Social Justice
TextsCatechism of the Catholic Church - "Society ensures social justice when it provides the conditions that allow associations or individuals to obtain what is their due, according to their nature and their vocation. Social justice is linked to the common good and the exercise of authority. (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1928)
“I ask you, how can God’s love survive in a man who has enough of this world’s goods yet closes his heart to his brother when he sees him in need?” (1 Jn. 3:17). “Love implies an absolute demand for justice, namely a recognition of the dignity and rights of one’s neighbor.” (Justice in the World, Synod of Bishops) “It is agreed that in our time, the common good is chiefly guaranteed when personal rights and duties are maintained.” (Pacem in Terris, Pope John XXIII) “No one is justified in keeping for his exclusive use what he does not need, when others lack necessities.” (Populorum Progressio, 23) “The members of mankind share the same basic rights and duties, as well as the same supernatural destiny. Within a country which belongs to each one, all should be equal before the law, find equal admittance to economic, cultural, civic and social life – and benefit from a fair sharing of the nation’s riches.” (Call to Action, Apostolic Letter of Pope Paul VI) Students Activity on Social Justice Exposition/Discussion 1. Dictionary Definition of Justice: a.) the maintenance or administration of what is just especially by the impartial adjustment of conflicting claims or the assignment of merited rewards or punishments; judge; the administration of law; especially: the establishment or determination of rights according to the rules of law or equity. b.) the quality of being just, impartial, or fair; (1): the principle or ideal of just dealing or right action; (2): conformity to this principle or ideal: righteousness; the quality of conforming to law. c.) conformity to truth, fact, or reason: correctness. 2. Catechism of the Catholic Church Definition: JUSTICEis the moral virtue that consists in the constant and firm will to give their due to God and neighbor. Justice toward God is called the "virtue of religion." Justice toward (others) disposes one to respect the rights of each and to establish in human relationships the harmony that promotes equity with regard to persons and to the common good. Just (persons), often mentioned in the Sacred Scriptures, are distinguished by habitual right thinking and the uprightness of their conduct toward their neighbors. (From the Catechism of the Catholic Church #1807) 3. Justice in the Bible: (summarized from the book of Vitaliano R. Gorospe, SJ. entitled Forming the Filipino Social Conscience) Background: Our Christian faith begins with Abraham (1800-1700 BC) - Gen. 22:17 On Mt. Sinai, two significant historical events took place - the covenant or the loving relationship between Yahweh and his chosen people (Ex. 19:5); and the Decalogue (Ex. 20; Deut. 5) Two principles of social justice practiced by the Israelites as nomadic people (wandering in the desert who had no permanent homes or landed property): interdependence and communitarian sharing. When they settled in Canaan, Joshua divided the land among the 12 tribes. There was no private property. Land was held in stewardship from Yahweh by the community. (Lev. 25:23) After they settled in Canaan, their ideal of social justice deteriorated due to the corrupting influence of the Canaanites who owned private property. Soon they became a society of the rich and the poor. Response of the Bible to the situation (poverty and injustice) at that time was 3-fold: legislative (the Torah or Law), prophetic, an the wisdom books - corresponding to the 3 divisions of the OT books. Old Testament: Justice in Hebrew word is "mishpath"/"sedakah" which consists in a relationship between two parties and the just man is one who measures up to the particular claims which this relationship demands. Prophet Amos compares justice to water because without water the soil is barren. Without water life is not possible. He also compares justice to an "unfailing" stream because justice shoud be habitual all throughout life. Amos 2:6-8; 4:1-3;5:10-15; 21-24; 6:4-7; 8:4-6 Isaiah 1:11-17; 3:12-15; 16-24; 58: 3-12 Jeremiah 22: 3, 13, 16, 17 During the Intertestamental period (between the old and new testaments), the social justice of the prophets became radically changed and became individualized (Tobit 4: 3-20), eschatological (Sirach or Ecclesiasticus 16: 11-14) and stressed almsgiving (Tobit 12: 8-9) New Testament: The 4 gospels give us the life of Christ: Matthew's Gospel: It emphasizes God's justice as tempered by his mercy; It emphasizes God's justice that reaches out to the marginalized who are the object of Christ's just and forgiving love. We should forgive others if we expect God to forgive us. Luke's Gospel: The "social gospel of the poor" which shows special concern for the literally poor (anawim) in contrast to Matthew's "poor in spirit" Good Samaritan (10:23-37) has been understood as pointing to everyone including our enemies as our neighbor to whom we owe justice and love. Condemned wealth per se as evil: it becomes evil when it dominates the possessor, when one becomes a slave of wealth; and when it becomes a source of dominating power over others. However he made two exceptions: 5:28 (Levi)' 19:1-10 (Zaccheus) His rich man poor man stories: Rich fool (12:16-21); Lazarus (16:19-31); and rich young man (18:18-30) 4. Writings of Pope John Paul II on Justice: a. On HUMAN WORK (Laborem Exercens, 1981) "Commitment to justice must be closely linked with commitment to peace in the modern world" (Sec. 2) "The disproportionate distribution of wealth and poverty and the existence of some countries and continents that are developed and of others that are not call for a levelling out and for a search for ways to ensure just development for all." (Sec. 2) "The Church is firmly committed to remedy the condition of the poor in accordance with justice, 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." (Sec. 8) "Life is built up every day from work, from work it derives its specific dignity, but at the same time work contains the unceasing measure of human toil and suffering, and also of the harm and injustice which penetrate deeply into social life within individual nations and on the international level." (Sec. 1) "The call to solidarity and common action addressed to the workers ... was the reaction against the degradation of the human person as the subject of work, and against the unheard-of accompanying exploitation in the field of wages, working conditions and social security for the worker..." (Sec. 8) "... there must be continued study of the subject of work and of the subject's living conditions. 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 of the workers and with the workers." (Sec. 8) "... 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 the human person in the production process, the primacy of the human person over things." (Sec. 12) "... the principle of the priority of labor over capital is a postulate of the order of social morality." (Sec. 15) "While work, in all its many senses, is an obligation, that is to say a duty, it is also a source of rights on the part of the worker. These rights must be examined in the broad context of human rights as a whole... Respect for this broad range of human rights constitutes the fundamental condition for peace in the modern world ... The human rights that flow from work are part of the broader context of those fundamental rights of the person." (Sec. 16) "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." (Sec. 19) "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." (Sec. 19) "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." (Sec. 19) |
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b. On Social Concern (Sollicitudo Rei Socialis, 1987)
"Development is the new name for Peace ... the demand for justice can only be satisfied on that level." (Sec. 10)
"... how can one justify the fact that huge sums of money, which could and should be used for increasing the development of peoples, are instead utilized for the enrichment of individuals or groups, or assigned to the increase of stockpiles of weapons, both in developed countries and in the developing ones ... If "development is the new name for peace," war and military preparations are the major enemy of the integral development of peoples. "(Sec. 10)
"Peace would be possible as the result of a more perfect justice among people." (Sec. 10)
"Among the specific signs of underdevelopment ... is the housing crisis (Sec. 17), the phenomenon of unemployment and underemployment (Sec. 18), and the international debt" (Sec. 19)
"Development is the new name for Peace ... the demand for justice can only be satisfied on that level." (Sec. 10)
"... how can one justify the fact that huge sums of money, which could and should be used for increasing the development of peoples, are instead utilized for the enrichment of individuals or groups, or assigned to the increase of stockpiles of weapons, both in developed countries and in the developing ones ... If "development is the new name for peace," war and military preparations are the major enemy of the integral development of peoples. "(Sec. 10)
"Peace would be possible as the result of a more perfect justice among people." (Sec. 10)
"Among the specific signs of underdevelopment ... is the housing crisis (Sec. 17), the phenomenon of unemployment and underemployment (Sec. 18), and the international debt" (Sec. 19)
c. On the 100th Anniversary of Rerum Novarum (Centisimus Annus, 1991)
"Justice will never be fully attained unless people see in the poor person, who is asking for help in order to survive, not an annoyance or a burden, but an opportunity for showing kindness and a chance for greater enrichment." (Sec. 58)
"... the social message of the Gospel must not be considered a theory, but above all else a basis and a motivation for action." (Sec. 57)
"Justice will never be fully attained unless people see in the poor person, who is asking for help in order to survive, not an annoyance or a burden, but an opportunity for showing kindness and a chance for greater enrichment." (Sec. 58)
"... the social message of the Gospel must not be considered a theory, but above all else a basis and a motivation for action." (Sec. 57)
5. Justice naturally flows from a respect for life. There are three kinds of justice: commutative, distributive and legal.
6. Commutative justice deals with fairness of exchange between individuals, social entities or between nations. Contracts are subject to commutative justice which regulates exchanges between persons and between institutions in accordance with a strict respect for their rights. Commutative justice obliges strictly; it requires safeguarding property rights, paying debts, and fulfilling obligations freely contracted. Without commutative justice, no other form of justice is possible. (From the Catechism of the Catholic Church #2411)
7. Distributive justice refers to fairness in sharing the goods of the world. More specifically, it deals with a fair distribution of goods and burdens to the citizens by the state representatives. Distributive justice is the virtue that regulates those actions which involve the rights that an individual may claim from society. According to distributive justice, the state has three basic duties: to distribute the common burdens and privileges equitably; to make it possible for each citizen to exercise natural and acquired rights without undue hindrance; to foster mutual relations among the citizens for living together peacefully. (from Fr. John Hardon's Modern Catholic Dictionary).
8. Legal justice governs the debts an individual owes to the social group in order to help build up the common good.
9. There needs to be a delicate balance between all three forms of justice. Unfortunately, in our society, we have tended to be overly concerned about commutative and legal justice to the detriment of distributive justice. For example, most of our court cases deal with suits between individuals or in regard to corporate relationships. This manifests a good emphasis on protecting individual liberty. Our society is also quite interested in stressing the obligations the individual has in regard to the state.
10. What has suffered in our society is a fair distribution of the goods to the poor and the powerless. There is something wrong when there is still such widespread poverty. On the international level, it is true that the rich get richer and the poor get poorer. This can only happen when distributive justice is forgotten.
11. As Catholics, we can be very proud of the teaching of our popes on the topic of social justice (or distributive justice) over the past several decades. They have spoken very loudly and clearly on the obligation all men and women have to see that God’s created goods are better distributed to all his creatures.
12. The Pope and Bishops have spoken often about the Christian’s obligation to respond to the neighbor in need. As members of Christ’s body entrusted with the mandate to teach, our leaders have been very concerned about the “least of these” referred to by Jesus in Matthew’s Gospel. Their teaching is an attempt to put into action the warning sounded by St. John: “I ask you, how can God’s love survive in a man who has enough of this world’s goods yet closes his heart to his brother when he sees him in need?” (1 Jn. 3:17).
13. The Church’s social teaching on Social Justice is quite exhaustive. Below are just a few sample quotes from the documents which show the basis for the Church’s concern for social justice.
a.)“Since all men possess a rational soul and are created in God’s likeness, since they have the same nature and origin, have been redeemed by Christ, and enjoy the same divine calling and destiny, the basic equality of all must receive increasingly greater recognition … Moreover, although rightful differences exist between men, the equal dignity of persons demands that a more humane and just condition of life be brought about. For excessive economic and social differences between members of the one human family or population groups cause scandal, and militate against social justice, equity, the dignity of the human person, as well as social and international peace.” (Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the Modern World, 29)
b.)“God intended the earth and all that it contains for the use of every human being and people. Thus, as all men follow justice and unite in charity, created goods should abound for them on a reasonable basis … For the rest, the right to have a share of earthly goods sufficient for oneself and one’s family belongs to everyone. The Fathers and Doctors of the Church held this view, teaching that men are obliged to come to the relief of the poor, and to do so not merely out of their superfluous goods. If a person is in extreme necessity, he has the right to take from others what he himself needs.” (Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the Modern World, 69)
c.)“Love implies an absolute demand for justice, namely a recognition of the dignity and rights of one’s neighbor.” (Justice in the World, Synod of Bishops)
d.)“It is agreed that in our time, the common good is chiefly guaranteed when personal rights and duties are maintained.” (Pacem in Terris, Pope John XXIII)
e.)“No one is justified in keeping for his exclusive use what he does not need, when others lack necessities.” (Populorum Progressio, 23)
f.)“The members of mankind share the same basic rights and duties, as well as the same supernatural destiny. Within a country which belongs to each one, all should be equal before the law, find equal admittance to economic, cultural, civic and social life – and benefit from a fair sharing of the nation’s riches.” (Call to Action, Apostolic Letter of Pope Paul VI)
14. Things that Everyone (particularly Christians) can do to foster social justice in the society. (These points are summarized from the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Labor Day Message of 1976)
a.) Understand the true meaning of the gospel message of justice. This calls for various Christian groups to study and act on specific injustices in light of the gospel.
b.) Modify our more affluent life-styles. Toning down our extravagant way of living will not by itself overcome the gross disparities among people. But it can renew our spirit and open our hearts to the plight of the poor in our midst.
c.) Listen to the victims of injustice in our own communities. By listening to the oppressed we can learn much more about the attitudes and structures that cause human suffering and what can be done about them.
d.) Speak out against injustice in our communities. As citizens, we have the duty to exercise our freedom and responsibility to speak out on specific issues. Unless our voices unite, those in power will not heed the cries of injustice.
e.) Participate in causes which help to overcome injustice. The goal is social justice. The means to this goal is political action.
f.) Provide help to poor and oppressed groups. As followers of Jesus, we have the responsibility not only to feed the hungry but to increase their power to change the causes of hunger.
6. Commutative justice deals with fairness of exchange between individuals, social entities or between nations. Contracts are subject to commutative justice which regulates exchanges between persons and between institutions in accordance with a strict respect for their rights. Commutative justice obliges strictly; it requires safeguarding property rights, paying debts, and fulfilling obligations freely contracted. Without commutative justice, no other form of justice is possible. (From the Catechism of the Catholic Church #2411)
7. Distributive justice refers to fairness in sharing the goods of the world. More specifically, it deals with a fair distribution of goods and burdens to the citizens by the state representatives. Distributive justice is the virtue that regulates those actions which involve the rights that an individual may claim from society. According to distributive justice, the state has three basic duties: to distribute the common burdens and privileges equitably; to make it possible for each citizen to exercise natural and acquired rights without undue hindrance; to foster mutual relations among the citizens for living together peacefully. (from Fr. John Hardon's Modern Catholic Dictionary).
8. Legal justice governs the debts an individual owes to the social group in order to help build up the common good.
9. There needs to be a delicate balance between all three forms of justice. Unfortunately, in our society, we have tended to be overly concerned about commutative and legal justice to the detriment of distributive justice. For example, most of our court cases deal with suits between individuals or in regard to corporate relationships. This manifests a good emphasis on protecting individual liberty. Our society is also quite interested in stressing the obligations the individual has in regard to the state.
10. What has suffered in our society is a fair distribution of the goods to the poor and the powerless. There is something wrong when there is still such widespread poverty. On the international level, it is true that the rich get richer and the poor get poorer. This can only happen when distributive justice is forgotten.
11. As Catholics, we can be very proud of the teaching of our popes on the topic of social justice (or distributive justice) over the past several decades. They have spoken very loudly and clearly on the obligation all men and women have to see that God’s created goods are better distributed to all his creatures.
12. The Pope and Bishops have spoken often about the Christian’s obligation to respond to the neighbor in need. As members of Christ’s body entrusted with the mandate to teach, our leaders have been very concerned about the “least of these” referred to by Jesus in Matthew’s Gospel. Their teaching is an attempt to put into action the warning sounded by St. John: “I ask you, how can God’s love survive in a man who has enough of this world’s goods yet closes his heart to his brother when he sees him in need?” (1 Jn. 3:17).
13. The Church’s social teaching on Social Justice is quite exhaustive. Below are just a few sample quotes from the documents which show the basis for the Church’s concern for social justice.
a.)“Since all men possess a rational soul and are created in God’s likeness, since they have the same nature and origin, have been redeemed by Christ, and enjoy the same divine calling and destiny, the basic equality of all must receive increasingly greater recognition … Moreover, although rightful differences exist between men, the equal dignity of persons demands that a more humane and just condition of life be brought about. For excessive economic and social differences between members of the one human family or population groups cause scandal, and militate against social justice, equity, the dignity of the human person, as well as social and international peace.” (Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the Modern World, 29)
b.)“God intended the earth and all that it contains for the use of every human being and people. Thus, as all men follow justice and unite in charity, created goods should abound for them on a reasonable basis … For the rest, the right to have a share of earthly goods sufficient for oneself and one’s family belongs to everyone. The Fathers and Doctors of the Church held this view, teaching that men are obliged to come to the relief of the poor, and to do so not merely out of their superfluous goods. If a person is in extreme necessity, he has the right to take from others what he himself needs.” (Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the Modern World, 69)
c.)“Love implies an absolute demand for justice, namely a recognition of the dignity and rights of one’s neighbor.” (Justice in the World, Synod of Bishops)
d.)“It is agreed that in our time, the common good is chiefly guaranteed when personal rights and duties are maintained.” (Pacem in Terris, Pope John XXIII)
e.)“No one is justified in keeping for his exclusive use what he does not need, when others lack necessities.” (Populorum Progressio, 23)
f.)“The members of mankind share the same basic rights and duties, as well as the same supernatural destiny. Within a country which belongs to each one, all should be equal before the law, find equal admittance to economic, cultural, civic and social life – and benefit from a fair sharing of the nation’s riches.” (Call to Action, Apostolic Letter of Pope Paul VI)
14. Things that Everyone (particularly Christians) can do to foster social justice in the society. (These points are summarized from the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Labor Day Message of 1976)
a.) Understand the true meaning of the gospel message of justice. This calls for various Christian groups to study and act on specific injustices in light of the gospel.
b.) Modify our more affluent life-styles. Toning down our extravagant way of living will not by itself overcome the gross disparities among people. But it can renew our spirit and open our hearts to the plight of the poor in our midst.
c.) Listen to the victims of injustice in our own communities. By listening to the oppressed we can learn much more about the attitudes and structures that cause human suffering and what can be done about them.
d.) Speak out against injustice in our communities. As citizens, we have the duty to exercise our freedom and responsibility to speak out on specific issues. Unless our voices unite, those in power will not heed the cries of injustice.
e.) Participate in causes which help to overcome injustice. The goal is social justice. The means to this goal is political action.
f.) Provide help to poor and oppressed groups. As followers of Jesus, we have the responsibility not only to feed the hungry but to increase their power to change the causes of hunger.
Integration:
Doctrine:
“God intended the earth and all that it contains for the use of every human being and people. Thus, as all men follow justice and unite in charity ..."(Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the Modern World, 69)
Biblical idea of justice: Fidelity to the demands of the covenant relationship between Yahweh and his people.
Basis of God's Justice: based on love. It is the covenant or the intimate loving relaitonship between Yahweh and his chosen people. (Ex. 19:5)
Morals:
"Just Man" in the Bible: Faithful to Yahweh, to his neighbor, and to the land. One who loves God with all his heart and with all his soul an with all his strength (Deut. 6:5) and his neighbor as himself (Lev. 19:18). Job is the best example of a just individual in the OT. He was most faithful to Yahweh, to his neighbor, the widow, orphan, poor and stranger or alien, and to the land despite his innocent suffering. (Job 31)
God's justice is not vindictive or punitive; it is salvific. God punishes his people not because he is vindictive nor sadistic but because he loves them and wills their salvation. (Ps. 103)
The prophets had a twofold role: to denounce the social injustices of their times; and to announce the true meaning of religion as doing justice to the poor.
Biblical idea of justice: Fidelity to the demands of the covenant relationship between Yahweh and his people.
Basis of God's Justice: based on love. It is the covenant or the intimate loving relaitonship between Yahweh and his chosen people. (Ex. 19:5)
Morals:
"Just Man" in the Bible: Faithful to Yahweh, to his neighbor, and to the land. One who loves God with all his heart and with all his soul an with all his strength (Deut. 6:5) and his neighbor as himself (Lev. 19:18). Job is the best example of a just individual in the OT. He was most faithful to Yahweh, to his neighbor, the widow, orphan, poor and stranger or alien, and to the land despite his innocent suffering. (Job 31)
God's justice is not vindictive or punitive; it is salvific. God punishes his people not because he is vindictive nor sadistic but because he loves them and wills their salvation. (Ps. 103)
The prophets had a twofold role: to denounce the social injustices of their times; and to announce the true meaning of religion as doing justice to the poor.
Worship:
- Codes which describe the qualities of God's justice: Code of the Covenant (Ex. 21-23), the Deuteronomic Code (Deut. 12-26) and the Code of Holiness (Lev. 17-26)
- "Christ identified himself with his ‘least ones,’ as he stated: ’As you did it to one of the least of these … you did it to me’ – Mt. 25:40” (Justice in the World, no. 31)
- “Christian love of neighbor and justice cannot be separated” (Justice in the World, no. 34)