Tonight’s instructor preferred a more intimate setting and asked us to gather our chairs into a small circle. This always makes me cringe, even though we're a small group and I like the other people in my class; and despite my initial discomfort and the fact that I couldn't take notes on my tablet, I did learn something important. It turns out that like a lot of people, I suppose, I've confused social justice with charity. Wikipedia defines Social Justice as "justice exercised within society, particularly as it is exercised by and among the various social classes of that society". Not much help there, but it goes on to say that "A socially just society is based on the principles of equality and solidarity, understands and values human rights, and recognizes the dignity of every human being", which is much more helpful. Charity on the other hand is defined by Wikipedia as "the practice of benevolent giving and caring", and "the Christian theological concept of unlimited love and kindness". The Hebrew concept literally means righteousness (Genesis 18:19) but is commonly used to signify giving to worthy causes or people in need". Even within Islam, the concept of mandatory and voluntary alms-giving is often translated as "charity".
In general, Catholic Social Teaching is a body of doctrine developed by the Catholic Church on matters of poverty and wealth, economics, social organization and the role of the state, which means that Catholic Social Teaching relates to matters dealing with the collective aspect of humanity. In particular, Jesus taught that on the Day of Judgment God will ask what each person did to help the poor and needy: "Amen, I say to you, whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me." One of the foundational principles is the sanctity of all human life and the inherent dignity of every human person. Specifically, we believe that through words, prayers, and deeds we must show compassion for and solidarity with the poor; but what does that really mean?
We've all heard or read that "The moral test of any society is how it treats its most vulnerable members", which brings most people back to the idea of charity; but this is not Social Justice. Social Justice may be based "on the concepts of human rights and equality" and it may "involve a greater degree of economic egalitarianism through progressive taxation, income redistribution, or even property redistribution"; but this is not Social Justice. Various policies may aim to achieve what developmental economists refer to as "more equality of opportunity than may currently exist in some societies, or to manufacture equality of outcome in cases where incidental inequalities appear in a procedurally just system"; but this is not Social Justice. If charity is feeding someone a fish, then you might think that social justice is teaching someone how to fish, but that's not right either. According to Pope John Paul II, the foundation of Social Justice rests on the concepts of human dignity, solidarity and subsidiarity. These concerns echo elements of Jewish law and the prophetic books of the Old Testament and recall the teachings of Jesus Christ recorded in the New Testament.
What I learned in tonight's class is that Social Justice isn't an action, like giving someone a fish or even teaching them how to fish, it's first and foremost an attitude. Pause here for a moment, and re-read Jesus' declaration, "Amen (or truly), I say to you, whatever you have done for one of these least brothers of Mine, you have done for Me". We've all heard or read this too, many times, but I think we're missing something very important. Jesus is directly connecting our treatment of Him in how we treat others: He isn't saying "it's like you treated me that way", or "what if you treated me that way", but rather He is saying "this is how you are treating me". While the action of social justice is charity, the attitude of social justice is solidarity. Jesus is intimately connected with everyone, especially the poor and disadvantaged, in a truly personal and deeply felt way. If we are to understand what Jesus is trying to teach us we must learn to connect with others (especially the poor and disadvantaged) in this same way. We are all called to love our neighbor as our self because (as I've said before) "we are them and they are us"! It may not be necessary to "give everything you have to the poor" but we must "follow" His example. We must recognize the dignity of every human person and become one with those less fortunate, whoever they are and wherever they are, internalizing their struggle in a personal heartfelt way.
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