The Church, in its desire to follow Christ and to live the gospel message, tells us that we must live in a state of constant conversion and never lose sight of the daily struggles of our brothers and sisters. In Acts, the apostles are more than clear about the fact that the presence of the risen Christ is directly related to the radical transformation of the economic system. In Acts 4, 34 we read, "the whole group of believers held all of their goods in common, and shared all of their resources, in a way that no one was ever in want." The Church continued the work began by the first community by doing charitable works such as setting up hospitals, homes for the aged, orphanages ... Many of the great saints were initiators of such charitable works : Martin of Tours, Vincent de Paul, Camille de Lellis, Jérôme Emilien, Elizabeth of Hungary, John of God, and the list goes on and on... Many of the apostolic congregations of sisters were founded to take up this challenge and to respond to the needs of the poor and the victims of injustice and violence.
The Church has continued to evolve with the times and has discovered new needs that call for new types of solidarities. These new ministries deal with contemporary issues such as helping people living with Aids, doing adult literacy training, setting up economic programs to help the marginalized, defending the rights of women and children, protecting the environment...
Little by little the Church is discovering that she must not only do things for the poor and the marginalized but that she must work with them... this is the greatest challenge that both the Church and the Order must face today, for it requires an act of deep conversion, a new mindset. We have no choice but to "let go" of our assistential mentality of charitable works if we are to be able to enter into true solidarity with our brothers and sisters in need. There is no other way to effectively live a life founded on Justice and Peace.
According to Church tradition, the Fathers of the Church of the 4th, 5th and 6th centuries, placed a great deal
of insistence on the fact that solidarity with the poor is the sign of the true disciple of Christ. They were often very
direct in their statements, which by the way, remain very meaningful for us today. The following are just a few of
the texts that are worthwhile reading again and again.
" In the beginning there was no sickness or death and the terrible words known as "yours" and "mine" were completely banished. Just as the sun and the air were common to all, so too was the grace of God, as was the praise of God's name. Everyone and everything was considered equal and offered freely for the good of all, the concept of greed was literally unknown." (Gregory of Nysse, homily on Ecclesiasticus).
"The earth was established for the good of all, rich or poor : why then do you, the rich, keep so many of these goods for yourself ? Nature makes no distinction between the rich and the poor... They are not your goods that you distribute to the poor, they are their goods, you are simply returning them to them. You are the only creatures who hoard for yourselves that which was meant for the use of all. The earth belongs to us all, it is not the property of the rich."(Ambrose of Milan, on Nabot).
"The bread that you keep for yourself belongs to the hungry. The cloaks hanging in your closets belong to those who have nothing to wear. The shoes you own belong to those who have none. The money you stash away belongs to those who are forced to live in miserable conditions. By your greed you oppress as many people as you could help." (Basil of Caesaria, Homily 6 against riches).
"Do not desacralize the world, but rather sanctify it by the sacrament of your brother. The Word was made flesh so that you and your brother/sister would be filled with the grace of the Risen One forevermore. Think of Jesus washing the feet of his disciples and how he humbled himself so that we could become one with Him. Put your brother/sister first and you will have life." (Ephrem the Syrian).
There are numerous texts we could use to inspire us in our desire to integrate the various aspects of development and peace into our life as Dominicans. You can find more references in the appendices to this workbook. It would be good to use these texts when saying the Office, when praying together as a group, during recollections and retreats ...
When initiating new members to the Fathers of the Church, make sure to include courses on the theme of Justice and Peace, on the place that occupy the poor (in the life of faith, hope and charity), on topics that touch upon our relationship with the poor and those in need and the respect we should have for creation and nature,
St. Thomas Aquinas left us with a certain number of texts on these topics.
We will be presenting more thoughts and insights from St. Thomas on the topic of Justice and Peace in Workbook # 4. |
 drawing by Br. Xavier |
The Magisterium in its " Social Doctrine " proposes a certain number of very important texts that could prove
helpful to us in our reflection, and move us to some form of action. If we are to be faithful to the Church, then we
must take seriously these and the other documents produced by the Church leadership.
There have been many texts written by the Church on the question of Social Doctrine in the last 100 years, and if we study them closely we will realize that there are a certain number of key ideas that keep recurring...
- The very close relationship between the religious and the socio- economic components of life. (Gaudium et Spes)
- The person should be at the center of all societal organization. (Pacem in Terris)
- The political and economic rights of both men and women are inalienable. (Pacem in Terris).
- It is our right to participate in politics. (Redemptoris Hominis).
- The exercise of power should be as decentralized as possible, taking into account the principle of subsidiarity. (Quadragesimo Anno)
- We should manifest a preferential love for the poor. (Octogesima Adveniens)
- Love and justice go together. (Gaudium et Spes)
- It is our duty to promote peace through justice. (Pacem in Terris)
- We must strive for the common good at all times. (Mater et Magistra)
- The earth belongs to all people, we are all " co-creators. " (Laborem Exercens)
- Wealth should be distributed in an equitable fashion and work should take precedence over profits and technology. ( Laborem Exercens )
- We should think globally and strive to bring about a more just international order by developing international solidarity. (Populorum Progressio, Solicitudo Rei Socialis)
- Development is not the equivalent of economic growth : it is a matter of holistic growth in that allows for the fulfillment of all individuals and groups. (Populorum Progressio, Sollicitudo Rei Socialis).
You will find other key ideas from the Encyclicals in the appendices to this workbook.
" Social Doctrine " is an area in which we have to become more competent and skilled, if we are to transmit this knowledge to others, meaning not only to our brothers and sisters, but to all Christians and decision-makers. The latter have little in the way of points of reference to help them deal with the responsibilities they carry in the socio-economic and political spheres.
Social Doctrine could be :
- - taught to non-specialized members of the public who are searching to give meaning to their professional activities.
- - transmitted within the framework of initial formation, in the modules dealing with morals, with special insistence on the social repercussions.
- - studied during the novitiate, as a follow-up to the vow of poverty and the place of the Church in the world,
- - transmitted within the framework of initial formation, in the modules dealing with morals, with special insistence on the social repercussions.
In the appendices. you will find modules of formation that suggest ideas for integration of Social Doctrine into the formation program.
- In these contributions it would be important to insist on specific themes that require a more in-depth theological reflection such as:
- the ideological function of Social Doctrine,
- the place of the economy in our personal and social life,
- the role of the state and of the financial market,
- the dynamics of politics,
- the status of conflict and of contradictions...
- the place of the economy in our personal and social life,
The lack of specific references, particularly to the realities of business and political strategies, is a weak point which often becomes a stumbling block for decision-makers when it comes to taking seriously the documents produced by the Magisterium. This proves that the Church must undertake a serious process of inculturation if it is to be relevant to the world today.
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