Document
Carry Catholic
values into everyday life, U.S. bishops say
Editors note: While the divisions and tensions within
Catholicism are abundantly evident, even at the annual meeting (Nov. 16-19) of
the National Conference of Catholic Bishops (see NCR, Dec. 4), there are
clear areas of common ground. One of those areas is the churchs
consistent and long tradition of social teaching. The following document,
approved unanimously and with little debate during the recent meeting of the
bishops conference, outlines the content of that teaching and challenges
Catholics to live the teaching in practical ways in the modern world.
Everyday
Christianity: To Hunger and Thirst for Justice
A Pastoral Reflection
on Lay Discipleship for Justice in a New Millennium
Introduction
One of the great challenges for Christians is as old as our faith,
but it takes on special urgency today as we approach the third Christian
millennium. How do we connect worship on Sunday to work on Monday? How is the
gospel proclaimed not only in the pulpits of our parishes, but also in the
everyday lives of Catholic people? How does the church gathered on the Sabbath
act as the people of God scattered and active every day of the week? How can we
best carry the values of our faith into family life, the marketplace and the
public square? How do we love our neighbors, pursue peace and seek justice in
everyday choices and commitments?
In these reflections, we highlight one essential dimension of the
lay vocation that is sometimes overlooked or neglected: the social mission of
Christians in the world.
Every believer is called to serve the least of these,
to hunger and thirst for justice, to be a
peacemaker.
Catholics are called by God to protect human life, to promote
human dignity, to defend those who are poor and to seek the common good. This
social mission of the church belongs to all of us. It is an essential part of
what it is to be a believer.
This social mission is advanced in many ways -- by the prophetic
teaching of our Holy Father; by the efforts of our bishops conference;
and by many structures of charity and justice within our community of faith.
But the most common -- and in many ways, the most important -- Christian
witness is often neither very visible nor highly structured. It is the
sacrifice of parents trying to raise children with concern for others; the
service and creativity of workers who do their best and reach out to those in
need; the struggle of business owners trying to reconcile the bottom line and
the needs of employees and customers; and the hard choices of public officials
who seek to protect the weak and pursue the common good. The churchs
social mission is advanced by teachers and scientists, by family farmers and
bankers, by sales persons and entertainers.
The Catholic social mission is also carried forward by believers
who join unions; neighborhood organizations; business groups; civic
associations; the pro-life movement; groups working for social justice; or
environmental, civil rights or peace groups. It is advanced by Christians who
stand up for the values of the gospel. This mission is the task of countless
Christians living their faith without much fanfare or recognition, who are
quietly building a better society by their choices and actions day by day. They
protect human life, defend those who are poor, seek the common good, work for
peace and promote human dignity.
Working for justice in everyday life is not easy. There are
complex and sometimes difficult challenges encountered by women and men as they
try to live their faith in the world. We applaud the efforts of all Catholics
to live the gospel by pursuing justice and peace in their everyday choices and
commitments.
The Catholic Layperson: Discipleship and the
Pursuit of Justice
Being a believer means that one lives a certain way -- walking
with the Lord, doing justice, loving kindness and living peaceably among all
people. Christian discipleship means practicing what Jesus preached.
Discipleship is found in a relationship with Christ and a commitment to his
mission of bringing glad tidings to the poor/ ... liberty to captives/and
recovery of sight to the blind/to let the oppressed go free.
For Catholics, this takes on special meaning 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 affairs and directing them
according to Gods will. They live in the world, in each and every one of
the worlds occupations and callings and in the ordinary circumstances of
social and family life which, as it were, form the context of their existence.
There they are called by God to contribute to the sanctification of the world
within, like leaven, in the spirit of the gospel, by fulfilling their own
particular duties.
We welcome and affirm the growing participation of lay women and
men in the internal life of the church. Service within the church should form
and strengthen believers for their mission in the world. With this pastoral
statement we are addressing in a special way the demands of discipleship in the
pursuit of justice and peace in everyday activity.
Followers of the Lord Jesus live their discipleship as spouses and
parents, single adults and youth, employers and employees, consumers and
investors, citizens and neighbors. We renew the warning of the Second Vatican
Council, One of the gravest errors of our time is the dichotomy between
the faith which many profess and their day-to-day conduct. By our baptism
and confirmation, every member of our community is called to live his or her
faith in the world.
Called to Justice in Everyday Life
Catholicism does not call us to abandon the world but to help
shape it. This does not mean leaving worldly tasks and responsibilities but
transforming them. Catholics are everywhere in this society. We are corporate
executives and migrant farm workers, politicians and welfare recipients,
educators and day care workers, tradesmen and farmers, office and factory
workers, union leaders and small business owners. Our entire community of faith
must help Catholics to be instruments of Gods grace and creative power in
business and politics, in factories and offices, in homes and schools, and in
all the events of daily life. Social justice and the common good are built up
or torn down day by day in the countless decisions and choices we make. This
vocation to pursue justice is not simply an individual task; it is a call to
work with others to humanize and shape the institutions that touch so many
people. The lay vocation for justice in the world cannot be carried forward
alone but only as members of a community called to be the leaven of
the gospel.
Our families are the starting point and the center of a vocation
for justice. How we treat our parents, spouses and children is a reflection of
our commitment to Christs love and justice. We demonstrate our commitment
to the gospel by how we spend our time and money, and whether our family life
includes an ethic of charity, service and action for justice. The lessons we
teach our children through what we do as well as what we say determine whether
they care for the least among us and are committed to work for
justice.
Workers are called to pursue justice. In the Catholic tradition,
work is not a burden, not just how we make a living. Work is a way of
supporting our family, realizing our dignity, promoting the common good and
participating in Gods creation. This means often doing the ordinary well,
making the most of our talents and opportunities, treating others fairly and
with dignity, and working with integrity and creativity. Believers should be
encouraged to choose their work based on how they can best use the gifts God
has given them. Decisions made at work can make important contributions to an
ethic of justice. Catholics have the often difficult responsibility of choosing
between competing values in the workplace. This is a measure of holiness.
Associations that enable workers, owners or managers to pursue justice often
make the witness of the individual more effective.
Owners, managers and investors face important opportunities to
seek justice and pursue peace. Ethical responsibility is not just avoiding
evil, but doing right, especially for the weak and vulnerable. Decisions about
the use of capital have moral implications: Are companies creating and
preserving quality jobs at living wages? Are they building up community through
the goods and services they provide? Do policies and decisions reflect respect
for human life and dignity, promote peace and preserve Gods creation?
While economic returns are important, they should not take precedence over the
rights of workers or protection of the environment. Investors should examine
ownership, management and economic decisions in the light of the Catholic call
to protect life, defend those who are poor and seek the common good.
These decisions promote human dignity or undermine it.
As consumers, believers can promote social justice or injustice.
In an affluent culture that suggests that what we have defines who we are, we
can live more simply. When we purchase goods and services, we can choose to
support companies that defend human life, treat workers fairly, protect
creation and respect other basic moral values at home and abroad. We can also
make conscious efforts to consume less.
All human beings have unique talents, gifts from God that we are
called to develop and share. We should celebrate this diversity. People who use
their skills and expertise for the common good, the service of others and the
protection of creation are good stewards of the gifts they have been given.
When we labor with honesty, serve those in need, work for justice and
contribute to charity, we use our talents to show our love -- and Gods
love -- for our brothers and sisters.
As citizens in the worlds leading democracy, Catholics in
the United States have special responsibilities to protect human life and
dignity, to stand with those who are poor and vulnerable. We are also called to
welcome the stranger, to combat discrimination and to pursue peace. Catholic
social teaching calls us to practice civic virtues and offers us principles to
shape participation in public life. We cannot be indifferent to or cynical
about the obligations of citizenship. Our political choices should not reflect
simply our own interests, partisan preferences or ideological agendas but
should be shaped by the principles of our faith and our commitment to justice,
especially to the weak and vulnerable. The voices and votes of lay Catholics
are needed to shape a society with greater respect for human life, economic and
environmental justice, cultural diversity and global solidarity. Catholic
involvement in public life and legislative advocacy are important ways to
exercise responsible citizenship. Participation in politics is a worthy
vocation and a public trust. Believers who serve in public office have unique
responsibilities and opportunities to stand up for human life and dignity, to
pursue justice and peace, and to advance the common good by the policies,
priorities and programs they support or oppose.
Supporting the Salt of the
Earth
Church statements, structures and initiatives are important for
Catholic formation and action. Social ministry programs and structures provide
valuable opportunities for believers to learn to act on the justice demands of
their faith. Church social ministry efforts should encourage and complement the
vital roles of believers in family, economic and public life. However, there is
simply no substitute for Catholic men and women carrying their faith into the
world. Everyday discipleship for justice and the churchs organized social
ministry can reinforce one another and help shape a more just society and a
more peaceful world. We hope these reflections can serve as an opportunity for
increased dialogue on the demands of discipleship in our time.
Parishes are essential sources of support and encouragement for
Christian discipleship. At their best, parishes help believers prepare and go
forth to live the gospel in everything we do. The Sunday liturgy sends us forth
to renew the earth and build up Gods kingdom of justice and peace. We
encourage our pastors and preachers to listen to their parishioners on the
challenges of their daily lives and help bring the insight of the gospel and
the principles of Catholic teaching to these experiences. We affirm prayer and
worship that help believers apply the gospel to everyday situations. Across the
country, there are examples of Catholic men and women gathering in small groups
to examine the moral dimensions of their lives and work. They can enlarge their
vision beyond the immediate and the individual experience when they are enabled
to examine the structures and processes that shape social life. Catholic
schools and religious education programs provide important lessons about living
a life of justice and compassion and promoting participation in civic life.
Many parishes participate in legislative networks and community organizing
projects that involve parishioners in working for justice. And in thousands of
other parishes, social ministry efforts provide valuable opportunities to help
believers make choices about our time, money and talents that reflect the
justice demands of the gospel. These parishes are convinced that the mystery of
Jesus life, death and resurrection unfolds within human life.
We applaud these efforts and urge our parishes to do even more.
Our culture often suggests that religion is a private matter, to be tolerated
as long as it is detached from our lives as workers and citizens. Catholic men
and women look to our parishes to find the support, tools and concrete help
they need to resist this tendency and instead proclaim Christs love,
justice and peace in everything they do.
The measure of the churchs organized social ministry is not
simply the teaching shared, the services offered or the actions taken but also
the support and challenge provided for men and women as they seek to live the
gospel in the world. Our community of faith needs to share its social teaching
more clearly and comprehensively so that its principles can help shape the
choices and actions of Catholics. Catholics also need to learn and further
explore the links between faith and life, between theology and ethics, between
what we believe and how we act every day. Catholics need to support one another
as we take up these difficult tasks, helping each other to have the courage of
our convictions, to stand up for what we believe and to practice in our own
lives what the scriptures proclaim. As we approach the year 2000, our
conference is promoting a Jubilee Pledge for Charity, Justice and Peace as one
concrete way for believers to commit to renewed prayer, reflection, service and
action in preparation for the third Christian millennium.
Conclusion
The word of God calls believers to become the salt of the
earth, the light of the world. The pope and the bishops are called to
teach and to lead, but unless the churchs social teaching finds a home in
the hearts and lives of Catholic women and men, our community and culture will
fall short of what the gospel requires. Our society urgently needs the everyday
witness of Christians who take the social demands of our faith seriously. The
pursuit of justice is an essential part of the Catholic call to holiness, which
is our true vocation: to live in Christ and to let Christ live and
work in our world today.
Christian faith requires conversion; it changes who we are, what
we do and how we think. The gospel offers good news and guidance
not just for our spiritual lives but for all the commitments and duties that
make up our lives. Living our faith in the ordinary tasks of everyday life is
an essential part of what it means to be holy today.
As the third Christian millennium approaches, the call to live our
faith in everyday choices and actions remains at the heart of what it means to
be a disciple of Jesus. This call takes on renewed urgency as we approach the
great jubilee, but it is not new. The task of disciples today was probably best
and most simply expressed in the words of the prophet Micah:
He has told you, O mortal, what is good; and what does the Lord
require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk
humbly with your God?
National Catholic Reporter, December 11,
1998
|