 Living the Gospel in today's society |
Issue 116 |
Asking Why, Speaking Out
Human beings are social in nature. They choose to live in communities where each person can make a contribution to help support others and that when required, others in the community can support the individual. Thus each individual has rights and responsibilities that go with living in a community or society. Each person has the right to be treated with dignity. Every person has a right to the basic necessities required to lead a decent life. This includes the right to adequate food, clothing, housing, medical and social services as well as education for each person. And yet as we look around us we see that this is not the case. We must as human beings ask why.
If the world were a village of 1000 people:
-
500 would have to walk two hours to the nearest telephone.
-
335 would not have had the chance to learn to read or write.
-
333 would not have safe, clean drinking water.
-
330 would be children. Only half of these children would have been immunised against preventable diseases like polio and measles.
-
28 babies would be born, 2 of these babies will die within the year.
-
3 people will die due to lack of food this year.
-
3 people will be refugees fleeing war or drought.
-
70 would own cars.
-
1 would have a computer.
-
200 people receive 75% of the village income.
-
200 other people receive only 2% of village income.
For those of us who have absorbed the message of the social nature of human beings and our responsibility to support one another our response consists of three steps:
-
Observe the facts, know the reality.
-
Use our skills and moral framework to make judgments on what we observe.
-
Plan a realistic and effective strategy for action to change what we judge to be unjust.
This will be more than a service response but will also include a plan to address the causes of the injustice. Ask why then speak out.
Ask Why:
-
The United States is spending $A200 million on the Iraq war when the same amount could have fully funded global anti hunger efforts for 6 years or fully funded world-wide AIDS programs for 14 years.
-
No official statistics are published about the number of Iraqis killed in the war (believed to be at least 20,000) but the number of American soldiers killed is published (over 1800).
-
The top 3 billionaires have assets greater than the combined incomes of all the least developed countries and their 600 million people.
-
A European cow gets subsidies worth 157 times what the European Union gives to each African.
-
1.2 billion people live on less than $1 a day.
-
800 million people go to bed hungry each night.
-
28,000 children die every day due to poverty.
-
9.2 million people have sought protection in neighbouring countries as refugees.
-
Australia is the only country in the OECD not to substantially increase aid so that the Millennium Development goals can be reached. The government promised in 2000 to increase foreign aid to 0.7% of national income. It currently stands at 0.28%. Other countries pledged to double aid to the poorest countries after the recent G8 leaders meeting. This contrasts to the fact that Australian citizens are some of the most generous in terms of private donations to assist the poor of our world.
-
Indigenous Australians die on average, 20 years younger than non-Indigenous Australians i.e. their life expectancy is equal to or worse than that for people in countries like Nigeria and Bangladesh.
-
Indigenous Australian babies are twice as likely to die as non-Indigenous babies.
-
One and a half million Australians live in poverty, including one in eight children.
-
Over 100,000 Australians are homeless.
-
Muslim women wearing the hijab are afraid to walk their children to school for fear of being spat on, abused or ridiculed.
The theme for Social Justice Sunday in 2005 is Jesus- Light for the World. When we look at the world we see it more clearly bathed in the light of Jesus' teaching and example. Jesus' message was one of the creation of a kingdom of justice and peace, where those that hungered and thirsted after justice would be blessed, where the good news would be delivered to the poor, where those that were oppressed would be set free, where those that were afflicted would be comforted and supported, where we would express our love for our neighbour through practical action like the Good Samaritan did. Living the Gospel in today's society means seeing what is happening in our world through the framework of Jesus' teaching and acting against the injustices that we see. We cannot close our eyes or look the other way otherwise we are closing our eyes to the light.
September 25 th is Social Justice Sunday
The Australian Catholic Bishops Conference Statement for Social Justice Sunday can be ordered at www.socialjustice.catholic.org.au/
Religion
Often we feel envious when people receive something that we don't or we feel a sense of injustice when one group apparently receives more favorable treatment than another. Asylum seekers who arrive in Australia are even locked up for months or years so that it does not appear that they are getting more favorable treatment than the millions of refugees applying for resettlement in camps in places like Sudan. This is an explanation given by the government to justify the harsh treatment of asylum seekers in Australia.
1) Read the parable of the Workers in the Vineyard in Matthew's Gospel, Chapter 20.
- What message do you think that Jesus is giving us in regard to the justice of this?
- Do we begrudge assistance for disadvantaged groups that we don't get?
- What does the parable tell us about "downward envy"?
- Explore the difference between "equality" and "equity".
2) Jesus' central message was about love. Love of God and love of neighbour. Read the first letter of John Chapter 3, verses 15 - 19.
- What does this passage mean for the way a follower of Jesus should live?
- What does this passage tell us about how central issues of social justice should be for Christians?
3) Read Matthew Chapter 12, verses 9 - 13 where Jesus cures a man on the Sabbath. Here Jesus apparently breaks the religious law of his time in order to do good.
- Are there examples in history or at the present time when the law must be questioned in order to do good? The anti- slavery movement for example or anti-war protests. Research one of these and present your findings to the class.
- Do Jesus' teachings and actions highlight the difference between the law and justice? c) Find examples in the Gospels where Jesus shows that following the letter of the law is not always the right thing to do.
4) 2005 is the year of the Eucharist. Eucharist is centred around a meal of bread and wine. It includes breaking of the bread and sharing it. In part it symbolises our connection to one another: as a family might be connected in the sharing of a meal.
- As we celebrate Eucharist, what are our responsibilities to those who go hungry?
- What are our responsibilities to those who feel excluded in our world?
- What does the Eucharist tell us about our responsibility to one another?
- If we love our neighbour can we ever feel comfortable while they are suffering injustice or oppression?
5) Go to www.cafod.org.uk/resources/schoolsteachers/
factsheets/justice_and_the_eucharist_ks3_ks4 for more ideas on the connection between Eucharist and justice.
6) Go to www.caritas.org.nz/school/activities/cst.htm for an on line activity which focuses on the principles of Catholic Social Teaching. (Suitable for upper primary students).
7) Go to www.caritas.org.au/education/mph.htm for liturgy ideas as well as powerpoint presentations which highlight the Make Poverty History Campaign. These are useful resources to explain the issues as well as to motivate students to action.
8) Research one social justice issue mentioned in the article above and present your findings to the rest of the class. Visit the archives of OzSpirit for more information at www.ozspirit.com/archives.html
9) Discuss the following quote: "Every man for himself," said the elephant as he danced among the chickens. - Charles Dickens.
- Who might the elephant represent in our world?
- Who do the chickens represent?
- Is the elephant acting in a just way?
10) Resources to support the Social Justice Sunday Statement can be accessed at www.acsjc.org.au/index.shtml including liturgy notes and teachers' notes.
11) More ideas and information for Social Justice Sunday can be accessed at www.ncca.org.au/departments/social_justice
_network/documents_and_statements/
social_justice_sunday_05
1) Go to www.ncca.org.au/__data/page/1735/
2006_SJS_resource_06-07.pdf to read about some of the pressing issues on the social justice agenda. This draws together biblical and theological perspectives with the Christian commitment to social justice. There is an interesting reflection on the "prosperity theology" that is current. Refer to the Dickens quote above as well. Discuss in your group how it may be tempting to believe that we somehow "deserve" our good fortune. In what way are the more fortunate in our world like the dancing elephant who expects the chickens to be able to look after themselves just as he is?
2) Go to www.parra.catholic.org.au/Bishop/
Letters-Arch/05june-letters.htm to read an example of how one of the Catholic Bishops is speaking out to remind people of the social aspect of Christian teaching. The current debate about the proposed changes to Industrial Relations laws are put into a Christian context. Can we separate the mission of the Church to transform society in accordance with Catholic Social Teaching from politics? Is the act of not commenting/protesting a political act?
3) Go to www.smh.com.au/news/world/iraq-the-
most-expensive-war-in-60-years-reportsays/
2005/08/31/
1125302633906.html to read about the cost of the Iraq war. "The real cost is not just the dollar cost but the cost of lost opportunity for the good that this money may have done if spent in other ways." Discuss.
4) Participate in the Make Poverty History campaign. Contact your local Member of Parliament to express your support and to suggest that Australia follows the lead of all the other OECD countries in increasing their overseas aid commitment so that the Millennium Development Goals will have a real chance of being achieved.
5) Go to www.osjspm.org/cst/cst.ppt to view a presentation on Catholic Social Teaching and how it cannot be separated from our essential Catholicity. Working for social justice is not an optional extra.
6) Take part in: HREOC PROJECT - VOICES AUSTRALIA
The National Rugby League (NRL) have joined forces with the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission to tackle racism head on through their support for 'Voices of Australia' - a project to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the Racial Discrimination Act. The aim of 'Voices of Australia' is to encourage greater understanding and friendship between people of different backgrounds through sharing the stories of their experiences. NRL stars from diverse cultural backgrounds share their real life stories. You can read your NRL stars' stories and tell your own by logging onto www.humanrights.gov.au/voices. Selected stories will be placed online for all to read.
Email voices@humanrights.gov.au or call (02) 9284 9829.
7) Become involved in the National Justice Festival. The National Justice Festival 2006 brings together young adults who share an interest in helping to make our world a place of peace and justice. It is a chance for them to explore the links between their faith, life and social justice issues in a fun festival environment. The details are below.
Date : Wednesday 11th - Sunday, 15th January 2006
Location: Ballarat, Victoria
Theme: 'What If ....? Justice Is Possible'
Hosts: Marist Brothers & Marist Young Adult Ministry
More information: www.myam.org.au
email: njf@maristmelb.org.au