February 17, 2022

February 17, 2022 By

Rick Obst: Eugene Japanese American Art Memorial /flickr

All injustice requires satisfaction as a part of the process which reverses and heals the damage which it been done. This is true, not only on an individual basis, but communally as well Those who rightfully accuse society of wrongdoing, asking for and demanding reparations for injustices, have Jesus on their side, for Jesus was clear that all such debts must be paid in full:

Make friends quickly with your accuser, while you are going with him to court, lest your accuser hand you over to the judge, and the judge to the guard, and you be put in prison; truly, I say to you, you will never get out till you have paid the last penny (Matt. 5:25-26 RSV).

We might like to think we have no responsibility to those who have been harmed by our society because we believe that we have not contributed to their harm. However, if we have benefited from such injustices, from the system which was established upon and promoted such injustices, we are not so innocent; insomuch as we have benefited from systematic evils, we have incurred a debt which we must pay back due to those evils. Likewise, if we have not done our part to overturn systemic injustices, but instead, have defended the system as it is and the harm which it has caused, our accuser is right to point to us and demand that we contribute our part in the restitution which must be made for such evil to be healed. We cannot say: “The crimes were committed in the past and all who were responsible are dead.”  Even if those who are living today have not directly been involved with such evil, if they have benefited from it, or support the system which came out of it and incorporates it within it, they perpetuate the evil and so are at least partly responsible for its continuation. This is why God said that blame and responsibility for evils continue along family lines, because those who inherit all the benefits from those evil also inherit the debts which come out of them too. [1]

A key example of this is found in the Exodus: the people of Israel forced the Egyptians to pay restitution for all they suffered while in Egypt:

And the Egyptians were urgent with the people, to send them out of the land in haste; for they said, “We are all dead men.”  So the people took their dough before it was leavened, their kneading bowls being bound up in their mantles on their shoulders.  The people of Israel had also done as Moses told them, for they had asked of the Egyptians jewelry of silver and of gold, and clothing; and the LORD had given the people favor in the sight of the Egyptians, so that they let them have what they asked. Thus they despoiled the Egyptians (Ex. 12:33-36 RSV).

Those who benefited from the enslavement of the people of Israel, those who got wealthy and privilege were the ones who suffered the most when the people of Israel left Egypt. As justice demanded things were made as equitable as possible, those who gain the most from social evils are expected to contribute the most, and if they were unwilling to do so freely, justice allows that such debt to be paid for by force. Thus the notion that past slavery does not require restitution goes against the example set in Scripture. Once we realize this, once we recognize that guilt does not go away merely because slavery is no longer allowed, it becomes clear that society needs to deal with the implications of slavery and how it continues to influence the world we live in today. Many of those who live in and with privilege today do so because they are heirs to all the evil gains attained by those who had slaves in the past (or those who benefited by association with those who had such slaves).

We must help those who have been harmed by injustices of slavery so that they can truly find their own position in society restored to what it could and should have been if their families had been so unjustly treated justly centuries ago.  Until we do so, systematic injustice will continue, and it will continue in such a way that those who benefited from such evil, those who are now rich because of it, will grow richer, while the poor, thanks in part to the unjust system itself, will continue to be made poorer. This is also true, of course, with relation to the various countries in the world. Those who gained through the exploitation of others must also pay back those they have exploited. We must change the system, as Pope Benedict XVI wrote, so that the demands of justice (individual and communal) can be met; if we do not do so, the injustices will continue to build up and destabilize the world:

The dignity of the individual and the demands of justice require, particularly today, that economic choices do not cause disparities in wealth to increase in an excessive and morally unacceptable manner, and that we continue to prioritize the goal of access to steady employment for everyone. All things considered, this is also required by “economic logic”. Through the systemic increase of social inequality, both within a single country and between the populations of different countries (i.e. the massive increase in relative poverty), not only does social cohesion suffer, thereby placing democracy at risk, but so too does the economy, through the progressive erosion of “social capital”: the network of relationships of trust, dependability, and respect for rules, all of which are indispensable for any form of civil coexistence.[2]

Sadly, we should not be surprised that the promotion of justice will often bring about conflict in the world. This is why Jesus, the prince of peace, said he did not come to bring peace (cf. Matt. 10:34-36); it is not because he did not promote peace but that he realized the promotion of a just peace will first result in conflict before that peace can be produced. Peace is important, but to promote it, we must promote a sustainable and just peace.

When conflicts are not resolved but kept hidden or buried in the past, silence can lead to complicity in grave misdeeds and sins. Authentic reconciliation does not flee from conflict, but is achieved in conflict, resolving it through dialogue and open, honest and patient negotiation. Conflict between different groups “if it abstains from enmities and mutual hatred, gradually changes into an honest discussion of differences founded on a desire for justice”. [3]

To achieve justice, those who have benefited and engaged in injustices will have to be held accountable: their sins, what they have done wrong, and how they have benefited from such evil, must be made clear. We cannot hide such evil from ourselves thinking that if we ignore it, the injustices will somehow go away. Thus, while we must strive for peace, it should be a peace founded upon justice, not injustice, and that means, we must be clear what was done wrong and what must be done to fix that wrongdoing. We must do so for the sake of justice, and with that, love, love for those who have been  unjustly hurt by such injustices, but also love for those who have perpetuated them. For we want those who have done wrong or gained from such wrongdoing to make things right so that they can themselves be restored to a position of justice, making sure they will not incur a greater debt which must be paid in the future.

Our focus, of course, should be for those who have suffered injustice, but justice is not justice if we neglect the foundation of justice is in love itself.  Dorothy Day understood this, which is why she said those who defended the system and all its abuses were worse than the Communists, for the Communists at least understood the problems of society (even if they did not understand and realize the best  solutions for those problems), while those who defended the system defended the evils which should be rejected:

 When people are standing up for our present rotten system, they are being worse than Communists, it seems to me. There is so much positive work to be done that I hate to see people wasting time in this way. I am not arguing for any common front with the Communists – with our voluntary poverty, our works of mercy, the decentralists movement, our fighting of the industrial system, our opposition to war and revolution – it seems to me our position is clear. [4]

Our society has yet to fully deal with the evil of slavery. Though, it be sure, some restitution has been made, some transformation in society has been promoted, it had not been enough. Those who have gained the most from the evil of slavery continue to fight for their privilege, not wanting to give it up. We cannot allow the system to remain as it is. The injustices systematized by society cannot be defended. Society must accept that it has inherited much from the past, including its debts. Though we might think it is difficult,  though we might mourn what such restitution means, we must realize if we work for such justice, if we work to change the system, in the end, all will benefit from such change. Likewise, we should not put off  for tomorrow what we can accomplish today, for if we do so, we will only add to our debts, and so increase the possibility that they will be so great, we will face a great day of reckoning when the time comes for them to be paid in full.  And so, as Pope Francis said, “Let us stop feeling sorry for ourselves and acknowledge our crimes, our apathy, our lies. Reparation and reconciliation will give us new life and set us all free from fear.”[5]

[1] “ The LORD passed before him, and proclaimed, ‘The LORD, the LORD, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, keeping steadfast love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, but who will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children and the children’s children, to the third and the fourth generation.’”  (Ex. 34:6-7 RSV).

[2] Pope Benedict XVI, Cartitas in veritate. Vatican translation. ¶32.

[3] Pope Francis, Fraetelli tutti. Vatican translation. ¶244.

[4] Dorothy Day, “Letter to the Claude McKay. November 2, 1945” in All The Way To Heaven: The Selected Letters of Dorothy Day. Ed. Robert Ellsberg (New York: Image Books, 2010), 203.

[5] Pope Francis, Fraetelli tutti, ¶78.

 

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December 2, 2021

December 2, 2021 By

US Papal Visit: Pope Francis / flickr

Jesus was often criticized because of the various kinds of people he wanted to help. He came to be a friend to all, including sinners, and as such, his critics accused him of being a sinner. “The Son of man has come eating and drinking; and you say, `Behold, a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’” (Lk. 7:34 RSV). Some, however, recognized that something supernatural was happening around Jesus; they said that if he were a sinner, then he must also be doing all he did through the power of demons. “Now he was casting out a demon that was dumb; when the demon had gone out, the dumb man spoke, and the people marveled. But some of them said, ‘He casts out demons by Beelzebul, the prince of demons’; while others, to test him, sought from him a sign from heaven” (Lk. 11:14-16 RSV). This kind of attack, though often effective, is logically invalid, for it is fallacious, implying guilt by association.

Jesus’ critics called him many things, such as being a drunk, a sinner, a demoniac, all because of the people he associated with. He came to be in and with the poor.  And while they are needy, and so received Jesus’ special attention, they were still human, and therefore, quite imperfect. Many of them were great sinners, and this was one of the reasons why Jesus wanted to be with them. “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick; I came not to call the righteous, but sinners” (Mk. 2:17b RSV).

It has always been that those foibles, those sins, which are more likely to be seen and recognized in the poor which the rich, and people in power, have used to attack those who promote the cause of the poor (and others among the oppressed). If some among the oppressed, therefore, see help coming from elements of Marxist thought, and so engage those elements they like, they are accused of being Marxists. Marxism entails a complete system, not just mere elements of it, so to be Marxists, they would have to embrace the whole, but many of the elements lie beyond the concern and  desires of the poor (indeed, if they knew them, many would be rejected by the poor, as for example, the poor tend to be religious, which traditional Marxist thought denigrated). Once the poor, or others among the oppressed, are seen as embracing Marxism, even if they are not doing so, then those who promote the cause of the poor are also seen as promoting Marxism, and this becomes the way those who seek to help them are attacked. This is why many, like Archbishop Gomez, attack social justice movements; though they might claim there is something “pseudo-religious” about them, the real objection lies in the way social justice is seen by many as being connected with Marxism.

Social justice movements are about the causes, not the individual leaders involved. The members and leaders of a particular movement will come from various backgrounds, and so might align themselves to one particular ideology or another, but the movement is not aligned to that ideology just because a particular person in it is. Each movement comes out of an injustice which needs to be righted, which means, the people involved with them will do what they can to promote change. To denounce a movement for particular people involved with them (ignoring that the people involved have a diversity of opinions and  beliefs amongst themselves) is merely another way to engage guilt by association. It is the way of authoritarian control. Those in power do not want things to change; they will look to the zealots and use them as examples of the whole and denounce the whole as a way to promote their objective, which is to stay in power (or to gain even more power).

Pope Francis, of course, understands this; he understands the good in social justice movements, and indeed, how and why they are necessary, whether or not they come from a Christian source. He understood that those attacking such movements often do not care about the truth. He has been critical in the way the media ignores this as they act like all sides, all opinions in a particular debate, are equal. They are not all equal, and the media should be involved in making that known, which is why he said, “In the name of God, I ask the media to stop the logic of post-truth, disinformation, defamation, slander and the unhealthy attraction to dirt and scandal, and to contribute to human fraternity and empathy with those who are most deeply damaged.”[1] He wants us to realize the good in social justice movements, to make sure all people see the good, so that we do not attack those working for the needs of the oppressed. He wants us to know that even if they are not coming from a Christian source, they are to be respected as Good Samaritans.

Sadly, Gomez and his supporters, more than merely ignoring the pleas of Pope Francis, seem to be fighting against them and the Pope because he states them. They think they can continue to engage the debate using the same tactics as they have always done, that is, they think all they need to do is smear their opponents for their associations. It’s not just Gomez. Many bishops in the United States are contending against the teachings of the Pope, aligning themselves with Gomez over the Pope  It seems as if not a day goes by without some American prelate saying or doing something which indicates they have ignored and rejected something that Pope Francis has promoted. Thus, if we look, we can see a bishop has said that they have not and do not plan on receiving a COVID vaccination after Pope Francis and the Vatican have stated the moral necessity of being  vaccinated. When a bishop goes against the Pope, they always have an excuse which they offer, but it tends to be bad (such as when the bishop who does not get vaccinated says he does not need to do so because immune system is strong). The reality is that they have an agenda, and it is not one dictated by Catholic teaching or morality, but a dangerous ideology which rejects the principles of social justice, an ideology, which likewise, likes to signal its dissent (which is why the bishop made it known he did not get vaccinated).

Yes, the poor, and those who are oppressed, often are not saints. They do not have to be for us to care about them and their concerns. Jesus, after all, cared for them and promoted them in what he said and did. Dorothy Day, who was also attacked for her work for the poor, understood this, but said that this is not a good excuse to ignore their needs:

I will agree with you that the poor man is also greedy. I believe I pointed out that greed in the editorial column last month. I do not think, whoever, that we are guilty of envy or begrudging a rich man  his wealth if we point out the abuses of the capitalist system which allows one man to accumulate the most of the world’s goods while other families suffer year after year, the aching pinch of poverty if not of actual destitution. St. Jerome and many many Fathers of the Church, and our Leader Himself condemned the rich and no one would dare breathe the word of envy in connection with them. [2]

We are to work for and promote the needs of all, the common good, and we do this by promoting the preferential option for the poor, lifting up those who suffer the greatest injustices. We do not have to agree with them and all they do to care for them and see they are people whose dignity have been ignored. This is why, even if we can find things which we do not like in those we support, we find those who denigrate them and seek to keep things as they are to be far worse. For God, despite all the sins one can find among the poor, still hears their cries and gives them mercy, lifting them up and promoting them over their abusers:

Yet for the poor and indigent the very rejection by the rich is sufficient to draw upon them mercy from above; for just as the hardness of heart of the prosperous and their indifference towards their fellow-slaves shuts to them the gates of the Lord’s compassion, so unmercifullness and disregard of the unfortunate opens to the latter some access to divine acceptance. [3]

Those use religion to promote the powers that be, and the injustices in the system, denigrate religion just as much as they denigrate those they abuse. It is that kind of  religious person, that kind of Pharisee (not all Pharisees were like this), which Jesus criticized. When we are critical of religious authorities who act like this, therefore, we are not being critical of religious authority as a whole, but its abuse.  A good bishop is a servant, looking after their flock, promoting justice, while bad ones look for ways to get more and more power for themselves, helping their friends and associates loot the system for all it is worth, leaving more and more people disenfranchised; thus, they resemble the way St Jerome described bad Pharisees:

But the Pharisees were zealous for this one precept, namely, the accumulation of what had been commanded. Other things that were of greater importance mattered little to them. They did not care whether anyone did them or not. And so, he accuses them of greed on this point, that they zealously exact a tithe even of common herbs, yet they neglect justice in business disputes, and mercy toward the poor and orphan and widows, and faithfulness to God, which are great matters.[4]

St. Isidore of Seville, likewise, made it clear how  many church leaders fall into grave sin because they do not use their authority properly, but rather, seek friendship with the rich and powerful so as to become their servants instead of servants of God:

Many leaders of the churches, fearing that they will lose the friendship and incur the hostility of those who hate them, do not correct those who sin, and they are afraid to rebuke those who oppress the poor; nor are they afraid of the severity of the retribution that will be handed out to them, due to the fact that they have been silent about the common people entrusted to their care.[5]

Those bishops which neglect justice, those who will attack social justice policies and those movements which seek to put them into place, harm the poor and the oppressed for the sake of the rich and powerful. They might like to show themselves off as great men of religious authority, but they also show  themselves to be far from the religious sentiment they are meant to hold: “Religion that is pure and undefiled before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world” (Jas. 1:27 RSV).

Social justice is important. True religion cannot ignore it. But sadly, many with positions of power and authority sell their souls for money, and in doing so, find themselves slaves to the rich and powerful instead of serving Christ. They have become stained by the world. They neglect the teachings of Christ as they fight against those who would promote the common good. They attack those who engage social justice with the same kind of denunciations Jesus’ critics used to attack Jesus. They engage guilty by association, trying to smear those who promote justice. They want the faithful to ignore social justice. But the faithful know they can’t.

[1] Pope Francis, “Video Messages on the Fourth World Meeting of Popular Movements.” Vatican translation.  ¶2.

[2] Dorothy Day, “Letter To Fr. Anthony Wolf. November 13, 1934” in All The Way To Heaven: The Selected Letters of Dorothy Day. Ed. Robert Ellsberg (New York: Image Books, 2010), 86.

[3] St. Photius, The Homilies of Photius, Patriarch of Constantinople. Trans. Cyril Mango (Harvard: Harvard University Press, 1958; repr. Eugene, OR: Wipf & Stock, 2017), 63 [Homily 2].

[4] St. Jerome, Commentary on Matthew. Trans. Thomas P. Scheck (Washington, DC: CUA Press, 2008), 263.

[5] St. Isidore of Seville, Sententiae. Trans. Thomas L. Knoebel (New York: Newman Press, 2018),  195.

 

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November 9, 2021

November 9, 2021 By

Tim Kubacki: The Good Samaritan /flickr

In the Gospels, we read of the way many of the apostles were upset when they learned that there were others exorcising demons in Jesus’ name. John wanted to forbid them because he thought they were ignoring the apostles and their role in delegating the activities of the faithful. Jesus, however, said that John was wrong; Jesus indicated that John, the apostles, and therefore, the church should not be so controlling, but rather, they should welcome the good work of others:

 But Jesus said, “Do not forbid him; for no one who does a mighty work in my name will be able soon after to speak evil of me. For he that is not against us is for us. For truly, I say to you, whoever gives you a cup of water to drink because you bear the name of Christ, will by no means lose his reward” (Mk. 9:38-41 RSV).

Jesus wanted us to realize that when others did good, we should not be afraid and think they were replacing us. Instead, we should see how their work joins in with what we are (or should be) doing. Indeed, they will be rewarded for the good which they do. For, as he said elsewhere, even those who did good without explicitly doing it in his name or for him will find that they were doing it for him and with him when the truth is revealed (cf. Matt. 25:31-46).

When others put into practice works of justice and mercy, we should recognize they are working with us, not against us. We should not be afraid of them as if they are our rivals. We should not act or suggest that by doing such work, they are setting up new religions which seek to undermine our work. If we are afraid, it is not because of the good they do, but rather, because they put us to shame because they do the good which we have failed to do.  We must see that they rise up among us to do what we have not done,  and this is because the Lord will always lift someone up and have them do what is good and just if those who should be doing such work do not do so. This is one of the meanings we should get from Jesus when he said that the stones would cry out if those who should speak, do not speak (cf. Lk. 19:40).

Dorothy Day understood this. She believed that one of the reasons why communists were so successful in the world is because Christians had ignored the cry of the oppressed:

As Catholics we too feel called upon to protest against the Nazi persecution of Catholica and Jews by demonstration and distribution of literature. We feel that we would be neglecting our duty as Catholics if we did not do this. The Bishops of the Catholic Church have stated that many of the social aims of the Communists are Christian aims and should be worked for by Christians. We feel that Communism is gaining in this country, because Christian people do not protect against injustice as they do. [1]

A part of the problem lay in the way many Catholics believed that they need do nothing, that God could and would take care of everyone. They had lost their incarnational vision, believing that we should just focus on heaven while ignoring the earth and all that happened on it:

I have said over and over again that Catholics have more faith in God than they have in man and that is the trouble with religion. It is transferring our hopes from earth to heaven and from man to God to such an extent that we turn  to pie in the sky and forget that we are all members of the Mystical Body of Christ right here on this earth. [2]

The eschaton had become immanent, heaven had joined with earth, and so now, we, who have become a part of the Mystical Body of Christ, are expected to continue the work of Christ on earth. We are not to ignore injustices. We are not to ignore the plight of the poor. We are not to ignore abuses and do nothing when we see them going on. We are to promote the dignity of the human person. When systematic abuse undermines that dignity, we must work to overturn such abuse. If we won’t, someone else will, and they will be doing the work which we should be doing; they would be the ones exorcising evil from the world. When they do so, we should not be like John, complaining as if they took something away from us, but rather, we should remember what Jesus said, that those who are not against us are with us, and so we should support them in the work they do. Indeed, we are called to share that work with everyone, no matter their background: “The Church, therefore, exhorts her sons, that through dialogue and collaboration with the followers of other religions, carried out with prudence and love and in witness to the Christian faith and life, they recognize, preserve and promote the good things, spiritual and moral, as well as the socio-cultural values found among these men.” [3]

The work of social justice has often been neglected by Christians. This has caused many others to take our place in the work which mut be done. They raised the awareness of problems which we have long ignored. Their solutions might be imperfect, but they are at least attempts to engage problems which we failed to recognize. We must hear the cry of the oppressed, and even listen to those who have spoken out on their behalf. We must have the humility to learn from those who have taken the issues seriously, even if we must also add to it what was lacking, that is, the grace which we have been given, the grace which can perfect nature. It is long past time for us to take our responsibility seriously, which is why Vatican II said that it is now a special obligation for us, in our times, to deal with issues of social justice:

In our times a special obligation binds us to make ourselves the neighbor of every person without exception and of actively helping him when he comes across our path, whether he be an old person abandoned by all, a foreign laborer unjustly looked down upon, a refugee, a child born of an unlawful union and wrongly suffering for a sin he did not commit, or a hungry person who disturbs our conscience by recalling the voice of the Lord, “As long as you did it for one of these the least of my brethren, you did it for me” (Matt. 25:40). [4]

And because others have indeed done work which we have not done, they have taken on the role of the Good Samaritan. They have proved their love of neighbor has been greater than our own. We must draw near them, and work with them, indeed, learn from them. One thing many of them tell us is that we must help others, regardless of their social group. Pope Francis, having learned this, says the same:

Jesus asks us to be present to those in need of help, regardless of whether or not they belong to our social group. In this case, the Samaritan became a neighbour to the wounded Judean. By approaching and making himself present, he crossed all cultural and historical barriers. Jesus concludes the parable by saying: “Go and do likewise” (Lk 10:37). In other words, he challenges us to put aside all differences and, in the face of suffering, to draw near to others with no questions asked. I should no longer say that I have neighbours to help, but that I must myself be a neighbour to others. [5]

Likewise, we must work with all who would serve and love their neighbor, regardless of their social group. This is why Jesus had a Samaritan as the one who did good in his parable, for the Samaritans were looked down upon by those who were in Jesus’ Jewish community. They were seen as outsiders, indeed, as religious rivals because of their alternative take and understanding of the Torah. We, therefore, must recognize the good which is done by those who are not Christians, those who engage social justice. If we try to find excuses to denigrate that work because they are not Christians like us, we have not learned what Jesus wanted us to learn from his parable. Recognizing this, Pope Francis made it clear that various groups working for and embracing social justice must be seen as taking the place of the Good Samaritan today:

Do you know what comes to mind now when, together with popular movements, I think of the Good Samaritan? Do you know what comes to mind? The protests over the death of George Floyd. It is clear that this type of reaction against social, racial or macho injustice can be manipulated or exploited by political machinations or whatever, but the main thing is that, in that protest against this death, there was the Collective Samaritan who is no fool! This movement did not pass by on the other side of the road when it saw the injury to human dignity caused by an abuse of power. The popular movements are not only social poets but also collective Samaritans.[6]

We must not speak of popular social justice movements with disdain, seeking to undermine them; rather, we must recognize the cry of the oppressed has been heard by them. They are not willing to pass by the oppressed like we have. They are not rivals, but rather, fellow workers and leaders in dealing with the issues of the day. Do we have to agree with everything they believe? No, just as Jesus did not promote everything the Samaritans believed when he used a Samaritan to represent the kind of love we should all have for our neighbor. We are dealing with major problems in the world, none of us, not even Christians, know all that needs to be done, which is why we must work together. We can and should complement each other with what we know and can do. We must truly realize and accept that those who are with us in pursuit of social justice are not against us. Thus, Pope Francis also said:

The social teaching of the Church does not have all the answers, but it does have some principles that along this journey can help to concretize the answers, principles useful to Christians and non-Christians alike. It sometimes surprises me that every time I speak of these principles, some people are astonished, and then the Holy Father gets labeled with a series of epithets that are used to reduce any reflection to mere discrediting adjectives. It doesn’t anger me, it saddens me. It is part of the post-truth plot that seeks to nullify any humanistic search for an alternative to capitalist globalisation, it is part of the throwaway culture, and it is part of the technocratic paradigm. [7]

We must keep in mind what Jesus said. Jesus said we should not oppose those casting out demons. Those who work to cast out various injustice in the world by exorcising the systematic injustices which created them are with us and not against us. We are not to forbid them from acting on behalf of those suffering from such abuse. Rather, we are to work with them so we can make sure all forms of systematic evil are overturned. This way those evils which they do not know or neglect do not become neglected and cause new and worse forms of evil in society. We must work with them, not insult and reject them, for when we do that, all we do is make sure such evil remains and the good which Jesus would have us do is undermined.

[1] Dorothy Day, “Letter To the New York Police Commissioner. July 1935 ” in All The Way To Heaven: The Selected Letters of Dorothy Day. Ed. Robert Ellsberg (New York: Image Books, 2010), 95.

[2] Dorothy Day, “Letter to the Buffalo Catholic Worker. 1940,” in All The Way To Heaven: The Selected Letters of Dorothy Day. Ed. Robert Ellsberg (New York: Image Books, 2010), 156.

[3] Vatican Council II. Nostra Aetate.. Vatican translation. ¶2.

[4] Vatican Council II. Gaudium et spes. Vatican translation. ¶27.

[5] Pope Francis, Fratelli tutti. Vatican translation. ¶81.

[6] Pope Francis, “Video Messages on the Fourth World Meeting of Popular Movements.” Vatican translation.  ¶3.

[7] Pope Francis, “Video Messages on the Fourth World Meeting of Popular Movements.” Vatican translation.  ¶3.

 

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November 4, 2021

November 4, 2021 By

No Artist Listed: Friends Globe Justice Fairness Community / maxpixel

Servant of God, Archbishop Hélder Pessoa Câmara OFS, famously said: “When I give food to the poor, they call me a saint. When I ask why they are poor, they call me a communist.” In doing this, he shows us what happens to those who work for justice. They get called all kinds of names. They are accused of being things they are not. They are given such labels by their critics so that their critics will only have to engage strawmen, while they will then have to defend themselves before promoting their own real agenda. We find so many people are influenced by such scare tactics, which is why they are used. It is difficult for someone to defend themselves from such mislabeling.

The problem which Câmara saw in his day is a problem which not only has not been rectified, but has become much worse. Those who work for and promote justice continue to be called socialists and communists, no matter what perspective they use to promote justice. And this association, of course, is used to condemn any and all forms of social work. We can see this in the way many people react to those working to heal the wound of systematic racism. They are accused of being secret communists trying to destroy society. This is why authentic Critical Race Theory (CRT), which looks at systematic racism, its causes, and what kinds of legal and economic solutions can be used to fix those problems, has become labelled “communist.” This has led to CRT itself as becoming a new label in and of itself, where it is assured to be bad because it is communistic, and so must be rejected and forbidden from being taught in schools. Anyone who is concerned with the history of racism, the impact of racism on society, and the ways to deal with racism are told they cannot teach their concerns in schools. They are not allowed to change the hearts of the young, and the only reason why this is done is to make sure those who are privileged by systematic racism can continue in that privilege.

Social justice is an important element of Christian teaching. It is found in Scriptures, indeed, it is found in the writings of the prophets, and promoted by Jesus himself. He consistently argued against the injustices found in society and those who gained privilege because of them. He spoke out on behalf of the poor, and condemned the rich and other leaders in society who ignored the plight of the people (cf. Lk. 6:20 -26). Throughout the centuries, those who read Scripture carefully noticed this, and would join in with their own condemnation of society for the systematic evils found in them, evils which often centered around the rich and the way they kept their power and wealth out of the hands of the poor and needy. “Through the pride of his riches the rich man rules over other men, whom he can harm, and treats them badly, just as if they were not fellow creatures, and in this way the good name of mankind (that man is the image and likeness of God [cf. Gen 1.26]) is blasphemed.”[1] It is with this understanding that St. Salvian the Presbyter lamented:

Where can you find any one who is not poor, whether actually or by status, who is safe living beside a rich man? By the encroachments of the powerful the weak lose their belongings, or even themselves along with their belongings. Not unrightly does the Holy Word apply to both when it says: ‘the wild ass is the lion’s prey in the desert: so also the poor are devoured by the rich.’ For, not only the poor, but almost the whole human race, is suffering from this tyranny. [2]

Those with wealth and privilege always use it to justify themselves and ignore the plight of those who do not have them, but if they are ever called to task, if they ever lose what wealth and privilege they have, they show how far they are from virtue by the way they want to destroy everything, harming all because they no longer are accorded privileges which were not justly theirs in the first place:

The proud are always taking up cause against the good ones; when prosperity shines on them, boastfully they glory in their own merits, and then they draw away from the afflictions of the good and just; but when adversities come upon them, they are turned quickly to blasphemy by the weakness of their spirit.[3]

How many of the rich, how many of those in positions of privilege, have looked down upon others, saying their position is accorded to them because they have been blessed for their goodness? How many justify the way they treat others by saying others are morally inferior to them? Systematic racism often combines with it this ideology as can be see in the way many who continue to promote it (and outright racism) look down on other races as being inferior. And if anyone responds to them, saying all humans are good and worth of equal dignity and honor, once again, the response is to say such criticism stems from communism and is to be rejected. This is why those who study systematic racism, its causes, and who try to find solutions to it, are condemned as communists and the whole cause, labeled as CRT, is attacked as a communist plot.

Christians should know better. As Câmara indicated, we should ask for the root causes of the problems before us, and when we find them, we must overturn them so as to change the system itself. We must not allow this to work. We must let compassion wrote, as Albert Schweitzer said, “We must never permit the voice of humanity within us to be silenced. It is man’s sympathy with all creatures that first makes him truly a man.”[4] If we are to be what we are called to be, when we see injustices, we will want to right them because we will care about those who have been harmed by them.

“The Church reproves, as foreign to the mind of Christ, any discrimination against men or harassment of them because of their race, color, condition of life, or religion.”[5] Racism is a real issue; it not only continues to be a threat, but  the responses given to those who try to work against racism show racists will do all they can to stay in positions of power and privilege. When they lose it, they become destructive; they will not blame themselves for the destruction, but rather those who try to create a more just society. When Christians oppose social justice work, work which includes rejecting and overturning systematic racism, they show themselves acting contrary to the teachings of the Gospel and so are worse off because, as Salvian said, they should be better:

Therefore, for this very reason, Christians are worse because they should be better. They do not practice what they preach, and they struggle against the faith by their morals. All the more blameworthy is evil which the label of goodness accuses, and the holy name Is the crime of an unholy man. [6]

Systematic racism is allowed to continue because the root causes of it, the ideologies and prejudices which created it, continue. We must therefore work to change hearts so that what establishes the system and keeps it in place can be and will be eliminated. This is why racism needs to be talked about in schools. This also means, of course, we not only change the hearts but the system, and so we must look into the laws, see which promote injustice, and eliminate them as well:

Racism will disappear from legal texts only when it dies in people’s hearts. However, there must also be direct action in the legislative field. Wherever discriminatory laws still exist, the citizens who are aware of the perversity of this ideology must assume their responsibilities so that, through democratic processes, legislation will be put in harmony with the moral law. Within a given State, the law must be equal for all citizens without distinction. A dominant group, whether numerically in the majority or minority, can never do as it likes with the basic rights of other groups. It is important for ethnic, linguistic or religious minorities who live within the borders of the same State, to enjoy recognition of the same inalienable rights as other citizens, including the right to live together according to their specific cultural and religious characteristics. Their choice to be integrated into the surrounding culture must be a free one.[7]

And, of course, if we are going to change the system, if we are going to make things just, we must lift up those who have been oppressed:

From the legal point of view, all persons (individual or corporate) have a right to equitable reparation if personally and directly they have suffered injury (material or moral). The duty to make reparation must be fulfilled in an appropriate way. As far as possible, reparation should erase all the consequences of the illicit action and restore things to the way they would most probably be if that action had not occurred. When such a restoration is not possible, reparation should be made through compensation (equivalent reparation). This is the most common form of reparation, but the calculation of the compensation is often difficult. When compensation does not suffice to make reparation for a moral injury, moral reparation can be made, that is satisfaction. An example of this is the offering of an apology or expression of regret to the victim State by the State responsible for the wrong.[8]

Catholic teaching, therefore, works with and promotes authentic Critical Race Theory, when Critical Race Theory is seen as the legalistic enterprise to work for and promote racial justice (and not the misrepresented form of it used to undermine all attempts to promote social justice).

So many people like to use labels as a way to undermine the work for justice. They use such labels for scare tactics. The people they talk to do not know what the labels really mean, and what differentiates those who the labels actually represent and those who are being misidentified by them. And this is done in order to keep things as they are, or worse, to continue reinforce systematic injustice and create further barriers between the privileged and those lacking such privilege. If we are to be disciples of Christ, we cannot accept this. Christ spoke out against the abuse of privilege. We must do so as well.

 

[1] St. Hildegard of Bingen, “Letter 378” in The Letters of Hildegard of Bingen. Volume III. Trans. Joseph L Baird and Radd K Ehrman (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2004), 165.

[2] Salvian the Presbyter, “The Governance of God” in The Writings of Salvian the Presbyter. Trans. Jeremiah F. O’Sullivan (Washington, DC: CUA Press, 1962), 97.

[3] St. Isidore of Seville, Sententiae. Trans. Thomas L. Knoebel (New York: Newman Press, 2018),210.

[4] Albert Schweitzer, The Animal World of Albert Schweitzer. Trans. and ed. Charles R. Joy (Boston: Beacon Press, 1950), 177.

[5] Nostra Aetate. Vatican translation. ¶5.

[6] Salvian the Presbyter, “The Governance of God,” 123.

[7] Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace, “The Church and Racism: Towards a More Fraternal Society.” Vatican translation (1988). ¶29.

[8] Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace, “Contribution to World Conference Against Racism. Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia, and Related Intolerance.” Vatican translation. (Aug. 31- Sept 7, 2001). ¶12.

 

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August 26, 2021

August 26, 2021 By

torstensimon: COVID19 vaccines / pixabay

The COVID19 pandemic continues, thanks, especially because many have not done what they can to contain it. Many people who can get the vaccine refuse to do so. Many people who can wear mask refuse to do so, even when they are sick and coughing. Many people refuse all social distancing measures, and so if someone around them gets sick with COVID19, they and their loved ones get sick as well, with many of them dying of the disease which they once denied was a real threat.  ICU beds are running out  as people are dying, waiting for medical attention. So much of this could have been prevented if only people did what was needed and did not resist the state when the state told them to act for the sake of the common good and get vaccinated and wear masks where appropriate. The state has the right to issue mandates which work for the protection of society, if such protection can be shown to be effective and morally sound, both which have been proven in regards the vaccine and masking mandates.

While there are many religious leaders, especially evangelical Christian leaders, who have provided misinformation on vaccines and on COVID19, more religious leaders around the world have been telling their faithful to get vaccinated and to do what they can to help save lives. Pope Francis said that the faithful should not need a mandate to get vaccinated as they should do so out of the Christian obligation to love one’s neighbor. But, because many people are not doing as they should voluntarily, and the need is great (for the number of needless deaths will only increase when there are no more ICU beds available), it is possible to mandate what should be done out of love: justice must imposes its demands when people will not act out of charity. This is why we see bishops, Catholic and Episcopal, requiring workers in their dioceses to get vaccinated, even as others indicate they will not give out religious exemptions to those who want to claim religious opposition to vaccination.

It’s sad to see all the Christian opposition to proper and needful initiatives to save lives. Christians should know better. The foundation of Christian morality is the law of love, and that law, as St. Augustine explained, means Christians should do nothing which would cause undue harm or evil to their neighbor:

The rule of love is that one should wish his friend to have all the good things he wants to have himself, and should not wish the evils to befall his friend which he wishes to avoid himself. How shows this benevolence to all men. No evil must be done to any. Love of one’s neighbor workerth no evil (Rom. 13:10). Let us then love even our enemies as we are commanded, if we wish to be truly unconquered. [1]

Letting a deadly virus spread and destroy lives which do not have to be destroyed is far from love; it is either  done out of malice, selfishness, or the kind of pride associated with people who do not like to be told what to do and will not do what they are told to do, even when it is for their own best interests. Those who fight in this manner, while claiming to be Christian, should heed Scripture, because it consistently tells them to humble themselves, for it says it  is with such humility we get grace and the benefits of grace can be activated in our lives (cf. Jas. 4:6 and Prov. 16:18). It is, moreover, an issue of salvation, for those who ignore justice, those who ignore the needs of the common good for the sake of their own private desires, risk condemnation because they have not established the law of love in their own lives, while those who are concerned with the common good and work for it out of love, engender the right disposition for their own salvation, as Julianus Pomerius wrote about in the fifth century:

In view of this one should consider whether they act justly who, removing themselves from all occupations and devoting themselves to spiritual pursuits,  do nothing for human society, and, preferring their own desires to the advantage of all, disregard the common good by choosing a welcome freedom. For, to be unwilling to help the afflicted when you can, to wish to enjoy restful quiet without regard for the common good is surely not equity. Those who  respect this equity of all life for the good of all and, as though born for another, guard and love one another’s salvation. [2]

Christian writers have long understood the implications of this. Society is formed for the sake of the common good, and society can and should put laws and regulations into place which protect the common good from the hands of private individuals whose inordinate desires, if left unchecked, would harm society. Roger Bacon, therefore, pointed out that the public good is more important than private desires while pointing out that when the public good is embraced, the private good can be improved as well:

But public good takes precedence of private good, as Aristotle says in the first book of the Metaphysics. But the part preceding contains the public good ; this part urges upon men private good. For love is the greatest virtue, and is ordained for the common good, and peace and justice are its companions, virtues which transcend the morals of individuals. For man is a social animal and it is in accordance with his own nature, as Avicenna says in the fifth book on the Soul, that he should not live alone like a beast which in its life suffices itself alone. Therefore the laws regulating men with regard to the last topic are more important. [3]

In relation to our human character, St. Thomas Aquinas said that there are many goods for us to follow, among which is our political good, whereupon once again, we find the need to protect and promote the common good:

But the proper good of man must be considered in various ways, according as man is understood under various aspects. The proper good of man as man is the good of reason, in that to be a man is too be rational. But the good of man considered as an artist is the good of art; so also considered in his political character, his good is the common good of the state.[4]

The good must be obtained in a proper fashion, and then preserved. “But to love the good of any society involves a twofold consideration: first, in the manner in which it is obtained; secondly, the manner in which it is preserved. “[5] In regards vaccination and mask mandates, those who are vaccinated and those who wear masks are helping to preserve the good of society, while those who do not do so, hinder and destroy the common good, leading to an unseemly number of unnecessary deaths.

Origen tells us that Jesus Christ takes on the qualities associated with the divine energies so that we can label him with such qualities, such as truth, justice and sanctification:

The Lord Jesus Christ is justice. No one who acts unjustly is subordinate to Christ, justice. The Lord Christ is truth. No one is subordinate to Christ, the truth, who lies or holds false teaching. The Lord Christ is sanctification. No one is subordinate to Christ, sanctification, when he himself is profane and defiled. The Lord Christ is peace. No one is subordinate to Christ who is hostile or bellicose, unable to say, “I was peaceful with those who hate peace.” [6]

Justice demands us to work for and promote the common good. If we work for the common good, we will protect life. When we ignore the demands of justice for the sake of own personal desires, we find ourselves standing away from Christ, who is, as Origen said, justice. We stand in opposition to him and what he would have us to do, that is, we end up standing against the dictates of love and what they would have us do in the present situation. We should not need mandates. We should not need to be told what to do. But, sadly, we find that when there are no such mandates in place, people will continue to act selfishly and ignore the needs of their neighbor. The state can’t mandate love and force us to act out of love, but it can promote justice and tell us to follow rules in accordance to the dictates of justice. Christians must not try to use the voluntary expectations of love to undermine the necessary needs of  justice, because the two issues are separate. The state can’t mandate love, but it can and must do what it can to promote the common good, which means, to regulate actions which would cause harm to society. The state can mandate vaccines for this reason.

[1] St. Augustine, “Of True Religion,” in Augustine: Earlier Writings. trans. John H.S. Burleigh (Philadelphia: The Westminster Press, 1953),270.

[2] Julianus Pomerius, The Contemplative Life. Trans. Mary Josephine Suelzer, PhD (Westminster, MD: The Newman Bookshop, 1947), 155-6.

[3] Roger Bacon, Opus Majus. Part II. trans. Robert Belle Burke (Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 1928), 663.

[4] St. Thomas Aquinas, On Charity. Trans. Lottie H. Kendzierski (Milwaukee, WI: Marquette University Press, 1960; repr. 1984). 28 [ Art. II].

[5] St. Thomas Aquinas, On Charity,  29 [ Art. II].

[6] Origen, Homilies on the Psalms: Codex Monacensis Graecus 314. Trans. Joseph W. Trigg (Washington, DC: CUA Press, 2020), 90 [Homily 2 on Psalm 36].

 

 

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July 28, 2021

July 28, 2021 By

Unknown artist: St. Epiphanius of Cyprus / Wikimedia Commons

Justice is important. God desires us to seek after and promote it. Those who promote the dictates of justice, do God’s work. However, what we promote is not proper if all we seek after is legalistic forms of justice which know nothing of mercy and grace. Thus, those who act justly, those who promote social reforms and the restitution needed to reestablish justice in a society which has abandoned it, find that mercy is necessary for those reforms to be executed. This is why those who are just in their actions find that they bring not only justice to their society, but God’s pardon to it as well: “Run to and fro through the streets of Jerusalem, look and take note! Search her squares to see if you can find a man, one who does justice and seeks truth; that I may pardon her” (Jer. 5:1 RSV).

If we want to be free from the burden of the law, we must fulfill the purpose of the law, which means, we must embrace justice. To do so, to seek after the meaning of the law, requires us to look beyond a legalistic approach to the law. We must seek to do what the law intends us to do in such a way we do out of nature and not mere obligation. “For this reason, begin to be just and you shall be free from the Law, because a law which is already contained in morals cannot contravene morals.”[1] On the other hand, if we do not embrace justice, if our society turns away from such justice, we risk the fate of Sodom and Gomorrah, for they were destroyed from within, as their lack of justice left them no standing by which they could be saved (cf. Ezek. 16:49).

Those who promote justice, those who act out such justice, can and will be able to save those who otherwise would suffer the fate of their injustices. Just as the cries of the oppressed reach up to God, demanding justice, so the work of the righteous rises up to God like incense so that in and through them, God can be appeased and the wrath of God, seen in and through the consequences of social injustices, can be overtaken by God’s mercy, bringing pardon to all:

Someone else asked him [Epiphanius of Cyprus]: ‘Is one righteous man enough to appease God?’ He replied, ‘Yes, for he himself has written: “Find a man who lives according to righteousness, and I will pardon the whole people.”’ (Jer. 5:1).[2]

St. Epiphanius of Cyprus was known, in part, for his fight against heresy; sometimes, he misunderstood people and fought against them wrongly (this can especially be seen with his association with Theophilus of Alexandria and their struggles against St. John Chrysostom). He was very conservative in principle and in ideals. Nonetheless, he tried to truly live out the faith and its teachings, which is why he understood how justice, how righteousness, could be and would be shared. He saw firsthand how one just and holy person could and would bring mercy and grace to a society which was not completely just. One holy and just person is enough. Many of the desert monks and nuns understood this in the way they wrote on the accomplishments of their own holy saints, from St. Antony of Egypt, to St. Macarius the Great: those saints not only accomplished righteousness in themselves, but they became so holy they were able to act as mediators for the world, preserving people from destruction.

If we want to inherit the kingdom of God, we will seek after justice, for, as God said to the people of Israel, it is only in and through the pursuit of justice will we receive our true inheritance:

You shall not pervert justice; you shall not show partiality; and you shall not take a bribe, for a bribe blinds the eyes of the wise and subverts the cause of the righteous. Justice, and only justice, you shall follow, that you may live and inherit the land which the LORD your God gives you (Deut. 16:19-20 RSV).

As long as we subvert the cause of justice, we will find ourselves far from the righteousness of God. As long as we are far from the righteousness of God, we will not be able to receive the bounty of God’s deifying grace. If we want to be heirs of God, if we want to be partakers of the divine nature and realize the divine life in ourselves, we must embrace justice. We must act on its expectations. We must allow it to become second nature to us so that we will always end up doing what is right and just naturally.

We are not meant to be, nor can we ever truly be, individuals cut off from each other. We are interconnected. What we do has an effect on everyone else, even as what they do has an effect on us. If we love Jesus, we will do as Jesus said. As we follow Jesus’ words, the justice of God will rise in our soul. We will find ourselves becoming vessels of God’s grace, so that in and through us, others will receive the grace and pardon which they need. Thus, we will bring God’s mercy to society. This is why God can and will be appeased by one just person. Indeed, the Christian faith is founded, in part, on this principle: it is in and through the one perfectly just person, Jesus, that the pardon of God is spread throughout humanity and the whole of creation. To believe in the Christian faith, to believe in the saving work of Jesus, is to believe in the social dimension of justice, and therefore, in the way one person and their justice can bring salvation to others, even as one person and their injustice, can and will bring others down with them (as the doctrine of original sin teaches).

Those who are truly holy, those who seek righteousness through justice, know that they are not separated from the rest of the world. They know that their work is not just for themselves, but for the world. No one is an island all by themselves. We are all interconnected. Try as we might, we will never be separate from the rest of the world. Let us therefore disavow such an illusion and realize, therefore, our need for justice is social, and the ramifications of our actions, just or unjust, are social as well. If we are just, we will indeed bring God’s pardon to the world, so that through us, and the justice which we have embraced, many will find God’s mercy and love.

[1] Salvian the Presbyter, “The Governance of God” in The Writings of Salvian the Presbyter. Trans. Jeremiah F. O’Sullivan (Washington, DC: CUA Press, 1962) 127.

[2] The Sayings of the Desert Fathers. trans. Benedicta Ward (Kalamazoo, MI: Cistercian Publications, 1984), 58 [Saying of Epiphanius 14].

 

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July 8, 2021

July 8, 2021 By

David Roberts: Israelites Leaving Egypt / Wikimedia Commons

Imagine an oppressor whose victims find a way to escape their long-standing oppression. Those victims have, for a long time, been worked hard without being allowed to receive the just rewards of their labors. Many of them have been tortured and killed. Nonetheless, they have found a way to break the bonds of their oppression and find a new place to live.  When they leave the land of their oppression, they feel it is just for them to take what they believe is their due, to take from their oppressor what they need to properly sustain themselves in their freedom. Not only that, their leaders declare the justice of their actions, explaining to their oppressor, as well as to all who would listen, that their actions serve to make things equitable.

It is easy to imagine the kinds of reactions which would occur if this happened today. Those who supported the oppressed and their rights, those who supported the call to equity would be told they were “woke” and promoted “class warfare.” They would also be accused of being communists trying to redistribute wealth. They would be asked why they wanted to promote oppression, because demanding the oppressors give up what they unjustly acquired would be declared “reverse oppression.” There would be considerable effort to make the oppressors appear to be the true victims; all kinds of slogans and propaganda would be spread in order to try to preserve the status quo with all the injustices involved in it. It is easy to imagine this, because this is what is happening – and those who should know better, such as Catholics whose church teaches social justice – are suing Catholic schools which teach and support social justice as being “woke” for their support of the oppressed.

Yet, the irony of this is that the initial story is, in brief, a summary of the Exodus. Moses not only freed the People of Israel from Egyptian rule, he had them despoil the Egyptians as a way for them to take what justice would indicate was rightfully theirs:

And the Egyptians were urgent with the people, to send them out of the land in haste; for they said, “We are all dead men.” So the people took their dough before it was leavened, their kneading bowls being bound up in their mantles on their shoulders.

The people of Israel had also done as Moses told them, for they had asked of the Egyptians jewelry of silver and of gold, and clothing;  and the LORD had given the people favor in the sight of the Egyptians, so that they let them have what they asked. Thus they despoiled the Egyptians (Ex. 12:33-36 RSV).

People who embrace social justice concerns and discuss issues such as systematic racism and the ways to deal with systematic racism (such as those proposed by Critical Race Theory) understand the way systems work and promote injustice, even if particular individuals do not purposefully perform such injustices themselves . Those who unjustly benefit from such systems are the heirs of injustice, whether or not they themselves intend to perpetuate and promote such injustices. It should not be difficult for Catholics to understand this point because the principles behind it are similar to the principles behind Catholic teaching on Original Sin. Original sin is systematic sin; we are incorporated into that it at birth. Original Sin is not actual sin, though through our connection with Original Sin, we are tainted in such a way as we are inclined to sin and through our inclination, we will fall into actual sin. We can cut ourselves off from original sin through the justice of Christ, that is, incorporating ourselves into Christ and his greater justice which works to heal the injustices established by sin. Similarly, we overcome the systematic injustices by connecting ourselves to the principles of justice which lie beyond such injustices, doing what is expected by those principles. Unless we work for justice, we risk embracing systematic injustice; even when we do not personally act out every form of injustice ourselves, we find ourselves inclined to such activity and committing various forms of injustices which tie with it because of our association with and support for the systematic justice which is already in place. To deny systematic injustices such as systematic racism and try to claim we have no part of it because we do not personally commit acts of explicit racism is similar to denying Original Sin. Just because we deny the way we find ourselves connected to society as a whole does not mean we really are not connected and influenced by it; indeed, such denial lets us to accept injustice and sin much easier as we think ourselves as being perfectly good, thinking that whatever we desire must itself by good as well. Once we appreciate the teaching behind Original Sin, we will be able to appreciate how systematic injustices work, because, though each form, like systematic racism, does not represent all that comes out of Original Sin, they can be shown as a part of it. Working against such unjust structures connects us to the work of Christ, because we join in with his work to overcome all the injustices sin put into the world.

It is important for us to realize, therefore, that the society which we live in does not emerge from an immaculate past. We are heirs of injustices. Some of us suffer from those injustices while others benefit from them. It is important for us to map out those injustices and discern ways we can overcome them. Certainly, we can recognize that there was considerable good established in the formation of the United States. But we must also see that its treatment of slaves, its treatment of Native Americans, represents a kind of “Original Sin” for the country which has influenced its history because that Original Sin has not been properly repudiated and overcome. The people of the United States must not hide its  past; they cannot ignore the racism which infected the United States from the very beginning, because only by confession and penance can they overcome the sins of the nation and truly advance and follow the good which is also found in their heritage.

Oppression must be opposed. Justice demands those who unjustly benefit from oppression to renounce their ill-begotten gains and give what they can back to those who have been oppressed. Scripture confirms this in and through the story of the Exodus. It’s not “woke.” It’s not “communist.” It’s not “social Marxism.” It’s basic justice. Christians must serve justice, not injustice. They must hunger and thirst for justice. If they don’t, Jesus warned them that they risk facing the consequences of those injustices themselves.

 

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June 30, 2021

June 30, 2021 By

Lorie Shaull: Know Justice Know Peace; No Justice No Peace /flickr

Justice is important. We must desire it. We must yearn it so much, we hunger for it. And just as we cannot live without food, so we find we cannot properly live and be satisfied without justice. So long as we hunger for it, so long as we thirst for it, we find ourselves working for it. We will do what needs to be done to attain it. But, as St. Jerome remarked, once we begin our pursuit for justice, we will find that there is no end to our search for it. Our quest for it must go on forever:

“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for justice.” It does not suffice for us to want justice, if we do not experience a hunger for justice. Thus from this example we should understand that we are never sufficiently just, but it is always necessary to hunger for works of justice. [1]

If we truly hunger for justice, we will find ourselves constantly reforming ourselves so as to conform to its dictates. But will not stop there. We will work to transform the world, so that the world itself can become more and more just. This means, we must heal the damage done by injustice. If we do not, we will find ourselves promoting injustice through our neglect. This is why those who decry reparations for systematic injustices demonstrate how far they are from the hunger for justice which they should have, for they show us that they think there is a limit to what one should do for the sake of justice. They find themselves satisfied as the way things are, and so, they turn away from God who would have them work for even greater justices, even greater healing in the world. Instead of being blessed with God’s grace, they risk losing everything and entering into a state of woe:

“But woe to you that are rich, for you have received your consolation.

“Woe to you that are full now, for you shall hunger.

“Woe to you that laugh now, for you shall mourn and weep.

“Woe to you, when all men speak well of you, for so their fathers did to the false prophets” (Lk. 6:24-26 RSV).

Those who think there is an end to the pursuit for justice will reap the rewards of their injustice. Those who think they are full shall perish from malnourishment. They no longer feel any hunger from it, not because they are well nourished by it, but because they are starving. They confuse their lack of hunger pains with being well-fed, when in reality, it is the reverse. This is true, not only for us as particular persons, but for the church as a whole. While the church will always be given the graces it needs in order to provide the faithful the sacraments, this does not mean that the church cannot and will not experience woe if and when it no longer hungers for justice. There can be a famine within the church as there is without. This does not mean everyone in the church will suffer from it: for if the church as an institution abandons the pursuit for justice, this does not mean everyone within do so. Those who continue to hunger for it, those who continue to desire justice and do what they can for it, both within and outside the church, will experience the famine differently, as Origen explained:

So, accordingly, should a famine ever occur — let it stay away – for the whole Church, the just does not experience famine, for the intelligent person, engaged in reasoning, training, being concerned with the law of the Lord day and night, conducting himself according to the logos, enjoys spiritual nourishment as did Elijah, according to the story, in a time of famine. [2]

Those who hunger and thirst for justice will continue to be blessed. Their words and deeds will be the light and source of comfort in times of tribulation. They will not bow down and support injustices. They will survive. They will grow strong, and in and through them, God will be at work in the world. They will become rich in the graces of God, riches which they will then share with the world so as to help transform it and make it better. St. Basil understood this, which is why he wrote in a letter:

Do not bow down to power; do not despise poverty; but for those who are governed provide an exactness in your reckonings more exact than any scale. Thus your zeal for justice will be come evident to those who have put their faith in you, and they will admire you beyond all others. Or, even if it does escape their notice, it will not escape the notice of our God, who sets before us great prizes for our good works. [3]

If we become satisfied with what we have, then we will join in with the rest of those who have become satisfied; we will slowly grow hungry and starve. But it will not be instantaneous. As those who go hungry first feel hunger pains before they lose all sense of their hunger, so we will find, once we have abandoned our pursuit for justice, we will feel the pains of our inaction, and by it, we will be encouraged once again to pursue justice. Only if we ignore those pains, will we go into starvation mode and suffer without realizing our spiritual malnourishment.

We must not bow down and conform to those in power when those in power no longer thirst for justice. We must not look down upon the poor and needy, but rather, we must lift them up, knowing that involuntary poverty itself is a demonstration of injustice in the world. This is why so many willingly join in with those who are in such poverty, divesting themselves of their own wealth; they do this in order to make sure that their riches do not become an idol which turns them away from the pursuit of justice expected of them. Joining in with those in need, experiencing the hardships which they experience, of course, is not enough. We must listen to them. We must make sure their needs, not our own, are central. We must not push ourselves in front of them as if we are their saviors. We must not think, if we voluntarily join in with them, our experience is exactly like theirs; there is a big difference between voluntary and involuntary poverty, because voluntary poverty can be good if it is done as an act of justice, while involuntary poverty is never good as it is a demonstration of the injustice which must be overcome. This is why, once again, if we do some good, such as join in with those who are impoverished, we must not use that to think we have ended our pursuit for justice, but rather we should only see it as the beginning of our own journey. Being in solidarity with those who experience injustice should only help us make sure we do not become satisfied with what limited justice we have achieved. What is important is, as was said at the beginning, is that we hunger for justice, and through that hunger, work for justice. So long as we hunger for it, graces will come to us to help us grow in justice, and through those graces, we will find the blessings of Jesus come to fruition.

[1] St. Jerome, Commentary on Matthew. Trans. Thomas P. Scheck (Washington, DC: CUA Press, 2008), 76.

[2] Origen, Homilies on the Psalms: Codex Monacensis Graecus 314. Trans. Joseph W. Trigg (Washington, DC: CUA Press, 2020), 115 [Homily 3 on Psalm 36].

[3] St. Basil, “Letter 299” in Saint Basil: Letter. Volume 2 (186-368). Trans. Agnes Clare Way, CDP (New York: Fathers of the Church, 1955), 290-1.

 

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May 20, 2021

May 20, 2021 By

Thomas Hawk: Electric Chair in Blue / flickr

The bloodthirsty nature of many of those who call themselves pro-life reveals itself every time they defend the death penalty. They prove that they do not care about the dignity of life and its preservation. Their bloodlust does not allow them to think life is of inalienable value. Instead, they believe some have lost their right to life and should be put to death. It doesn’t matter if someone is innocent, if the supposed victims of an accused criminal plea for mercy, they want the right to kill, and they use the supposed justice system as the means to satisfy their lust for death. How else can one explain the lack of empathy when it is pointed out that many whose lives are snuffed out are later proven innocent? Scalia made it clear, the issue wasn’t about innocence, but following the letter of the law, proving Paul correct in saying it is the letter which kills (cf. 2 Cor. 3:6).

For this reason, it is not surprising that those who desire blood will do whatever it takes to satisfy their desire. If and when those who made the drugs used to execute people decide not to make them anymore, instead of seeing this as a sign that society as a whole does not want to promote death, those who promote capital punishment decide it is time to go back to more barbaric and cruel ways of execution, such as the use of the electric chair or firing squad. Thus, we see states making it clear, they will kill, and if need be, they will make the situation worse by having their victims choose how they should be executed. This is exactly what happened in South Carolina, where the governor signed into law guidelines which make sure no one would get in the way of the state’s bloodlust:

If execution by lethal injection under this section is determined and certified pursuant to subsection (B) to be unavailable by the Director of the Department of Corrections or is held to be unconstitutional by an appellate court of competent jurisdiction, then the manner of inflicting a death sentence must be by electrocution, unless the convicted person elects death by firing squad.[1]

While the revival of previous forms of execution are in themselves an indication of how mad our society has become, what is worse is that those who should know better, Christians, are among those promoting such actions. God is the God of life. Those who fight against life, those who cheapen life and think it is something easily taken away, take their stand against God. For God has made it clear that no one should repay evil with evil, death with death:

Repay no one evil for evil, but take thought for what is noble in the sight of all. If possible, so far as it depends upon you, live peaceably with all. Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God; for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.” (Rom. 12:17-19 RSV).

We are told that we should be kind, not cruel, for when we are cruel, we will hurt ourselves. “A man who is kind benefits himself, but a cruel man hurts himself” (Prov. 11:17 RSV). This is true, not only on a personal level, but for society as a whole. When society is cruel, it will also hurt itself.  For it will be promoting cruelty as a good, and in doing so, will perpetuate cruelty. The death penalty does not save the world from cruelty, it does not protect the world from violence, but rather, it perpetuates violence as it promotes and establishes violence as a good. Christians should know that the solution, the way out of the cycle of death and violence, is the promotion of restorative justice and mercy. This, after all, is the message of the Gospel: God became one of us to save us, not to condemn and destroy us for our sins. It is only a Satanic hate which would promote annihilation as the solution to sin.

Pope Francis preached that “every act of violence committed against a human being is a wound in humanity’s flesh; every violent death diminishes us as people.”[2]  Every time society engages violence, every time it attacks and kills someone when there are other, better options, society violates the dictates of justice and so wounds itself by promoting injustice over justice, especially if it calls such injustice, justice. How can society be stable when it cuts itself away from justice? It should be no surprise that those who embrace injustice become people of the lie, using all kinds of lies to justify further injustice, and when that does not work, they will use brute force to keep themselves in power. No society established or preserved by such means can last.

Society must reorient itself. It must promote life, helping those in need, helping the poor and the oppressed. It must recognize every life is of value, and no life should be needlessly snuffed out. Central to this reorientation is the rejection of the death penalty:

The firm rejection of the death penalty shows to what extent it is possible to recognize the inalienable dignity of every human being and to accept that he or she has a place in this universe. If I do not deny that dignity to the worst of criminals, I will not deny it to anyone. I will give everyone the possibility of sharing this planet with me, despite all our differences. [3]

So long as the death penalty is accepted, the value of life will be denied; but when it is rejected, then we begin to see society recognizing the value of all life, that no one is viewed as undeserving of basic rights. When life is truly appreciated, then things will change. The poor will not be mistreated for being poor; migrants and refugees will not be denied their rights; systematic structures of sin, such as those which underlie racism, will be taken down.

Christ has shown Christians the way. Sinners need to be healed. Justice needs to be restorative, not retributive. Punishment should work for the good of all, including, and especially, the good of the criminals. This is why Pope Benedict XVI told us prison reform is important: “Moreover, it is important to promote a development of the prison system which, as well as respecting justice, is increasingly adapted to the needs of the human person also by recourse to punishments alternative to imprisonment or to different forms of detention.”[4] Forgiveness must be possible; just as we like to be forgiven for what we have done, and the opportunity to change for the better, criminals must likewise be given that opportunity as well. It can even be given to those who do not yet ask for it because of their hardened heart: “If forgiveness is gratuitous, then it can be shown even to someone who resists repentance and is unable to beg pardon.”[5] This does not mean we will forget what has been done, because we will not; that is why we will  work for restorative justice, for in restoring the good which someone lost due to their sin, instead of snuffing out what good remains in them, we know they have done wrong and that something must be done to counter that wrong. But it also means we do not forget the good which remains, the good which serves as the foundation by which such restoration can be had, the good which is forgotten by those who know no mercy or worse, who are bloodthirsty and desire death.

“Refrain from anger, and forsake wrath! Fret not yourself; it tends only to evil”  (Ps. 37:8 RSV). We must as a society no longer accept vengeance and the anger which demands vengeance as the foundation for justice. We must forsake bloodlust and the wrath which it promotes. We must recognize the evil of such actions. We must no longer call such evil, good. We must recognize that those who follow through with their bloodlust, whether they are in positions of power and authority, or a part of the underclass, follows through with the same evil. The solution to that evil is not the promotion of further evil, but the greater good. Justice demands satisfaction, yes, but the satisfaction must be restorative, or else, all that will be established is further injustice as more and more people believe the lie that bloodlust is good and society as a whole will crumble away in its promotion of death.

[1] South Caroline General Assembly, Bill 200 (124th General Assembly, 2021-2022).

[2] Pope Francis, Address of Pope Francis at the Reconciliation Liturgy (9-8-2017).

[3] Pope Francis, Fratelli tutti. Vatican translation. ¶269.

[4] Pope Benedict XVI, Pastoral Visit to Rebibbia District Prison (12-18-2011).

[5] Pope Francis, Fratelli tutti. Vatican translation. ¶250.

 

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January 4, 2021

January 4, 2021 By

johnhain : Martin Luther King Jr / pixabay

It’s common for those criticizing social justice efforts to accuse those promoting social justice as being Marxists (either as socialists or as communists). Sometimes, various Marxists join in social justice causes, when the cause connects with a Marxist desire or objectives. But that doesn’t make social justice Marxist, for there are more than Marxists involved with social justice activities. Indeed, while they can work with Marxists for common goals, many involved in social justice activities nonetheless denounce Marxism as well, seeing Marxist ideology also gets many things wrong and would also end up promoting various forms of social injustice.

Those who engage social justice come from a wide variety of beliefs and practices. They can work together when they seek for a common goal, but when their goals diverge, they likewise, diverge from each other and go their separate ways. The fact that some of them are Marxists does not make them all Marxists, and indeed, if one examined what was being said and done by all those working together for a common cause, that would be made clear. The reasons they offer for doing what they do will differ. Yes, they will have some things in common, the same way a tank will have much in common with an automobile, but the differences, when investigated, will show how and why many engaging in social justice cannot credibly accused as being Marxists, even as an automobile cannot be credibly claimed as being a tank.

Those who enjoy unjust privilege in society, those who will be asked to put aside that privilege but do not want to do so, like to associate the whole of social justice with the Marxists, knowing the way people have been trained to fear Marxism without really knowing what Marxism is all about. Marxism has become a boogieman – accuse someone of being a Marxist (or socialist or communist), and that is enough for many to have them dismissed without giving them a hearing. Marxism is assumed to be totally and completely wrong, and anyone who is accused of being a Marxist, associating themselves with Marxists, must therefore also be rejected. If someone accused of being a Marxist denies it, their association with potential Marxists is seen as proof that they are lying, and are secretly Marxists. If only our education system taught people logic and logical fallacies, they would be able to detect the kinds of fallacies employed by such arguments, which would include but not be limited with guilt by association, poisoning the well, and  ad hominem.

Christians, because of the atheistic materialism associated with Marxism, cannot and will not agree with everything Marx and Marxists teach. They will, however, find many elements which they stand in agreement with Marxists, and this should not be a surprise, since Marxism borrowed much from Jewish and Christian traditions. Many of the criticisms, many of the issues, which Marxists raise, Christians can and should raise. Scripture is concerned with the plight of the poor and the oppressed. Jesus, in the Sermon on the Mount, solidified that concern. Jesus warned the rich that what unjust joys they have now can and will be taken from them. Those who are mistreated and ignored will be the first in the kingdom of God. The oppressed find God is by their side, and the oppressors either have to change their ways and repent, or they will suffer the consequences of their oppression. This is what promotes Christian engagement with social justice. Because the concerns Christ raised are similar with the concerns that Marxists raise, Christians should have no problem working with Marxists insofar as they raise those concerns together, and work on solutions which both sides think just. Marxist atheism, Marxist materialism, of course, will be denied, though even then, not all that Marxists say need to be considered wrong: many abuse religion and use it to oppress others and Christians should see that as a problem and work to correct it. Nonetheless, this would not make such Christians who do this as being Marxists, for they will still have fundamental differences with Marxists, differences which the Christians will make clear even when working with Marxists. Thus, when Martin Luther King Jr. acknowledged elements of Marxist criticism and worked with communists, he preached that Christians could not be communists:

Now, let us begin by answering the question which our sermon topic raises: Can a Christian be a communist? I answer that question with an emphatic “no.” These two philosophies are diametrically opposed. The basic philosophy of Christianity is unalterably opposed to the basic philosophy of communism, and all of the dialectics of the logician cannot make them lie down together. They are contrary philosophies.[1]

Martin Luther King Jr., despite making it clear that he could not and would not support communism because it diverted greatly from the Christian faith, nonetheless was constantly accused of being a communist. Thus, when FBI files concerning Martin Luther King Jr. were released, we find that this was indeed one of the claims being made about him:

It alleges that King’s political ideologies and the creation of his civil rights organization, the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, were heavily influenced by communists, specifically the Communist Party USA. The FBI document went into great detail about one of King’s most trusted advisers, Stanley Levison, a New York lawyer and businessman who served as a top financier for the Communist Party years before he met King in 1956.[2]

Here, we see the tactic used against social justice leaders was used against King. He was “influenced” by communists. He had close associates who were communists. So, it was easy to accuse him of being a communist, ignoring what he said and did to the contrary. He was critical of capitalism, like communists, so he must have been a communist. However, it is clear King’s response against capitalism was similar to that of his response against communism. He thought Christianity went beyond both, and to embrace one or the other would lead to grave problems in the world. Those who were challenged by his criticism of capitalism and the exploitation which took place under capitalist regimes found the easiest response was to accuse him of being a communist, ignore his words to the contrary (or claim he was lying), and hope that would be good enough to derail his pursuit for justice.

This tactic continues to be with us today. Within the Black Lives Matter movement, we find a diverse group of people, with diverse beliefs and practices. And yet, we see the movement as a whole as being labeled as a communist movement by its critics. They point out how some members of the Black Lives Matters movement connect themselves with Marxism, thereby equating everyone in the movement with Marxism.[3] But, as Tom Kertscher reported for PolitiFact, the movement is diverse, and what brings the people together is their rejection of racism and the oppression and abuse which follows such racism: “But the movement has grown and broadened dramatically. Many Americans, few of whom would identify as Marxists, support Black Lives Matter, drawn to its message of anti-racism.”[4]

Black Lives Matters transcends any individual person in the movement; it is about fighting for the dignity of the human person, of all human persons, by dealing with and fighting those who have suffered grave indignities, those whose lives have not been treated as if they mattered, because they were African Americans. Of course, those with privilege, those who fear justice, will demean the movement and call them Marxists because of Marxists within the movement, hoping that will derail the movement; but those who suffer injustice do not care about such ideological fights, and far from going away, they find every new instance of such injustice only fuels their desire for justice, recognizing that those who would stand in their way with false claims about the movement only act as oppressors normally act, justifying themselves through lies, proving the need for the movement itself.

Sadly, Christians, far from having a united front against social justice, find themselves fighting each other, some promoting social  justice, following Scripture and the Christian moral tradition, and others fighting against social justice, following privilege and the ideologies which they have been led to believe. Christians who speak out against racism, those who promote the objectives of Black Lives Matters, find themselves attacked as communists, just like Martin Luther King Jr. did, and their work is said to be too controversial to be supposed by Christian organizations. Thus, when Gloria Purvis showed her support to the objectives behind the Black Lives Matters movement, that is, to overturn and reject the place of racism in society, she found herself silenced, and accused of being a “leftist” or “Communist” because she promoted social justice. Her show was let go from EWTN, and those who resist social justice, rejoiced, saying she was too controversial, promoting “leftist policies like reparations….”

How did social justice, and with it, repairing the harm done by sin, become “leftist?” Christian theology teaches that those who sin must make restitution for what they have done. Reparation for sin is a part of the process of penance.  The Pontifical Council for Peace and Justice made this point in 2001:

As far as possible, reparation should erase all the consequences of the illicit action and restore things to the way they would most probably be if that action had not occurred. When such a restoration is not possible, reparation should be made through compensation (equivalent reparation). This is the most common form of reparation, but the calculation of the compensation is often difficult. When compensation does not suffice to make reparation for a moral injury, moral reparation can be made, that is satisfaction. An example of this is the offering of an apology or expression of regret to the victim State by the State responsible for the wrong. [5]

Pope Francis, likewise, stated the need for those who have sinned, those who have harmed others, to repent and help repair the harm they have done to the world; reconciliation is important, and we need to be able to come together and even forgive each other, but that forgiveness does not remove the need for reparations; rather reparation is included in reconciliation:

Let us renounce the pettiness and resentment of useless in-fighting and constant confrontation. Let us stop feeling sorry for ourselves and acknowledge our crimes, our apathy, our lies. Reparation and reconciliation will give us new life and set us all free from fear. [6]

Racism is a grave sin, a grave injustice. It destroys lives. It destroys the dignity of the human person. “Racism is a virus that quickly mutates and, instead of disappearing, goes into hiding, and lurks in waiting.”[7]  To confront racism, we must admit the harm it has done, the harm it continues to do. Then, we will recognize that to overcome racism, we must do more than stop people from overt racism, but also, we must fight hidden racism, systematic racism, which tries to keep the power structures formed by racism remain in power. We must truly heal the damage which racism has brought to the world. Those who reject the need for restitution for the crimes of racism, those who reject reparations, end up promoting racism, because they continue to support the privilege racism gives to those in power.

Catholic media, far from being silent on racism, far from being silent on systematic racism, far from being silent on the need for reparations in order to bring about a just society, needs to be at the forefront of the work for justice, working to help restore the dignity and livelihood which racism has taken away from many within society. Thus, Pope Francis, speaking to those involved with Catholic media, said:

We need media that can help people, especially the young, to distinguish good from evil, to develop sound judgments based on a clear and unbiased presentation of the facts, and to understand the importance of working for justice, social concord and respect for our common home. We need men and women of conviction who protect communication from all that would distort it or bend it to other purposes.[8]

Social justice, which includes confronting racism and healing the damage done by it, must be a part of the message given by Christian media. Instead of promoting outrageous claims of communism, socialism, or Marxism, against those who work for social justice, instead of firing those who follow Christ in promoting justice for the oppressed, Christian media must promote those who do such work and raise their voice further. When some Christian media source works to silence such voices and encourage disingenuous attacks on social justice, such media must be seen, not as working for Christ and Christ’s ways, but as an imposter, and indeed, as being the one who truly supports an anti-Christian ideology which must be rejected. Insofar as they fight against the teachings of the prophets, the teachings exemplified by the Sermon on the Mount, so-called Christian voices stand not with Christ, but against him, serving the spirit of the anti-Christ.

Christians must promote social justice. They must work with all those of good will, including those who hold positions contrary to their own, so long as doing so will work to promote the common good. This is how Christians should get things done in the world. They are not meant to flee the world and let it get worse; rather, they are expected to bring God’s grace to the world, helping to perfect it through that grace. That is, after all, what God did with the incarnation.

[1] Martin Luther King Jr, “Can a Christian Be A Communist? Sermon Delivered at Ebenezer Baptist Church” (9-30-1962). Found at: https://kinginstitute.stanford.edu/king-papers/documents/can-christian-be-communist-sermon-delivered-ebenezer-baptist-church

[2] Kristine Philips, “In The Latest JFK Files: The FBI’s Ugly Analysis On Martin Luther King Jr., Filled With Falsehoods,” in The Washington Post (11-4-2017).

[3] While it is true some suggested they were trained in Marxist thought, that is not the same as saying they were Marxists, let alone indicating the whole movement was Marxist.

[4] Tom Kertscher, “PolitiFact: Is Black Lives Matter a Marxist Movement?” in Tampa Bay Times (7-22-2020).

[5] Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace, “Contribution To World Conference Against Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia And Related Intolerance.” Vatican translation (Durban, 31 August – 7 September 2001). ¶12.

[6] Pope Francis, Fratelli tutti. Vatican translation. ¶97.

[7] Pope Francis, Fratelli tutti, ¶78.

[8] Pope Francis, “Message To The Catholic Media Conference Sponsored By The Catholic Press Association.” Vatican translation.  (6-30-2020).

 

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