USCCB - (SDWP) - Everyday Christianity: To Hunger and = Thirst for Justice

Everyday = Christianity: To Hunger=20 and Thirst for Justice

A Pastoral Reflection on Lay Discipleship
for = Justice in=20 a New Millennium

Spanish=20 (Espa=F1ol) Version

Introduction
One of the great = challenges for Christians is as old as our faith, but it takes on = special=20 urgency today as we approach the Third Christian Millennium. How = do we=20 connect worship on Sunday to work on Monday? How is the Gospel = proclaimed=20 not only in the pulpits of our parishes, but also in the everyday = lives of=20 Catholic people? How does the Church gathered on the Sabbath act = as the=20 People of God scattered and active every day of the week? How can = we best=20 carry the values of our faith into family life, the market place = and the=20 public square? How do we love our neighbor, pursue peace and seek = justice=20 in everyday choices and commitments?

In these reflections, = we=20 highlight one essential dimension of the lay vocation which is = sometimes=20 overlooked or neglected: the social mission of Christians in the=20 world.¹ Every believer is called to serve "the least of = these,"=20 to "hunger and thirst for justice," to be a = "peacemaker."²=20 Catholics are called by God to protect human life, to promote = human=20 dignity, to defend the poor and to seek the common good. This = social=20 mission of the Church belongs to all of us. It is an essential = part of=20 what it is to be a believer.

This social mission is = advanced in=20 many ways -- by the prophetic teaching of our Holy Father; by the = efforts=20 of our bishops' Conference; and by many structures of charity and = justice=20 within our community of faith. But the most common and, in many = ways, the=20 most important Christian witness is often neither very visible nor = highly=20 structured. It is the sacrifice of parents trying to raise = children with=20 concern for others; the service and creativity of workers who do = their=20 best and reach out to those in need; the struggle of business = owners=20 trying to reconcile the bottom line and the needs of employees and = customers; and the hard choices of public officials who seek to = protect=20 the weak and pursue the common good. The Church's social mission = is=20 advanced by teachers and scientists, by family farmers and = bankers, by=20 sales persons and entertainers.

The Catholic social mission = is also=20 carried forward by believers who join unions, neighborhood = organizations,=20 business groups, civic associations, the pro-life movement, groups = working=20 for justice, or environmental, civil rights or peace groups. It is = advanced by Christians who stand up for the values of the Gospel. = This=20 mission is the task of countless Christians living their faith = without=20 much fanfare or recognition, who are quietly building a better = society by=20 their choices and actions day by day. They protect human life, = defend=20 those who are poor, seek the common good, work for peace, and = promote=20 human dignity.

Working for justice in everyday life is not = easy.=20 There are complex and sometimes difficult challenges encountered = by women=20 and men as they try to live their faith in the world. We applaud = the=20 efforts of all Catholics to live the Gospel by pursuing justice = and peace=20 in their everyday choices and commitments.

The Catholic Layperson: Discipleship and the = Pursuit of=20 Justice
Being a believer means that one lives a certain = way --=20 walking with the Lord, doing justice, loving kindness, living = peaceably=20 among all people. Christian discipleship means practicing what = Jesus=20 preached. Discipleship is found in a relationship with Christ and = a=20 commitment to His mission of "bringing good news to the poor, = liberty to=20 captives, new sight to the blind and setting the downtrodden=20 free."³

For Catholics, this takes on special = meaning=20 today. According to the Second Vatican Council, "It is the special = vocation of the laity to seek the kingdom of God by engaging in = temporal=20 affairs and directing them according to God's will. They live in = the=20 world, in each and every one of the world's occupations and = callings and=20 in the ordinary circumstances of social and family life which, as = it were,=20 form the context of their existence. There they are called by God = to=20 contribute to the sanctification of the world within, like leaven, = in the=20 spirit of the Gospel, by fulfilling their own particular=20 duties."⁴

We welcome and affirm the growing=20 participation of lay women and men in the internal life of the = Church.=20 Service within the Church should form and strengthen believers for = their=20 mission in the world. With this pastoral statement we are = addressing in a=20 special way the demands of discipleship in the pursuit of justice = and=20 peace in everyday activity.

Followers of the Lord Jesus = live their=20 discipleship as spouses and parents, single adults and youth, = employers=20 and employees, consumers and investors, citizens and neighbors. We = renew=20 the warning of the Second Vatican Council that the "split between = the=20 faith which many profess and their daily lives deserves to be = counted=20 among the more serious errors of our age."⁵ By our = Baptism and=20 Confirmation every member of our community is called to live his = or her=20 faith in the world.

Called to = Justice in=20 Everyday Life
Catholicism does not call us to abandon = the world,=20 but to help shape it. This does not mean leaving worldly tasks and = responsibilities, but transforming them. Catholics are everywhere = in this=20 society. We are corporate executives and migrant farm workers, = senators=20 and welfare recipients, university presidents and day care = workers,=20 tradesmen and farmers, office and factory workers, union leaders = and small=20 business owners. Our entire community of faith must help Catholics = to be=20 instruments of God's grace and creative power in business and = politics,=20 factories and offices, in homes and schools and in all the events = of daily=20 life. Social justice and the common good are built up or torn down = day by=20 day in the countless decisions and choices we make. This vocation = to=20 pursue justice is not simply an individual task -- it is a call to = work=20 with others to humanize and shape the institutions that touch so = many=20 people. The lay vocation for justice cannot be carried forward = alone, but=20 only as members of a community called to be the "leaven" of the = Gospel.=20

Our families are the starting point and the center of = a=20 vocation for justice. How we treat our parents, spouses and = children is=20 a reflection of our commitment to Christ's love and justice. We=20 demonstrate our commitment to the Gospel by how we spend our = time and=20 money, and whether our family life includes an ethic of charity, = service=20 and action for justice. The lessons we teach our children = through what=20 we do as well as what we say determines whether they care for = the "least=20 among us" and are committed to work for justice.⁶ =
Workers are called to pursue justice. In the Catholic = tradition, work is not a burden, not just how we make a living. = Work is=20 a way of supporting our family, realizing our dignity, promoting = the=20 common good, and participating in God's creation. This means = often doing=20 the ordinary well, making the most of our talents and = opportunities,=20 treating others fairly and with dignity, and working with = integrity and=20 creativity. Believers should be encouraged to choose their work = based on=20 how they can best use the gifts God has given them. Decisions = made at=20 work can make important contributions to an ethic of justice. = Catholics=20 have the often difficult responsibility of choosing between = competing=20 values in the workplace. This is a measure of holiness. = Associations=20 that enable workers, owners or managers to pursue justice often = make the=20 witness of the individual more effective.⁷
Owners, managers, and investors face important = opportunities=20 to seek justice and pursue peace. Ethical responsibility is not = just=20 avoiding evil, but doing right, especially for the weak and = vulnerable.=20 Decisions about the use of capital have moral implications: Are = they=20 creating and preserving quality jobs at living wages? Are they = building=20 up community through the goods and services they provide? Do = policies=20 and decisions reflect respect for human life and dignity, = promote peace=20 and preserve God's creation? While economic returns are = important, they=20 should not take precedence over the rights of workers or = protection of=20 the environment. Investors should examine ownership, management, = and=20 economic decisions in the light of the Catholic call to protect = life,=20 defend those who are poor, and seek the common good. These = decisions=20 promote human dignity or undermine it.⁸
As consumers, believers can promote social justice or = injustice. In an affluent culture that suggests that what we = have=20 defines who we are, we can live more simply. When we purchase = goods and=20 services, we can choose to support companies that defend human = life,=20 treat workers fairly, protect creation, and respect other basic = moral=20 values at home and abroad. We can also make conscious efforts to = consume=20 less.⁹
All human beings have unique talents, gifts from God that we = are=20 called to develop and share. We should celebrate this diversity. = People=20 who use their skills and expertise for the common good, the = service of=20 others, and the protection of creation, are good stewards = of the=20 gifts they have been given. When we labor with honesty, serve = those in=20 need, work for justice and contribute to charity, we use our = talents to=20 show our love--and God's love--for our brothers and=20 sisters.¹⁰
As citizens in the world's leading democracy, = Catholics in=20 the United States have special responsibilities to protect human = life=20 and dignity and to stand with those who are poor and vulnerable. = We are=20 also called to welcome the stranger, to combat discrimination, = to pursue=20 peace, and to promote the common good. Catholic social teaching = calls us=20 to practice civic virtues and offers us principles to shape=20 participation in public life. We cannot be indifferent to or = cynical=20 about the obligations of citizenship. Our political choices = should not=20 reflect simply our own interests, partisan preferences or = ideological=20 agendas, but should be shaped by the principles of our faith and = our=20 commitment to justice, especially to the weak and vulnerable. = The voices=20 and votes of lay Catholics are needed to shape a society with = greater=20 respect for human life, economic and environmental justice, = cultural=20 diversity and global solidarity. Catholic involvement in public = life and=20 legislative advocacy are important ways to exercise responsible=20 citizenship. Participation in politics is a worthy vocation and = a public=20 trust. Believers who serve in public office have unique = responsibilities=20 and opportunities to stand up for human life and dignity, to = pursue=20 justice and peace, and to advance the common good by the = policies,=20 priorities and program they support or=20 oppose.¹¹

Supporting the=20 "Salt of the Earth"
Church statements, structures and=20 initiatives are important for Catholic formation and action. = Social=20 ministry programs and structures provide valuable opportunities = for=20 believers to learn to act on the justice demands of their faith. = Church=20 social ministry efforts should encourage and complement the vital = roles of=20 believers in family, economic and public life. However, there is = simply no=20 substitute for Catholic men and women carrying their faith into = the world.=20 Everyday discipleship for justice and the Church's organized = social=20 ministry can reinforce one another and help shape a more just = society and=20 more peaceful world. We hope these reflections can serve as an = opportunity=20 for increased dialogue on the demands of discipleship in our time. =

Parishes are essential sources of support and = encouragement for=20 Christian discipleship. At their best, parishes help believers = prepare and=20 go forth to live the Gospel in everything we do. The Sunday = liturgy sends=20 us forth to renew the earth and build up God's kingdom of justice = and=20 peace. We encourage our pastors and preachers to listen to their=20 parishioners on the challenges of their daily lives and help bring = the=20 insight of the Gospel and the principles of Catholic teaching to = these=20 experiences. We affirm prayer and worship which help believers = apply the=20 Gospel to everyday situations. Across the country, there are = examples of=20 Catholic men and women gathering in small groups to examine the = moral=20 dimensions of their lives and work. They enlarge their vision = beyond the=20 immediate and the individual experience when they are enabled to = examine=20 the structures and processes that shape social life. Catholic = schools and=20 religious education programs provide important lessons about = living a life=20 of justice and compassion, and promoting participation in civic = life. Many=20 parishes participate in legislative networks and community = organizing=20 projects that involve parishioners in working for justice. And in=20 thousands of parishes, other social ministry efforts provide = valuable=20 opportunities to help believers make choices about their time, = money and=20 talents that reflect the justice demands of the Gospel. These = parishes are=20 convinced that the mystery of Jesus' life, death and resurrection = unfolds=20 within human life.

We applaud these efforts and urge our = parishes=20 to do even more. Our culture often suggests that religion is a = private=20 matter, to be tolerated as long as it is detached from our lives = as=20 workers and citizens. Catholic men and women look to our parishes = to find=20 the support, tools and concrete help they need to resist this = tendency and=20 instead proclaim Christ's love, justice and peace in everything = they=20 do.

The measure of the Church's organized social ministry = is not=20 simply the teaching shared, the services offered, the actions = taken, but=20 also the support and challenge provided for men and women as they = seek to=20 live the Gospel in the world. Our community of faith needs to = share its=20 social teaching more clearly and comprehensively so that its = principles=20 can help shape the choices and actions of Catholics. Catholics = also need=20 to learn and further explore the links between faith and life, = theology=20 and ethics, what we believe and how we act every day. Catholics = need to=20 support one another as we take up these difficult tasks, helping = each=20 other to have the courage of our convictions, to stand up for what = we=20 believe and to practice in our own lives what the Scriptures = proclaim. As=20 we approach the year 2000, our Conference is promoting a "Jubilee = Pledge=20 for Charity, Justice and Peace" as one concrete way for believers = to=20 commit to renewed prayer, reflection, service and action in = preparation=20 for the Third Christian Millennium. (See = appendix.)

Conclusion
The Word of God calls = believers to=20 become "the salt of the earth, the light of the = world."¹² The=20 Pope and the bishops are called to teach and lead, but unless the = Church's=20 social teaching finds a home in the hearts and lives of Catholic = women and=20 men, our community and culture will fall short of what the Gospel=20 requires. Our society urgently needs the everyday witness of = Christians=20 who take the social demands of our faith seriously. The pursuit of = justice=20 is an essential part of the Catholic call to holiness, which is = our true=20 vocation: to live "in Christ," and let Christ live and work in us = in our=20 world today.

Christian faith requires conversion; it = changes who we=20 are, what we do and how we think. The Gospel offers "good news" = and=20 guidance not just for our spiritual lives, but for all the = commitments and=20 duties which make up our lives. Living our faith in the ordinary = tasks of=20 everyday life is an essential part of what it means to be holy = today.=20

As the Third Christian Millennium approaches, the call to = live our=20 faith in everyday choices and actions remains at the heart of what = it=20 means to be a disciple of Jesus. This call takes on renewed = urgency as we=20 approach the Great Jubilee, but it is not new. The task of = disciples today=20 was probably best and most simply expressed in the words of the = prophet=20 Micah:

"What does the Lord require of you, but to do = justice, to=20 love kindness and walk humbly with your God." (Micah=20 6:8)

Jubilee and the Lay Call to=20 Justice
A Call to Jubilee=20 Justice
Pope John Paul II has declared the year = 2000 to be=20 a jubilee year. The beginning of the next millennium is = especially=20 significant for followers of Jesus. The year 2000 is a holy = year, a=20 time of favor, a reminder that we live and work in a time of = special=20 grace between the Incarnation of Jesus and his Second = Coming. Amidst=20 all the clamor that will surround the millennium believers = need to=20 ask, What does the jubilee mean for us? How should Catholic = women=20 and men respond to this call for a jubilee?

The = jubilee was=20 an ideal, a reminder that Yahweh, the creator of all, was = the true=20 owner of creation and that those who live in a covenant = relationship=20 with Yahweh must also seek right and just relationships with = all=20 people. The pious Israelite knew that the land was a gift = from God.=20 The land and all it signified -- work, material goods, = financial=20 security, the practices of economic and everyday life -- = were to be=20 understood within the context of one's relationship with = God. All=20 gifts of creation, including personal talents and abilities, = first=20 of all belong to God. The devout Israelite was a steward of = God's=20 goods. Natural resources and human talents were to serve all = with a=20 particular concern for the poor and weak.

The "year = of the=20 Lord's favor" was a time to proclaim "liberty in the land = for all"=20 (Lev. 25:10), to "bring good news to the poor" and "let the=20 oppressed go free." (Is. 61) It was a time to restore = freedom and=20 justice among people, to reestablish relationships of = equality,=20 remedy the conditions that kept people oppressed (Is.61), = and to=20 cancel debts (Deut. 15). The jubilee was intended to relieve = the=20 burdens of the weak and give people an opportunity to start = anew.=20 There was a clear social message in the jubilee. The jubilee = year=20 was an invitation for people to see their lives from a = divine=20 perspective: all that they were and all they did should be = in accord=20 with God's will for building a community of justice, mercy, = love and=20 peace.

Like the ancient Israelites in their time, = Catholic=20 lay persons today ought to see the coming Jubilee as a call = to=20 renewed practice of charity, pursuit of justice, welcome to = the=20 stranger, and new efforts to permit all to participate in = the life=20 of the community. As followers of Christ transformed by the = power of=20 the Holy Spirit, Catholics must strive to open their hearts = to=20 Christ's truth, love, and justice, and to grow in virtue. = Each=20 generation of believers must take up this task. This is an = essential=20 part of what it means to be holy today.

As the = Jubilee=20 approaches, there are a variety of ways to take up this = task. Among=20 the possibilities are the special "Jubilee Pledge for = Charity,=20 Justice and Peace" being promoted by our Conference, which = offers=20 individuals and families an opportunity to commit themselves = to=20 ongoing prayer, reflection, service and action in = preparation for=20 the new Millennium (see Appendix). Another opportunity is a = Jubilee=20 Justice Gathering in Los Angeles in July 1999 sponsored by a = broad=20 range of Catholic organizations to bring together Catholics = from=20 across the nation to explore the demands of charity, justice = and=20 peace as we approach the Third Christian=20 Millennium.

Appendix

This Jubilee Pledge for = Charity,=20 Justice and Peace is being offered to individuals, families and = parishes=20 as a sign of commitment in preparation for the Millennium:

Jubilee Pledge for Charity, Justice and Peace
A = Catholic=20 Commitment for the New Millennium
The Jubilee of = our Lord's=20 birth calls us "to bring glad tidings to the poor, to proclaim = liberty to=20 captives, recovery of sight to the blind, and release to = prisoners."=20 (Luke 4:18)

As disciples of Jesus in the new Millennium, = I/we=20 pledge to:
Pray regularly for greater justice and=20 peace.
Learn more about Catholic social teaching and its = call to=20 protect human life, stand with the poor, and care for=20 creation.
Reach across boundaries of religion, race, = ethnicity,=20 gender, and disabling conditions.
Live justly in family = life,=20 school, work, the marketplace, and the political = arena.
Serve=20 those who are poor and vulnerable, sharing more time and=20 talent.
Give more generously to those in need at home = and=20 abroad.
Advocate public policies that protect human = life,=20 promote human dignity, preserve God's creation, and build=20 peace.
Encourage others to work for greater charity, = justice,=20 and = peace.

_____________________________
Signature

Love for others, and in the first place love for = the=20 poor, in whom the Church sees Christ himself, is made concrete = in the=20 promotion of justice.

Pope John Paul II, = Centesimus=20 Annus, 1991

Note: This pledge is being = promoted by a=20 variety of U.S. Catholic Conference offices and other = organizations as a=20 practical response to the Holy Father's designation of 1999 as = "the year=20 of charity."=20

Endnotes

¹Other major documents address in a more=20 comprehensive way the vocation of the laity (i.e. the Dogmatic=20 Constitution on the Church, the Decree on the Apostolate of the = Laity, On=20 the Role of Laity, Called and Gifted, Called and Gifted for a New=20 Millennium). Catholic teaching also outlines our broader social = mission in=20 a series of documents (i.e. Pastoral Constitution on the Church in = the=20 Modern World, Justice in the World, One Hundred Years, A Century = of Social=20 Teaching, Communities of Salt and Light, Called to Global = Solidarity.)=20

²Matthew 25:31-46, Matthew 5:1-10=20

³Luke 4:=20

⁴Vatican II, Lumen Gentium, #31=20

⁵Pastoral Constitution, #43=20

⁶On the Family, Pope John Paul II=20

⁷On Human Work, Pope John Paul II, No. 5=20

⁸Economic Justice for All, A Catholic Framework for = Economic=20 Life, U.S. Catholic Bishops=20

⁹Economic Justice for All, A Catholic Framework for = Economic=20 Life, U.S. Catholic Bishops=20

¹⁰To Be a Christian Steward, U.S. Catholic Bishops=20

¹¹Octogesima Adveniens, Pope Paul VI; Political=20 Responsibility, U.S. Catholic Bishops=20

¹²Matthew 5:13-14=20

Copyright =A9 1998, United = States Catholic=20 Conference, Inc., Washington, DC. All rights reserved. No part of = this=20 work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, = electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by = any=20 information storage and retrieval system, without permission in = writing=20 from the copyright holder.