The Work of Social Justice

For religion to be relevant in the world, it cannot simply stand on the sidelines of world events, but must be willing to make a stand for the truth. Members of some religions may disagree with me, but as a Catholic, my religion demands involvement in the work of social justice and human dignity. This is missionary work that carries weight. Spreading the gospel through word is only as good as our deeds. “Be doers of the word, and not merely hearers.” (James 1:22). “What good is it if you say you have faith but do not have works? Show me your faith apart from your works, and I by my works will show you my faith.” (James 2:14, 18) Without action to go along with our belief, religion is vain. Catholic teaching speaks of “taking part in salvation history,” meaning that through the practice of our religion we actively work to bring humanity toward the fulfillment of God’s kingdom.

If we are created by God and through his love given all the gifts of the world, and if Jesus is the living incarnation of God on earth, loving us enough to bear our suffering on the cross, then that knowledge carries a consequence. We must follow his commandments and example. Jesus said to love your neighbor as yourself (Luke 10:28). If we love our neighbor, we cannot stand by when injustice is done.

Building on the knowledge that all men and women are made in the image of God, The Catholic Church maintains the rights to the basic dignity of all human persons, the defense of which, Pope John Paul II states, has been entrusted to us by the Creator, and to which the men and women of every age are responsible. (Sollicitudo rei Socialis, 47) The Second Vatican Council declared it the individual Christian’s “inescapable duty to make ourselves the neighbor of every man, no matter who he is, and if we meet him, to come to his aid in a positive way.” (Gaudium et Spes, 27) The right of everyone is affirmed to have life and the basic means necessary for living it in a dignified way. The reason why the rich man’s turning of a blind eye toward Lazarus (Luke 9) was so reprehensible was not only for the rich man’s greed, but because he denied Lazarus the ability to achieve the basic dignity which was owed him. (ibid)

We are made in the image of God. Following this truth through to its logical conclusion, we discover an obligation toward charity. If the most marginalized human being was made in the image of God, then I must help that person in their time of need. If I fail to do so, Christ may rightly say to me “I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not give me clothing, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.” (Matt. 25: 42-43) What presumption on our part, not to aid one who bears the image of God!

Jesus’ commandment of doing good to our neighbor comes from a call to love. Catholic teaching lays an additional responsibility upon us by making this call also purely out of justice. It is just that all humans be given their basic rights. Of course love is the higher calling, but where love is lacking, justice can still be achieved.

What forms does our call to work for social justice take? The most urgent areas are to help mitigate the suffering caused by poverty, malnutrition, disaster and disease. The suffering of humanity—the bearers of God’s image—is the suffering of Christ, etiam pro nobis. Helping those in need is not optional for the Christian. The blind eye we turn is an eye we turn away from God. If we, with our many blessings do not help the needy, who will help us when we are in need? Our selfishness will seal our doom. But by living with unselfishness, generously coming to the help of those in need we may share in the beautiful vision of St. Martin of Tours, who after giving half his cloak to a beggar at the gates of Amiens, saw Jesus that night in a dream wearing the same cloak, saying, “I was naked, and you clothed me.” (S. Severus, Vita Sancti Martini 3) We all share the image of God; it is for the good of all that we bear each other up. If the beggar across the street is the image of God, I must go to him and offer what compassion I can. Whenever we give compassion to another human, we are showing compassion to God.

Additionally, the Christian must work for peace in the world, opposing war, and all forms of violence. Throughout Christian history, and still today, wars are defended as necessary in the name of justice. So much has been made of the “just war” doctrine, which in certain extreme cases permits the use of arms in defense against an aggressor. Recall that this originated from St. Augustine as the city of Hippo faced an imminent siege. Throughout the rest of his writings, Augustine vehemently opposed the use of force or arms. The fact that this allowance, made out of extreme self-preservation, was used to justify the crusades, and is still used to defend modern wars is an abomination. The guidance must still be Jesus’ commands to “turn the other cheek,” (Matt. 5:39) and even in a case when according to the “just war” doctrine it would have been acceptable to defend oneself, Jesus still told Peter to “put your sword back into its sheath.” (John 18:11) Even in stating the just war doctrine, the Church makes certain to affirm its “clear duty to spare no effort in order to work for the moment when all war will be completely outlawed… The Church intends to propose to our age over and over again, in season and out of season, the apostle’s message: Behold, now is an acceptable time for a change of heart; behold, now is the day of salvation. (II Cor. 6:2)” (Gaudium et Spes, 82)

If we are to work for the greater good of humanity through peace and charity, then it naturally follows that we make it our duty to work for the good of the world itself, being the good stewards of the environment we live in, which was demanded of mankind from the very beginning. The same selfishness which causes us to spurn charity as we live well and humanity starves at our feet, also prompts our indiscriminate consumption of resources at the expense of the world’s future.

Social justice further demands that we fight for human equality. Within justice and charity there is no room for racism, sexism, or discrimination of any kind. Love abhors such vileness! The concept of a “chosen people,” still maintained by Jews and Muslims today, is ridiculous if you believe that all were created in God’s image. In Radhakrishnan’s words, “such an exclusive absolutism is inconsistent with an all-loving universal God. It is not fair to God or man to assume that one people are the chosen of God.” (“The Hindu View of Life,” chap. 2) The “chosen people phrase has not been officially proclaimed by Christians, but it has certainly colored Christianity throughout the ages. White Europeans, and by extension, white Americans have persecuted Jews, warred against Arabs, and slaughtered people of all other races in the name of Christianity. To use religion as an excuse for racism negates any goodness in the god claimed to be believed in.

A people are chosen if they choose God. Abraham, the patriarch of all three mono-theistic religions, first chose to have a personal relationship with his Creator, and thus his descendents could become the chosen people. Israeli scientist Gerald Schroeder describes the “chosen people” status of the Israelites in his usual scientific terminology, as a control group, through whom God provided the covenant and the law upon which so much of world culture and religion has been built. It is not that the Jewish people are intrinsically better than anyone else, but by being first to choose one God, God chose them to work through. (“The Science of God,” chap. 5) We all have the opportunity to make this same choice.

Likewise to force women into lesser roles, both in society and the church, runs counter to a creed based on love. God did not create man in his image, but humankind. Just because man has throughout history forced women into submissive roles through his superior strength, does not mean that God has ordained such. Many wickednesses have been with us since the dawn of man. We do not say they were ordained by God. Why should man’s dominance over woman be different? It is true that men and women have different strengths and weaknesses, and are better suited to certain roles. But this is no judgement on the importance of each role. When Jesus was teaching at the home of Mary and Martha, Mary sat at his feet learning. Her sister Martha tried to call her away to complete her role as hostess. Martha was essentially saying that the teachings of spirituality should be left to the men, while the women served them. But Jesus said “Mary has chosen the better part, which will not be taken away from her.” (Luke 10:41). Jesus was not condemning Martha’s efforts of service, but vigorously condemning the claim that spiritual participation and the learning of scripture are restricted to men. Mary is afforded the same place in the spiritual company of Jesus as his male disciples. Despite Jesus’ words, Christians have been “taking the better part away from her,” ever since. Like Martha, women in Christianity have been given the servant’s role, while the men maintain their authority and priestly order alone.

Far from condemning Martha’s serving role, Jesus later said “Whoever wants to be first must be servant of all.” (Mark 9:35). The women who have been kept out of the Christian hierarchy will be rewarded for their service, while the men who excluded them will be forced to answer for their bigotry.

As the practicers of a religious creed, we must never lose sight of our duty to work for justice, dignity, peace, and equality. The Dalai Lama rightly describes religion as the medicine which cures human suffering (Spiritual Advice for Buddhists & Christians, chap 1.) It is the accountability that religion gives its practitioners that spur them to bring this medicine, in the form of charity, to the poor and marginalized of the world.

Love is a labor without end. It must be given to all, no matter how difficult those people are to give it to, or how much our self-righteousness tries to separate us from them. The more you learn to act with compassion, the more need for it you discover. Sometimes the world’s despair, and the rifts in humanity, seems too much to heal by one person’s act of love, but it is not too much. You are lighting the first candle and the flame will spread. Love is contagious. Don’t be discouraged because your offer of love seems small. The only way the world can ever change is one person at a time.