“Why do you write in your column about all that political stuff?” one woman asked me. “Shouldn’t you be writing about religion?” My answer to that question is that I make no distinction between social justice and religion.
The Gospels are full of demands for justice as well as charity. The staff has been studying Fr. Ron Rolheiser’s book The Holy Longing. Rolheiser names the four essentials, the non-negotiables, of Christian discipleship: (a) private prayer and private morality; (b) social justice; (c) mellowness of heart and spirit; and (d) community as a constitutive element of true worship.
For the last century, since Pope Leo XIII’s social encyclical of 1870, the need to practice social justice has been growing as an important component of Catholic spirituality. Social justice, or its absence, helps define you as Catholic. However, save for a few exceptions, this imperative never lodged itself as centrally within the heart of Catholic spirituality as did the devotional and sacramental elements.
Social justice is by its nature controversial. We don’t all agree, even with the Bishops or the leading theologians of our time, on the best solutions to our social problems. Some ask why should the Church get involved in political issues like economics, poverty, universal health care, immigration and human rights? Why doesn’t the church stay where it is supposed to stay and teach us about faith, prayer, the Ten Commandments and the real things of religion? Isn’t social justice, after all, something that a small group of liberation theologians with their leftist hangups are trying to foist on the rest of the church? Or, on the other side of the coin, is opposition to social justice something that radical conservatives with their right- wing hang-ups are bracketing from Catholic spirituality? Both sides are wrong.
An imbalance can occur in the life of a very sincere and faith-filled person if he or she brackets something that is essential within the spiritual life. If social justice, a major component of Christian discipleship, is lacking in our lives, we don’t have a balance. Instead, we have a one-sided faith.
In my columns I present the thoughts of the Bishops and Christian theologians on social justice topics. I am not so much seeking agreement as I am seeking to provoke thought.
Rice Bowl: It was indeed a very good year. Contributions to the Lenten Rice Bowl program were $3,945. That was the result of the Friday Soup Suppers and donations to the family Rice Bowls. Thank you to all the families who made Rice Bowl part of their Lenten journey. A separate contribution to Catholic Relief Services was $1,730.
50+ Plus Friends This is a group age 50 and over, plus their friends of any age. We meet for social activities and service projects. This year our service projects are Sock it to Homelessness, (collecting new men’s white socks so that homeless people will have a clean dry pair of socks to wear) and Warm for Winter, (collecting hand knit or fleece hats and scarves for homeless people). The Knit and Chat Group is also working on Warm for Winter. In early December the 50+ Plus Friends will wrap sets of hats and scarves to be given as Christmas gifts to Bishop Lewis House and Ratcliff House. The remainder of the hats and scarves will go to Lazarus Day Center.
50+Plus Friends Schedule for 2011-12 June 21 - Western Barbecue
Steering Committee members are: Pat C., Sandy G., Ken L., Pat L. and Marge V. Staff support: Frances Davis. The Steering Committee meets at 2 pm on the first Wednesday in the Parish Office Conference room. All are welcome. Your input is appreciated.
50+ Plus Friends Luncheons -We are gathering on the 3rd Thursday of the month this year, rather than the 1st Thursday.
April was Child Abuse Prevention Month. We have a responsibility to care for and protect the most vulnerable in our community. Be watchful for any suspected abuse or boundary violations. Respond immediately by protecting the vulnerable, reporting abuse and getting help for the victim. Be an active and engaged member of the community who is committed to keeping kids safe!
For information about abuse prevention classes, reporting abuse or other resources, please see the Safe Environment Program at http://www.seattlearchsep.org/ or call (206) 274-3188.
Rachel’s Corner Hope and Healing After Abortion Some women experience depression after an abortion. Symptoms of post-abortion trauma can also include intense grief, regret, despair, lowered self-esteem, nightmares, alcohol and drug abuse, and preoccupation with becoming pregnant again.
Come experience God’s healing touch on a Rachel’s Vineyard Retreat™. Call Valerie: 1-800-822-HOPE (4673) Project Rachel is a program of Catholic Community Services.
Volunteers who bring salads and desserts for funerals or other events, please pick up your dishes. Donna F. can arrange to be in Unity after Mass. Her number is 433-8547. Thank you!
The Outreach Office requeststhat in the future, donations of clothing be taken to St. Vincent de Paul on 1st Avenue S in Burien. The folks there will take it right out of your car and handle it for you. Hospitality House has an overstock of clothing at the present time. Leaving clothing donations at the church ends up being too much of a good thing. I have to find a way to get them to the St. Vincent de Paul store. Hospitality House does not need toiletries or shampoo, but I can route those items to St. Martin de Porres, Lazarus Day Center or Operation Nightwatch. Hospitality House does need Metro bus tickets, laundry products and paper products., so those are ways to remember them. Thank you.
ST. VINCENT DE PAUL seeks some generous souls to help people in need. It involves giving 2-3 hours a week in service, as a team member. We make home and telephone visits. If you’d like to become a Vincentian, please call the parish office and leave your name and number. Thank you!
Catholic Social Teaching Archbishop Desmond Tutu reflects on the human dignity of each person as reflected in the other
As a created and precious child of God I have been blessed with a great sense of dignity. Recognizing that we are all created as sisters and brothers belong to a common humanity, leads us to treat one another with respect. Our sense of dignity is affirmed when our uniqueness is recognized and valued by thosearound us, as we all become global citizens.
Africans have something called Ubuntu. It captures the essence of being human. It embraces hospitality, caring about others, being able to go the extra mile for the sake of others. We believe that a person is a person through another person; that my humanity is caught up, bound up, inextricably, with yours. Respecting a person takes account of their feelings and experiences; their social situation; their ethnic, religious, and sexual identity, though they may be very different from my own.
The practice of Ubuntu demands an open-mindedness that celebrates difference, recognizing the validity of others’ circumstances and experiences. It recognizes the uniqueness of each person and looks for the image of God in the other.
- Most Reverend Desmond Tutu, Archbishop Emeritus of Cape Town
From Archdiocesan Missions Office
Take ACTION! - Protect our Poor and Vulnerable Brothers and Sisters
The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops urges Congress and the Administration to protect programs for poor and vulnerable persons during deficit reduction negotiations. What you can do:
Urge the Administration & Congress to give priority to poor and vulnerable persons in the negotiations to reduce the deficit. Fiscal responsibility is important and our current budget deficit must be addressed; however, a just framework for future budgets cannot rely on disproportionate cuts in essential services to poor persons. A balanced approach requires shared sacrifice by all, including raising adequate revenues, eliminating unnecessary spending, and addressing the long-term costs of health insurance and retirement programs fairly.
Urge Congress and the Administration to consider these moral criteria to guide their budgetary decisions:
1. Every budget decision should be assessed by whether it protects or threatens human life and dignity.
2. A central moral measure of any budget proposal is how it affects “the least of these” (Matthew 25). The needs of those who are hungry and homeless, without work, or in poverty should come first.
3. Government and other institutions have a shared responsibility to promote the common good of all, especially ordinary workers and families who struggle to live in dignity in difficult economic time.
Mother Teresa “I have come more and more to realize that being unwanted is the worst disease that any human being can ever experience. Nowadays we have found medicine for leprosy and lepers can be cured. There’s medicine for TB and consumptives can be cured. But for being unwanted, except there are willing hands to serve and there’s a loving heart to love, I don’t think this terrible disease can be cured.” Mother Teresa of India.
Do you have willing hands and a loving heart for the elderly? Friend To Friend matches volunteers to visit one-on-one with residents in local nursing homes, who seldom or never have visitors. Call 1-888-FTF-7818 or email for more information. Website:www.friendtofriendamerica.org
St. Francis of Assisi Parish
15226 21st Avenue SW | Burien, WA 98166
Parish (206) 242-4575 | School (206) 243-5690
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