Parish Social Ministry

Reflections and thoughts for your consideration based on the social teachings of the church for:

Reflections for the Seventeenth Sunday in Ordinary Time   July 29, 2018 
Catholic Social Teaching: Option for the Poor and Vulnerable.

A basic moral test us how our most vulnerable members are faring. In a society marred by deepening divisions between rich and poor, our tradition recalls the story of the Last Judgment (Mt. 25:31-46) and instructs us to put the needs of the poor and vulnerable first.
 
Large numbers of people in our world suffer from some form of “food insecurity.”  For many reasons too many people are going hungry.  At the same time, in our world as a whole, there is no shortage of food. The challenge is that many people don’t have the means to buy the food they need or to raise their own food.
 
Our religious faith invites us to address this problem.  Many of our churches support food pantries or soup kitchens.  Many groups work to share food with those in need in other parts of the world.
 
Our faith also invites us to address the issues in the world that cause people to be hungry.  We are called to work together to address issues that keep people hungry -- issues like monetary policy, trade rules, land reform, sweatshops, working conditions, the rights of farm workers, the role of women in agriculture, the role of large corporations and governments in food policies, the state of our ecology, and many others issues. We believe that all of our institutions and rules must put people first and allow all people to have access to enough food.
 
The scriptures today remind us of God’s desire for all people to share in the bounty of food produced in our world. In the stories about Elisha and Jesus, everyone ends up with more than enough to eat.  The problem in our world is not one of scarcity but of distribution.  There is enough for all.  The miracle of the scriptures is a miracle of sharing – a miracle of distribution – a miracle of justice for the whole community of hungry people. With the vision of Paul in the second reading, we are invited to make real the call to be “one body and one Spirit.”

Eighteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time                 August 5, 2018
Catholic Social Teaching:  Option for the Poor and Vulnerable
A basic moral test is how our most vulnerable members are faring.  In a society marred by deepening divisions between rich and poor, our tradition recalls the story of the Last Judgment (Mt. 25:31-46) and instructs us to put the needs of the poor and vulnerable first.
 
In the Exodus story God provides food for the people of Israel.  God is concerned about the needs of the people.  Concern for the poor and the hungry is an essential element of Catholic Social Teaching.  Our concern is especially focused on the basic needs of those who are most vulnerable.
 
In the letter to the Ephesians, the people are reminded that they are called to renewal – to put away ‘old corrupting desires’ and to live in a new spirit from Christ.  To build on the first reading, we are called to something more than fulfilling our own desires or our own personal needs.  We are called to a common concern for the excluded and those in need.  St. Paul explains why we should act as we do. He writes to a community that struggles with its faith.  Why not? They are not only surrounded by those who do not believe but also by those who, just like they, hear the gospel message and refuse to put their faith in what is preached to them.  They need that encouragement, but they, like us, need to be reminded of the presence of the Father, Son, and Spirit in everyone who believes.
 
In the gospel story the people search for Jesus and finally find him on the other side of the lake.  Jesus points out their desire for food and calls them to something more than just free food.  God desires to satisfy our need for essential things life food, but also desires to give us “a bread that gives life to the world.”  God wants to empower people.   God wants people to create a world where all people have enough to eat and all share their food with others in dignity and respect.  God calls us to act as if our world is a “common home.” God wants us to be a communion or community.  Eating a world of justice and of healthy social structures and relationships is essential to Catholic Social Teaching.
 
Nineteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time                August 12, 2018
Catholic Social Teaching:  Call to Family, Community, and Participation
We believe people have a right and a duty to participate in society, seeking together the common good and well-being of all, especially the poor and vulnerable.
 
Each of the scriptures today can be applied to our challenging efforts to live out the social teachings of our faith in our contemporary world, as we struggle for economic justice, world peace, and common good. Each of the scriptures calls us to have hope in the midst of the challenges and to be unafraid of getting into action.
 
Elijah has been following the commandments of God and speaking up for what is right and now he is in trouble.  King Jezebel wants to kill him.  Elijah seems to be overwhelmed, tired and discouraged.  He wants to die.  In some way, his situation is analogous to that of so many women and men who struggle to work for justice and peace in the world and encounter “failure” or opposition.  In some way, his situation is analogous to that of so many people who are overwhelmed by underemployment or unemployment or by the deteriorating condition of our environment.  In the midst of complex social problems that are hard to “fix,” we can feel overwhelmed and get discouraged.  We may be criticized.  In speaking up for what is right, we can encounter opposition, threats and even death.
 
However, in the letter to the Ephesians, we are reminded that, “All bitterness, fury, shouting, and reviling must be removed from you, along with all malice.”  Both the first reading and the gospel, talk about divine “bread” and nourishment for the journey.  Elijah gets a hearth cake and a jug of water and then is able to complete the journey to the mountain of God.  Jesus promises to be the “living bread” which is “for the life of the world.”  God wants to strengthen us for the journey.
 
In order to be faithful and to put our faith into practice, we need to be supported by our God.  We need the support and challenge of a community of believers.  In the Christian tradition this is made real in the celebration of the Eucharist – where we receive the “bread of life.”  When the church is at her best, her social ministry flows out from the Eucharist, for as Jesus says,”…the bread that I will give is my flesh for the life of the world.”  We are not alone as we strive to put our faith into action in the pursuit of justice.
 
Twentieth Sunday in Ordinary Time                  August 19, 2018
Catholic Social Teaching:  Call to Family, Community, and Participation
We believe people have a right and a duty to participate in society, seeking together the common good and well-being of all, especially the poor and vulnerable.
 
Proverbs uses wisdom languages to talk about God. The U.S. Bishops remind us that “the Church’s social teaching is a rich treasure of wisdom about building a just society and living lives of holiness amidst the challenges of modern society.” As we celebrate the wisdom that comes from God and the wisdom that is God, we will not want to forget the communal and social parts of this wisdom and strive to put that wisdom into action.
 
We must keep in mind as we listen to Paul’s words to the Ephesians:  “Watch carefully how you live, not as foolish persons but as wise, making the most of the opportunity.”  Now is the time to connect our faith to the world.  Now is the time to live out this call to nonviolence, justice, and care for one another.  Now is the time for the people of the world to work together for the common good.
 
In today’s gospel, some in the community miss what Jesus is getting at and end up quarreling about the literal meaning of the words.  Thus they miss the major transforming message of Jesus.  Jesus is about nourishing people with a new spirit and giving us all something new, transformative, and powerful.  The wisdom of Jesus is not an esoteric religious message, but one with a powerful social meaning to heal and transform our world with all of its problems and issues.  Jesus offers the wisdom and grace to do this.
 
Again, with the reminder that Jesus gives us at the end of today’s Gospel reading, we see that this is not only part of God’s plan for humanity but that these gifts have been offered down through the ages, and now we are called, once again, to accept the invitation to God’s heavenly banquet.  We are truly people of hope.
 
Twenty-First Sunday in Ordinary Time             August 26, 2018
Catholic Social Teaching:  Life and Dignity of the Human Person
We believe that every person is precious, that people are more important than things, and that the measure of every institution is whether it threatens or enhances the life and dignity of the human person.
 
In today’s reading from Joshua, the people are called to renew their commitment to God.  God is identified as the God who liberated them from slavery and led them to freedom.  In the gospel, Peter and the others stay with Jesus precisely because he ahs been a source of life for them.  Jesus has liberated them and given them a new life.  This recommitment to liberation is still needed today as we deal with many situations of injustice.
 
St. Paul, in his Letter to the Ephesians, has been admonishing and encouraging the members of the community to live lives of exemplary holiness.  He uses the relationship we have with Jesus as the foundation for the way we should live our lives.  “Man and woman have the same dignity and are of equal value, not only because they are both, in their differences, created in the image of God, but even more profoundly because the dynamic of reciprocity that gives life to the ‘we’ in the human couple, is an image of God.  In a relationship of mutual communion, man and woman fulfill themselves in a profound way, rediscovering themselves as persons through the sincere gift of themselves.
 
The gospel calls all of us to show mutual care and respect to one another.  This must be present in any healthy marriage or other committed relationship.  This mutual love and respect must also extend to relationships between nations and other groups of people.  It must be reflected in the structures and rules of our society.

---Education for Justice   Lectionary Reflections   By: Fr. John Bucki, S.J.

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