from Laborem Exercens The key problem of social ethics in this case is that of just remuneration for work done. In the context of the present there is no more important way for securing a just relationship between the worker and the employer than that constituted by remuneration for work. Whether the work is done in a system of private ownership of the means of production or in a system where ownership has undergone a certain "socialization", the relationship between the employer (first and foremost the direct employer) and the worker is resolved on the basis of the wage, that is through just remuneration for work done. It should also be noted that the justice of a socioeconomic system and, in each case, its just functioning, deserve in the final analysis to be evaluated by the way in which man's work is properly remunerated in the system. Here we return once more to the first principle of the whole ethical and social order, namely, the principle of the common use of goods. In every system, regardless of the fundamental relationships within it between capital and labour, wages, that is to say remuneration for work, are still a practical means whereby the vast majority of people can have access to those goods which are intended for common use: both the goods of nature and manufactured goods. Both kinds of goods become accessible to the worker through the wage which he receives as remuneration for his work. Hence, in every case, a just wage is the concrete means of verifying the justice of the whole socioeconomic system and, in any case, of checking that it is functioning justly. It is not the only means of checking, but it is a particularly important one and, in a sense, the key means. This means of checking concerns above all the family. Just remuneration for the work of an adult who is responsible for a family means remuneration which will suffice for establishing and properly maintaining a family and for providing security for its future. Such remuneration can be given either through what is called a family wage-that is, a single salary given to the head of the family fot his work, sufficient for the needs of the family without the other spouse having to take up gainful employment outside the home-or through other social measures such as family allowances or grants to mothers devoting themselves exclusively to their families. These grants should correspond to the actual needs, that is, to the number of dependents for as long as they are not in a position to assume proper responsibility for their own lives. Method 1.Exchange on real-life circumstances. 13

14 Each person relates this passage from the Social Teaching of the Church to everyday living by providing examples based on their own experience in the community, workplace, homeland. What impression does their combined experience give of current social and economic circumstances? - What are the causes and the consequences? 2.Ethical viewpoint. Guidelines for judging the situation. - In view of our values, how do we respond to the situation? - What are the moral principles laid down by the Social Teaching of the Church? - What values inherent in the Gospel message can guide us in our judgement? Read the Bible passage below or select another text, for example, one from the liturgical readings for the day. Reading from the letter of James (5,1-6) To pay just wages *Now listen, you rich people, weep and wail because of the misery that is coming upon you. 2 Your wealth has rotted, and moths have eaten your clothes. 3 Your gold and silver are corroded. Their corrosion will testify against you and eat your flesh like fire. You have hoarded wealth in the last days. 4 Look! The wages you failed to pay the workmen who mowed your fields are crying out against you. The cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord Almighty. 5 You have lived on earth in luxury and self-indulgence. You have fattened yourselves in the day of slaughter. 6 You have condemned and murdered innocent men, who were not opposing you. 3. Call to action. What can we do as individuals? What can we do in our groups, movements, various other roles? 4. Prayer 14

15 5. Various social benefits must ensure the life and health of workers and their families (LE 19) Extract from Laborem Exercens Besides wages, various social benefits intended to ensure the life and health of workers and their families play a part here. The expenses involved in health care, especially in the case of accidents at work, demand that medical assistance should be easily available for workers, and that as far as possible it should be cheap or even free of charge. Another sector regarding benefits is the sector associated with the right to rest. In the first place this involves a regular weekly rest comprising at least Sunday, and also a longer period of rest, namely the holiday or vacation taken once a year or possibly in several shorter periods during the year. A third sector concerns the right to a pension and to insurance for old age and in case of accidents at work. Within the sphere of these principal rights, there develops a whole system of particular rights which, together with remuneration for work, determine the correct relationship between worker and employer. Among these rights there should never be overlooked the right to a working environment and to manufacturing processes which are not harmful to the workers' physical health or to their moral integrity. Method 1.Exchange on real-life circumstances. - Each person relates this passage from the Social Teaching of the Church to everyday living by providing examples based on their own experience in the community, workplace, homeland. What impression does their combined experience give of current social and economic circumstances? What are the causes and the consequences? 2.Ethical viewpoint. Guidelines for judging the situation. In view of our values, how do we respond to the situation? - What are the moral principles laid down by the Social Teaching of the Church? - What values inherent in the Gospel message can guide us in our judgement? Read the Bible passage below or select another text, for example, one from the liturgical readings for the day. Reading from Deuteronomy (24, ) 15

16 The law in service of solidarity 4 Do not take advantage of a hired man who is poor and needy, whether he is a brother Israelite or an alien living in one of your towns. 15 Pay him his wages each day before sunset, because he is poor and is counting on it. Otherwise he may cry to the LORD against you, and you will be guilty of sin. 6 Fathers shall not be put to death for their children, nor children put to death for their fathers; each is to die for his own sin. 7 Do not deprive the alien or the fatherless of justice, or take the cloak of the widow as a pledge. 18 Remember that you were slaves in Egypt and the LORD your God redeemed you from there. That is why I command you to do this. 9 When you are harvesting in your field and you overlook a sheaf, do not go back to get it. Leave it for the alien, the fatherless and the widow, so that the LORD your God may bless you in all the work of your hands. 20 When you beat the olives from your trees, do not go over the branches a second time. Leave what remains for the alien, the fatherless and the widow. 21 When you harvest the grapes in your vineyard, do not go over the vines again. Leave what remains for the alien, the fatherless and the widow. 3. Call to action. What can we do as individuals? What can we do in our groups, movements, various other roles? 4. Prayer 16

17 6. Importance of Unions (LE 20 ) Extract from Laborem Exercens All these rights, together with the need for the workers themselves to secure them, give rise to yet another right: the right of association, that is to form associations for the purpose of defending the vital interests of those employed in the various professions. These associations are called labour or trade unions. The vital interests of the workers are to a certain extent common for all of them; at the same time however each type of work, each profession, has its own specific character which should find a particular reflection in these organizations. (...) Their task is to defend the existential interests of workers in all sectors in which their rights are concerned. The experience of history teaches that organizations of this type are an indispensable element of social life, especially in modern industrialized societies. Obviously, this does not mean that only industrial workers can set up associations of this type. Representatives of every profession can use them to ensure their own rights. (...) Catholic social teaching does not hold that unions are no more than a reflection of the "class" structure of society and that they are a mouthpiece for a class struggle which inevitably governs social life. They are indeed a mouthpiece for the struggle for social justice, for the just rights of working people in accordance with their individual professions. However, this struggle should be seen as a normal endeavour "for" the just good: in the present case, for the good which corresponds to the needs and merits of working people associated by profession; but it is not a struggle "against" others. Even if in controversial questions the struggle takes on a character of opposition towards others, this is because it aims at the good of social justice, not for the sake of "struggle" or in order to eliminate the opponent. Method 1.Exchange on real-life circumstances. Each person relates this passage from the Social Teaching of the Church to everyday living by providing examples based on their own experience in the community, workplace, homeland. - What impression does their combined experience give of current social and economic circumstances? What are the causes and the consequences? 2.Ethical viewpoint. Guidelines for judging the situation. - In view of our values, how do we respond to the situation? - What are the moral principles laid down by the Social Teaching of the Church? - What values inherent in the Gospel message can guide us in our judgement? 17

18 Read the Bible passage below or select another text, for example, one from the liturgical readings for the day. Reading from the prophets Amos (8,4-7) and Jeremiah (22,3-5) 4 Hear this, you who trample the needy and do away with the poor of the land, 5 saying, "When will the New Moon be over that we may sell grain, and the Sabbath be ended that we may market wheat?"- skimping the measure, boosting the price and cheating with dishonest scales, 6 buying the poor with silver and the needy for a pair of sandals, selling even the sweepings with the wheat. 7 The LORD has sworn by the Pride of Jacob: "I will never forget anything they have done. 3 This is what the LORD says: Do what is just and right. Rescue from the hand of his oppressor the one who has been robbed. Do no wrong or violence to the alien, the fatherless or the widow, and do not shed innocent blood in this place. 4 For if you are careful to carry out these commands, then kings who sit on David's throne will come through the gates of this palace, riding in chariots and on horses, accompanied by their officials and their people. 5 But if you do not obey these commands, declares the LORD, I swear by myself that this palace will become a ruin.' " 3. Call to action. - What can we do as individuals? - What can we do in our groups, movements, various other roles? 4. Prayer 18

19 7. The right to strike (LE 20) Extract from Laborem Exercens One method used by unions in pursuing the just rights of their members is the strike or work stoppage, as a kind of ultimatum to the competent bodies, especially the employers. This method is recognized by Catholic social teaching as legitimate in the proper conditions and within just limits. In this connection workers should be assured the right to strike, without being subjected to personal penal sanctions for taking part in a strike. While admitting that it is a legitimate means, we must at the same time emphasize that a strike remains, in a sense, an extreme means. It must not be abused; it must not be abused especially for "political" purposes. Furthermore it must never be forgotten that, when essential community services are in question, they must in every case be ensured, if necessary by means of appropriate legislation. Abuse of the strike weapon can lead to the paralysis of the whole of socioeconomic life, and this is contrary to the requirements of the common good of society, which also corresponds to the properly understood nature of work itself. Method 1.Exchange on real-life circumstances. - Each person relates this passage from the Social Teaching of the Church to everyday living by providing examples based on their own experience in the community, workplace, homeland. What impression does their combined experience give of current social and economic circumstances? - What are the causes and the consequences? 2.Ethical viewpoint. Guidelines for judging the situation. In view of our values, how do we respond to the situation? What are the moral principles laid down by the Social Teaching of the Church? What values inherent in the Gospel message can guide us in our judgement? Read the Bible passage below or select another text, for example, one from the liturgical readings for the day. Reading from the first letter of John (3, ) To do what is right 19

20 10 This is how we know who the children of God are and who the children of the devil are: Anyone who does not do what is right is not a child of God; nor is anyone who does not love his brother. "This is the message you heard from the beginning: We should love one another. 13 Do not be surprised, my brothers, if the world hates you.!4 We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love our brothers. Anyone who does not love remains in death. 15 Anyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life in him. 16 This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers. 17 If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him? 18 Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth. 19 This then is how we know that we belong to the truth, and how we set our hearts at rest in his presence. 3. Call to action. - What can we do as individuals? - What can we do in our groups, movements, various other roles? 4. Prayer 20

21 8. Solidarity of the workers and with the workers To be truly the church of the poor (LE 8) Extract from Laborem Exercens In order to achieve social justice in the various parts of the world, in the various countries, and in the relationships between them, there is a need for ever new movements of solidarity o/the workers and with the workers. This solidarity must be present whenever it is called for by the social degrading of the subject of work, by exploitation of the workers, and by the growing areas of poverty and even hunger. The Church is firmly committed to this cause, for she considers it her mission, her service, a proof of her fidelity to Christ, so that she can truly be the "Church of the poor". And the "poor" appear under various forms; they appear in various places and at various times; in many cases they appear as a result of the violation of the dignity of human work: either because the opportunities for human work are limited as a result of the scourge of unemployment, or because a low value is put on work and the rights that flow from it, especially the right to a just wage and to the personal security of the worker and his or her family. Method 1.Exchange on real-life circumstances. - Each person relates this passage from the Social Teaching of the Church to everyday living by providing examples based on their own experience in the community, workplace, homeland. What impression does their combined experience give of current social and economic circumstances? What are the causes and the consequences? 2.Ethical viewpoint. Guidelines for judging the situation. - In view of our values, how do we respond to the situation? What are the moral principles laid down by the Social Teaching of the Church? What values inherent in the Gospel message can guide us in our judgement? Read the Bible passage below or select another text, for example, one from the liturgical readings for the day. Reading from Exodus (1,13-14; 2,23b-25; 3, ) God heard their groaning 21

22 12 The more they were oppressed, the more they multiplied and spread; so the Egyptians came to dread the Israelites 13 and worked them ruthlessly. 14 They made their lives bitter with hard labor in brick and mortar and with all kinds of work in the fields; in all their hard labor the Egyptians used them ruthlessly. 23 The Israelites groaned in their slavery and cried out, and their cry for help because of their slavery went up to God. 24 God heard their groaning and he remembered his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac and with Jacob. 25 So God looked on the Israelites and was concerned about them. 1 Moses was tending the flock of Jethro his father-in-law, the priest of Midian, and he led the flock to the far side of the desert and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. 2 There the angel of the LORD appeared to him in flames of fire from within a bush. Moses saw that though the bush was on fire it did not burn up. 7 The LORD said, "I have indeed seen the misery of my people in Egypt. I have heard them crying out because of their slave drivers, and I am concerned about their suffering. 8 So I have come down to rescue them from the hand of the Egyptians and to bring them up out of that land into a good and spacious land, a land flowing with milk and honey-the home of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites. 9 And now the cry of the Israelites has reached me, and I have seen the way the Egyptians are oppressing them. 10 So now, go. I am sending you to Pharaoh to bring my people the Israelites out of Egypt." 3. Call to action. What can we do as individuals? What can we do in our groups, movements, various other roles? 4. Prayer 22

23 9. Economic production at the service of man (GS 65) Extract from Gaudium et Spes Economic development must remain under man's determination and must not be left to the judgment of a few men or groups possessing too much economic power or of the political community alone or of certain more powerful nations. It is necessary, on the contrary, that at every level the largest possible number of people and, when it is a question of international relations, all nations have an active share in directing that development. There is need as well of the coordination and fitting and harmonious combination of the spontaneous efforts of individuals and of free groups with the undertakings oce public authorities. Growth is not to be left solely to a kind of mechanical course of the economic activity of individuals, nor to the authority of government. For this reason, doctrines which obstruct the necessary reforms under the guise of a false liberty, and those which subordinate the basic rights of individual persons and groups to the collective organization of production must be shown to be erroneous. Citizens, on the other hand, should remember that it is their right and duty, which is also to be recognized by the civil authority, to contribute to the true progress of their own community according to their ability. Especially in underdeveloped areas, where all resources must urgently be employed, those who hold back their unproductive resources or who deprive their community of the material or spiritual aid that it needs-saving the personal right of migrationgravely endanger the common good. Method 1.Exchange on real-life circumstances. - Each person relates this passage from the Social Teaching of the Church to everyday living by providing examples based on their own experience in the community, workplace, homeland. What impression does their combined experience give of current social and economic circumstances? - What are the causes and the consequences? 2.Ethical viewpoint. Guidelines for judging the situation. - In view of our values, how do we respond to the situation? - What are the moral principles laid down by the Social Teaching of the Church? - What values inherent in the Gospel message can guide us in our judgement? 23

24 Read the Bible passage below or select another text, for example, one from the liturgical readings for the day. Reading from Deuteronomy (5,12-15) You shall not do any work on this day 12 "Observe the Sabbath day by keeping it holy, as the LORD your God has commanded you. 13 Six days you shall labor and do all your work, 14 but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the LORD your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your manservant or maidservant, nor your ox, your donkey or any of your animals, nor the alien within your gates, so that your manservant and maidservant may rest, as you do. 1: Remember that you were slaves in Egypt and that the LORD your God brought you out of there with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm. Therefore the LORD your God has commanded you to observe the Sabbath day. 3. Call to action. What can we do as individuals? What can we do in our groups, movements, various other roles? 4. Prayer 24

25 10. The personal and collective development of man (PP 20-21) Extract from Populorum Progressio If development calls for an ever-growing number of technical experts, even more necessary still is the deep thought and reflection of wise men in search of a new humanism, one which will enable our contemporaries to enjoy the higher values of love and friendship, of prayer and contemplation, and thus find themselves. This is what will guarantee man's authentic development his transition from less than human conditions to truly human ones. What are less than human conditions? The material poverty of those who lack the bare necessities of life, and the moral poverty of those who are crushed under the weight of their own self-love; oppressive political structures resulting from the abuse of ownership or the improper exercise of power, from the exploitation of the worker or unjust transactions. What are truly human conditions? The rise from poverty to the acquisition of life's necessities; the elimination of social ills; broadening the horizons of knowledge; acquiring refinement and culture. From there one can go on to acquire a growing awareness of other people's dignity, a taste for the spirit of poverty, an active interest in the common good, and a desire for peace. Then man can acknowledge the highest values and God Hiniself, their author and end. Finally and above all, there is faith God's gift to men of good will and our loving unity in Christ, who calls all men to share God's life as sons of the living God, the Father of all men. Method 1.Exchange on real-life circumstances. Each person relates this passage from the Social Teaching of the Church to everyday living by providing examples based on their own experience in the community, workplace, homeland. What impression does their combined experience give of current social and economic circumstances? What are the causes and the consequences? 2.Ethical viewpoint. Guidelines for judging the situation. - In view of our values, how do we respond to the situation? - What are the moral principles laid down by the Social Teaching of the Church? - What values inherent in the Gospel message can guide us in our judgement? Read the Bible passage below or select another text, for example, one from the liturgical readings for the day. Reading from the gospel according to St. Luke (4,1-12) 25

26 Man does not live only on bread alone 1 Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the desert, 2 where for forty days he was tempted by the devil. He ate nothing during those days, and at the end of them he was hungry. 3 The devil said to him, "If you are the Son of God, tell this stone to become bread." 4 Jesus answered, "It is written: 'Man does not live on bread alone. 1 " 5 The devil led him up to a high place and showed him in an instant all the kingdoms of the world. 6 And he said to him, "I will give you all their authority and splendor, for it has been given to me, and I can give it to anyone I want to. 7 So if you worship me, it will all be yours." Jesus answered, "It is written: 'Worship the Lord your God and serve him only.' " 9 The devil led him to Jerusalem and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. "If you are the Son of God," he said, "throw yourself down from here. 10 For it is written: " 'He will command his angels concerning you to guard you carefully; 1 'they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.' " 12 Jesus answered, "It says: 'Do not put the Lord your God to the test.' " 3. Call to action. What can we do as individuals? What can we do in our groups, movements, various other roles? 4. Prayer 26

27 11. Growing distortion - Beyond liberalism (PP 57-58) Extract from Populorum Progressio 57. Highly industrialized nations export their own manufactured products, for the most part. Less developed nations, on the other hand, have nothing to sell but raw materials and agricultural crops. As a result of technical progress, the price of manufactured products is rising rapidly and they find a ready market. But the basic crops and raw materials produced by the less developed countries are subject to sudden and wide-ranging shifts in market price; they do not share in the growing market value of industrial products. This poses serious difficulties to the developing nations. They depend on exports to a large extent for a balanced economy and for further steps toward development. Thus the needy nations grow more destitute, while the rich nations become even richer. 58. It is evident that the principle of free trade, by itself, is no longer adequate for regulating international agreements. It certainly can work when both parties are about equal economically; in such cases it stimulates progress and rewards effort. That is why industrially developed nations see an element of justice in this principle. But the case is quite different when the nations involved are far from equal. Market prices that are freely agreed upon can turn out to be most unfair. It must be avowed openly that, in this case, the fundamental tenet of liberalism (as it is called), as the norm for market dealings, is open to serious question. Method 1.Exchange on real-life circumstances. - Each person relates this passage from the Social Teaching of the Church to everyday living by providing examples based on their own experience in the community, workplace, homeland. What impression does their combined experience give of current social and economic circumstances? - What are the causes and the consequences? 2.Ethical viewpoint. Guidelines for judging the situation. - In view of our values, how do we respond to the situation? - What are the moral principles laid down by the Social Teaching of the Church? - What values inherent in the Gospel message can guide us in our judgement? Read the Bible passage below or select another text, for example, one from the liturgical readings for the day. 27

28 Reading from the gospel according to St. Luke (6,20-26) Happiness and Sorrow 20 Looking at his disciples, he said: "Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God. 21 Blessed are you who hunger now, for you will be satisfied. Blessed are you who weep now, for you will laugh. 22 Blessed are you when men hate you, when they exclude you and insult you and reject your name as evil, because of the Son of Man. 23 "Rejoice in that day and leap for joy, because great is your reward in heaven. For that is how their fathers treated the prophets. 24 "But woe to you who are rich, for you have already received your comfort. 25 Woe to you who are well fed now, for you will go hungry. Woe to you who laugh now, for you will mourn and weep. 26 Woe to you when all men speak well of you, for that is how their fathers treated the false prophets. 3. Call to action. What can we do as individuals? What can we do in our groups, movements, various other roles? 4. Prayer 28

29 12. The temptation of materialism - Superfluous goods(pp 41.49) Extract from Populorum Progressio 41. The poorer nations can never be too much on guard against the temptation posed by the wealthier nations. For these nations, with their favorable results from a highly technical and culturally developed civilization, provide an example of work and diligence with temporal prosperity the main pursuit. Not that temporal prosperity of itself precludes the activity of the human spirit. Indeed, with it, "the human spirit, being less subjected to material things, can be more easily drawn to the worship and contemplation of the Creator." On the other hand, "modern civilization itself often complicates the approach to God, not for any essential reason, but because it is so much engrossed in worldly affairs. " The developing nations must choose wisely from among the things that are offered to them. They must test and reject false values that would tarnish a truly human way of life, while accepting noble and useful values in order to develop them in their own distinctive way, along with their own indigenous heritage. 49. We must repeat that the superfluous goods of wealthier nations ought to be placed at the disposal of poorer nations. The rule, by virtue of which in times past those nearest us were to be helped in time of need, applies today to all the needy throughout the world. And the prospering peoples will be the first to benefit from this. Continuing avarice on their part will arouse the judgment of God and the wrath of the poor, with consequences no one can foresee. If prosperous nations continue to be jealous of their own advantage alone, they will jeopardize their highest values, sacrificing the pursuit of excellence to the acquisition of possessions. We might well apply to them the parable of the rich man. His fields yielded an abundant harvest and he did not know where to store it: "But God said to him, Tool, this very night your soul will be demanded from you...' " Method 1.Exchange on real-life circumstances. Each person relates this passage from the Social Teaching of the Church to everyday living by providing examples based on their own experience in the community, workplace, homeland. - What impression does their combined experience give of current social and economic circumstances? - What are the causes and the consequences? 2.Ethical viewpoint. Guidelines for judging the situation. - In view of our values, how do we respond to the situation? 29