 Over seven weeks, members of the Tobar Mhuire Team reflect
on the principles of the Catholic Social Teaching; Solidarity, Human Rights, Dignity of Human Life, Call to Family & Community, Dignity & Rights of Work, Preferential Option for the Poor, and Care for Creation. Passionist Student, Frank Trias offers the following reflection on Right to Work. “For the worker deserves their Wages” Luke 10:7 Feeling short-changed? Feel your effort is neither appreciated nor reflected in the reward you are given despite your hard work? If so, you are not alone in feeling this way. Catholic Social Teaching has long been an advocate for human rights and in particular for workers’ rights. Take Dorothy Day and the still active Catholic Workers movement for inspiration. However it seems that during the gloom of the economic depression we are constantly being reminded of, in the media and by well-paid politicians, a new modern challenge has emerged. On these shores everyone has the right to work, legal citizens anyway, but the challenge is finding work. The lack of opportunity married with tough economic times has bred a new kind of social injustice. Many who are lucky enough to have employment will still be living below the bread-line and struggling to get by. It is clear that the national minimum wage has nowhere near matched the rise in inflation over the past decade. Job shortage has led to fierce competition amongst job-seekers with many being left behind and those fortunate enough to work taking any scraps thrown to them by opportunistic employers. For many families this means parents, sometimes single, having to take on two or maybe three jobs to survive .The rot has set in and the degradation of community and family life continues to alienate humanity from itself in the materialistic western culture. However rather than jump on the already overflowing bandwagon of prophets of doom out there (it is easy to point the finger), let us take Psalm 139 as inspiration “for even darkness is like light to you”. For with every injustice comes an opportunity for action. One shining light amongst this current injustice is the ‘Living Wage Foundation’. As this is a short piece I will simply highlight their aim - to challenge people, employers and employees, to look at the reality of the national minimum wage in comparison with what is considered a national living wage. Many organizations have already signed up and are proud to flash their badge as ‘living wage employers’ and not merely minimum (slave) wage employers. The foundation is also empowering individuals by educating them with the facts about employment rather than beat them down with petty gratitude. The ‘Living Wage Foundation’ came about through the initiative of localized community groups on the margins. I was unsurprised to learn that amongst them were religious groups. My own encounter with the foundation came in the shape of an exuberant group of Catholic school girls (some of whom weren’t even old enough to work!) doing great street work in promoting the cause. The idea of a fair wage is not something new, like much of Catholic Social Teaching it is often hidden like a precious pearl in an oyster on the bottom of the sea bed of Catholic doctrine. However back in 1981 the colossal figure and advocate of human rights, the late John Paul II, was already promoting not only a living wage but a family wage in his letter on the dignity of human work Laborem Exercens. Predicting the signs of the times he saw that an individual not only needs to support themselves but also a family if they want to remain stable. Many leading politicians have already backed the living wage in London. However words need action and it is time the government took steps in making the living wage, and who knows maybe even a family wage, the new national minimum. So if you are falling on hard times and you feel there is a little more your employer or local MP could do to contribute then why not get informed? Rally some support and, without anarchy or uprising, state your case for a living wage because as Scripture says “for the worker deserves their wages” Luke 10:7 Resources: Living Wage Foundation: http://www.livingwage.org.uk/home Catholic Worker London: http://londoncatholicworker.org/ Laborem Exercens (In English): http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/john_paul_ii/encyclicals/documents/hf_jp-ii_enc_14091981_laborem-exercens_en.html Catholic Social Teaching UK: Life and Work http://www.catholicsocialteaching.org.uk/themes/life-work/
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 Over seven weeks, members of the Tobar Mhuire Team reflect
on the principles of the Catholic Social Teaching; Solidarity, Human Rights, Dignity of Human Life, Call to Family & Community, Dignity & Rights of Work, Preferential Option for the Poor, and Care for Creation. International Volunteer, Kate Balmforth offers the following reflection on Care for Creation. Sorry this post is a few days late, folks-Tobar Mhuire was bustling this week! Passionist Student, Frank Trias will offer a reflection, as regularly scheduled, this Wednesday! Care for creation is the foundational Social Teaching for Christians. It is the first commandment of God and it is why we were created. “The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and care for it.”[1] It encompasses all other Christian teachings. Love and obedience to God, Love of neighbor, Love of Enemy and Love of Self, the Right to Life, Right to be Human, Right to Work, Call for Solidarity, Care for the Poor and more, all begin and end with the commandment to care for what is created by God. And yet, it is rarely given more attention than a bulletin board display in the back of a church hall, on the Sunday before or after Earth Day. I could go into detail on the ways that we daily fail to fully live into this commandment but a quick internet search will identify hundreds of modern prophets who better articulate the changes we need to make. We need to change so we can sustain and we need to change soon. But rather than rehash the reasons I should be recycling more, I want to suggest that caring for creation needs to be integrated into our every action. Caring for creation need to be as natural and enjoyable as breathing fresh air. And we need to realize that what we do and what we fail to do for the environment has consequences for our relationship with God. How much simpler would our lives be if every day we woke up with the singular commitment to follow the divine call to care for creation? How much closer would we be to bringing about the reign of God? I suspect that we are quick to forget about our fundamental purpose because it is almost too huge to wrap our brains around. We feel the need to compartmentalize creation, to set priorities. At some level that may be a helpful mechanism but we’ve gotten out of balance. We’ve allowed the mechanism to become the rule. The good news is, that with a little practice!, we can rebalance. And this is the best time of year to reflect on our fundamental purpose on earth, to care for creation. The days are getting longer and warmer. Starting tomorrow, I’ll walk more and drive less. I’ll put away the processed colas and drink more water, and I’ll embrace my friends, family and neighbors like the unique creations of God that they are. And I'll begin each day with this helpful prayer by Jennie Frost Butler. Infinite Spirit, when I pray each day for shelter for the homeless, let me not ignore the pet without a home; As I ask for protection for those in areas of turmoil and unrest, let me not forget endangered species of life; When I pray that the hungry be fed, let me be mindful that all God’s creatures have need of sustenance; As I ask Divine assistance for those afflicted by fire, flood, earthquake, storm or drought, let me remember that this includes every living thing; In seeking miracle cures for human disease, may I also speak for the well-being of the planet itself. Let the words of my mouth, the meditations of my heart and the actions of my life be as one, that I may live each day in harmony With Mother Earth. Amen. [1] Genesis 2:15 Over seven weeks, members of the Tobar Mhuire Team reflect on the principles of the Catholic Social Teaching; Solidarity, Human Rights, Dignity of Human Life, Call to Family & Community, Dignity & Rights of Work, Preferential Option for the Poor, and Care for Creation.
Management Team Volunteer, Kieran Hill offers the following reflection on Family. 'The human person is not only sacred but social. We realize our dignity and rights in relationship with others, in community. No community is more central than the family; it needs to be supported and strengthened, not undermined. It is the basic cell of society and the state has an obligation to support the family. What happens in the family is at the basis of a truly human social life'. (Sharing Catholic Social Teaching, U.S. Catholic Bishops, 1999) This summary statement by the United States Catholic Bishops relating to Family, Community and wider Participation, despite its brevity, contains fundamental principles relevant to human existence which have been distilled from the Gospels and presented within the God-given wisdom acquired within the Church. It is only possible within this short article to make some short but hopefully important observations. Much has been written about the family from sociological, psychological and social-psychological viewpoints, linking healthy outcomes at personal, family, community and societal levels to positive family relationships and experiences especially where love, caring, respect and dignity of each person are valued. The learning and experiences of growing up in a family stay with us into adult life. There are many pressures on modern family life in societies which promote individual achievement and competition and where values can both contradict and seriously challenge the relevance and influence of Christian beliefs and practices. What can happen on an individual level can impact what happens at family, community and societal level. The social dimension to family life requires effort to maintain positive social relations. Time taken to communicate, interact and have shared experiences, including those afforded through mealtimes, is time well invested. It is through this social interaction that much is passed on to the next generation and is carried out into the local parishes schools and communities and to society as a whole. I wish to comment on two key elements that underpin the social dimension from a Catholic Social Teaching viewpoint. Love and faith. Discreet but very much interconnected, these are the elements that influence and are influenced by our social relationships. The writer and contemplative priest Thomas Merton has shared some insights into these two concepts which I suggest is helpful to briefly comment on here. Merton puts it this way: Love comes out of God and gathers us to God …So we all become doors and windows through which God shines back into His own house.* This is a beautiful image of a connection between God's House and our family home. Both as members and the family as a single identity have 'doors and windows' through which we receive, share and return Love back to God's 'House'. For Merton: The root of Christian Love is not the will to love, but the faith that one is loved...loved by God.** In other words having faith that God is love and loves us is a source of great strength in family life, especially when times get tough. Several years ago, my daughter became ill and she required an operation both to treat and to make a diagnosis. This was a very stressful and worrying time for all members of my family, not least my daughter. My faith turned me to pray to God. At that time I would have emphasised the importance of my faith. Looking at the situation again, it was God's love that turned me in the direction of prayer, connecting to whatever faith I had in God's love for me and my family. God's love did shine in through our 'doors and windows' and in the light of a very successful outcome for my daughter, was shared within the family and beyond, and hopefully all returned stronger back to God's House. Taking time to reflect on love and faith, and how these are experienced and passed on in the social relations of family life can help build a more solid foundation upon which Catholic Social Teaching in this area can be better understood, received and put into practice. *Merton, New Seeds of Contemplation, p. 67, 2007. **Ibid., p.75. Over seven weeks, members of the Tobar Mhuire Team reflect on the principles of the Catholic Social Teaching; Solidarity, Human Rights, Dignity of Human Life, Call to Family & Community, Dignity & Rights of Work, Preferential Option for the Poor, and Care for Creation.
Passionist Student, Gareth Thomas offers the following reflection on Solidarity. A wise man (not one of three wise men that came to see Jesus), once told me that the difference between solidarity and care for the poor can be put in this way: A man is told that two streets away a man that he has met and chatted to from time to time is trapped in a house fire to which this man replies “oh poor chap, I’ll say a little prayer for him.” On another occasion this same man is told that two streets away his eldest daughter is trapped in a house fire, what does he do this time? Immediately he runs to rescue his daughter! Maybe the right thing is always to do both, to pray and to act, but to be in solidarity with the poor is to be intimately concerned and involved with our brothers and sisters to the point that our love for those who are suffering brings forth action in each and every one of us. One of the most powerful examples in the Gospels of love of neighbour is the parable of the Good Samaritan. It is interesting however that as much love as the Good Samaritan shows, it is simply a charitable act that is shown, the Good Samaritan does not himself look after the man but entrusts his care to others. Neither does the Good Samaritan later check, we are told, if the man is ok, he goes on about his own business, this is not what Jesus in God does with us, this is not what solidarity with the poor means, this is not what Christians are called to do, Christians are called to go beyond these simple efforts if they are in good health, good wealth, and are able to do so. Over seven weeks, members of the Tobar Mhuire Team reflect on the principles of the Catholic Social Teaching; Solidarity, Human Rights,
Dignity of Human Life, Call to Family & Community, Dignity & Rights of Work, Preferential Option for the Poor, and Care for Creation. To be honest, as popular as service trips and immersion experiences are in the United States, I have never been one. Until two years ago, I never volunteered in either my local or global community. I took a class on Catholic Social Teaching as an undergraduate student. Of course I agreed with themes and principles that were taught in class, but I left the learning in the classroom. When I went to Boston College to study Theology, despite the world renowned ethics professors, I had no serious interest in taking any of their classes. My whole faith experience was based on me and Jesus. And all of a sudden, that changed. I moved. I actually moved six houses down the street and my world changed forever. I move in with five amazing people, people who were dedicated to advocating for equality, for women’s rights, for the end of domestic violence, and for the poor and marginalized both in Boston and the developing world. I had the honour of living and learning from a community committed to justice and I have become a better person because of it. I learned that my family is bigger than my mom, dad, sister and brother. I learned that my community is bigger than my friends, colleagues, and professors. I saw the face of Jesus in my house mates. Their commitment to loving their neighbor, no matter his or her race, gender, occupation, education level, socio-economic position, or sexual orientation, was a powerful reminder to me who Jesus Christ was. He was one to dine with the sinner, reach out and touch the sick, and built relationships with those most marginalized in his society. It was Jesus who said, “Whatever you do to the least of my people, that you do unto me.”In my case, it was “whatever you DIDN’T do for the least of my people, that you DIDN’T do unto to me.” I soon began to realize my faith compels me to do something. The big question becomes, what can I do? How do I begin this task of advocating and promoting justice? The answer came to me in the form of Catholic Social Teaching. What is Catholic Social Teaching? It is the comprehensive teaching of the Catholic Church, informed by the Gospels and the lived experiences of Christians, on social, political, and economic issues. Popes have written encyclicals, bishops have created statements, and theologians have decided their lives to exploring, nuancing, updating, and reflecting upon Catholic Social Teaching. Catholic Social Teaching gives us concrete steps for putting our faith into action. CST gives us seven different themes that help shape our actions. · Life and Dignity of the Human Person · Call to Family, Community, and Participation · Rights and Responsibilities · Option for the Poor and Vulnerable · Dignity of Work and the Rights of Workers · Solidarity · Care for Creation For the next seven weeks, a different team member is going to be reflecting on one of these themes. The hope is that we will both learning more about each theme and be inspired to incorporate the themes into our lives. The key is to start small. I challenge you to find one practical and concrete way you can express each week’s theme in your everyday life. Just one thing. But if we all do one thing, think of the difference we will make! Cheryl Rice, International Volunteer |
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