Economic Justice for All

November 16 marks the 22nd anniversary of the U.S. Bishops’ pastoral letter, "Economic Justice for All." The pastoral statement (and its 10th anniversary follow-up, plus a framework of ten Catholic principles on economic justice) can be found at www.seattlearch.org/missions . Below are quotes from the pastoral.

For each day of the week, reflect on a different quote from the document. How does it apply to your life and to the world today? How are you called to respond?

Monday: “Our faith is not just a weekend obligation, a mystery to be celebrated around the altar on Sunday. It is a pervasive reality to be practiced every day in homes, offices, factories, schools, and businesses across our land. We cannot separate what we believe from how we act in the marketplace and the broader community, for this is where we make our primary contribution to the pursuit of economic justice.” (#25)

Tuesday: “The life and words of Jesus and the teaching of his Church call us to serve those in need and to work actively for social and economic justice. As a community of believers, we know that our faith is tested by the quality of justice among us, that we can best measure our life together by how the poor and the vulnerable are treated.” (#8)

Wednesday: “[D]oes our economic system place more emphasis on maximizing profits than on meeting human needs and fostering human dignity? Does our economy distribute its benefits equitably or does it concentrate power and resources in the hands of a few? Does it promote excessive materialism and individualism? Does it adequately protect the environment and the nation’s natural resources? Does it direct too many scarce resources to military purposes?” (#132)

Thursday: “We believe the person is sacred—the clearest reflection of God among us. Human dignity comes from God, not from nationality, race, sex, economic status, or any human accomplishment. We judge any economic system by what it does for and to people and by how it permits all to participate in it. The economy should serve people, not the other way around.” (#13)

Friday: “The transformation of social structures begins with and is always accompanied by a conversion of the heart. As disciples of Christ each of us is called to a deep personal conversion and to ‘action on behalf of justice and participation in the transformation of the world.’ By faith and baptism we are fashioned into a ‘new creature; we are filled with the Holy Spirit and a new love that compels us to seek out a new profound relationship with God, with the human family, and with all created things. (#328)

Saturday: “The pursuit of economic justice takes believers into the public arena, testing the policies of government by the principles of our teaching. We ask you to become more informed and active citizens. . . .to advance the common good. We are called to shape a constituency of conscience, measuring every policy by how it touches the least, the lost, and the left-out among us.” (#27)

Sunday: “To worship and pray to the God of the universe is to acknowledge that the healing love of God extends to all persons and to every part of existence, including work, leisure, money, economic and political power and their use, and to all those practical policies that either lead to justice or impede it. Therefore, when Christians come together in prayer, they make a commitment to carry God’s love into all these areas of life.” (#329)

The above is excerpted and adapted from Center of Concern, at www.educationforjustice.org .

The following are resources on economic justice;

The Catholic Campaign for Human Development- www.usccb.org/cchd  (go to Education link): High school: Ending Poverty In Community(EPIC): A Toolkit for Young Advocates is an interactive, interdisciplinary curriculum for youth ministry programs and high school classrooms.

Also see the CCHD’s www.povertyusa.org , in English and Spanish, for a “poverty USA tour ”, quiz, and other resources.

The Missions Office / Catholic Campaign for Human Development, Archdiocese of Seattle. www.seattlearch.org/missions