Economic Justice for All...

There are two quotes that I wish to share with you today. There are from the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) Economic Justice for All written in 1986. As some of you may know, I have fallen into a tumultuous and passionate relationship with the writings of my Catholic Tradition. I was always able to dismiss these writings as having no bearing on me personally. They were written by men, who wear dresses, etc.-that might be a slight exaggeration, but certainly not far from the mark. Well, since coming to the SOT, I have not been able to dismiss so easily these writings. I am grateful for this transformation. I see God much more in the ambiguity that I encounter in this Church, the people, and the Traditions.

“Whenever our economic arrangements fail to conform to the demands of human dignity lived in community, they must be questioned and transformed.” §28.

and

“Every human person is created as an image of God, and the denial of dignity to a person is a blot on this image.” §40.

Economic Arrangements: The struggle that I continue to encounter is how to live, live when I am comfortable, others are not, and not be torn apart with guilt. Guilt is a funny animal. It serves as a reminder that there are inconsistencies. As some fellow classmates and I joked about in our Social Teachings class, we are learning about the poor, and taking notes on our brand new laptops. Is that a disconnect? Maybe, and maybe not. The computer can be seen as a tool of our trade. It makes sense to have a reliable system and method to ensure the best possible learning. Is it necessary? Well, most likely that is up to the person. It certainly added to the ease of my semester to have a laptop at my disposal.

The other part of the teaching that has been a struggle is the idea of not giving out of my excess, but rather, to give out of my means- what I have NOW! I can’t help but to think that Suze Orman would differ, (I can’t say for sure since I have not called into her show to know for sure…but…) It seems that I have been able to become commonplace about my own abilities to give, and can downplay my responsibility to give. After all, I am only a student! And yet…

One of the letters that I initially composed for the campaign I was working on, deals specifically with the quote from §40. The idea that we are able to continue to blot out our brothers and sisters, their needs and their hardships is a denial of God- again! It is to easy to think of sin and only put sin a context and frame of personal infractions, “I did this to God, I did this to someone who I know,…” How many times do I call into attention how I typically deny those I don’t know? Is this what solidarity means? Is this what it means to be in community with one another? Is it to be so aware of what others tragedies and hardships are that I am able to call into account how I contribute to this ongoing problem?

Obviously, I will not be able to answer these questions, not would I answer them in a blog-too personal, but I have been thinking about these types of questions more and more. On Monday, I will be attending the 2nd meeting of how to Organize within a small community. I am really excited about this!

Please continue to pray for transformation in each other!
(the photo was taken on the 5th anniversary of the workers strike at the Congress Hotel in Chicago- the signt says, "All religions believe in justice.")