Charity, Social Justice, and Catholic Social Teaching Themes Learning Goals Success Criteria 1) Understand and apply the Catholic Social Teaching themes and connect them to the world we live in 1) Able to identify examples of the themes in lyrics (i.e. Shad song), and/or children’s storybooks

Charity VS. Social Justice Charity is social service. Social Justice is social change. Charity provides direct services like food, clothing, shelter. Social Justice works to change unjust structures and organizations. Charity is directed at the effects of injustice. Social Justice is directed at the root causes of injustice. Charity is often private, individual acts. Social Justice is often public, group actions. Examples: homeless shelters, food banks, clothing drives, money donations. Examples: working to change laws, changing policies and practices of companies or governments

Catholic Social Teachings (CST) 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. Modern Catholic social teaching has been articulated through a tradition of papal, conciliar, and episcopal documents. In these brief reflections, we highlight several of the key themes that are at the heart of our Catholic social tradition.

The 7 Themes of Catholic Social Teaching Life and Dignity of the Human Person Participation: The Call to Family and Community Rights and Responsibilities Option for the Poor and Vulnerable Dignity of Work and Rights of Workers Solidarity Care for God’s Creation

Life and Dignity of the Human Person ALL human beings have dignity because they are made in the image of God and are all loved by God. Nothing can take away this fundamental dignity, not even his/her worst actions. Human life is sacred and the dignity of the human person is the foundation of a moral vision for society. This belief is the foundation of all the principles of our social teaching. People motivated by selfishness, fear or hate, have always found reasons not to respect the dignity of others: race, gender, nationality, disability, age, history

Life and Dignity of the Human Person CONTINUED… Called to be for ALL life from conception to natural death Respect for life is basis for Church’s opposition to abortion, euthanasia, death penalty Respecting human life means allowing others to live BUT helping them live to their fullest potential (and experience goodness intended for ALL – physically, socially, emotionally, spiritually etc) ** 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**

Participation: The Call to Family and Community The right and responsibility of all people to participate in all aspects of human society – educational, political, cultural, religious, economic, etc. Those not able to fully participate are marginalized (pushed outside main group) Marriage and the family are the central building blocks in society that must be supported and strengthened, not undermined. We need to seek the common good and well being of all, especially the poor and vulnerable.

Rights and Responsibilities  people need to have their human rights protected to be fully what God created them to be Survival Rights: water, food, shelter, and basic health care Thrival Rights: education, employment, safe environment, enough material goods to support a family, right to practice religion, right to immigrate, right to live without discrimination Corresponding to these rights are responsibilities—an individual’s rights are limited by his/her responsibilities for the food of others, as well as for the common good of society

Option for the Poor and Vulnerable This calls us to put the needs of society’s most poor and vulnerable members first Not only poor in terms of money but also those who are deprived of their rights or of equal participation in society Call comes from Jesus who continually asked us to put the needs of the poor first (Matthew 5: 1-12)

Dignity of Work and the Rights of Workers Work promotes dignity because it provides family with things they need to live and flourish. Good work also promotes human dignity because it is a reflection of God’s work of creation. Good work puts people first The basic rights of workers must be respected for us to have dignified work. These rights include: the right to productive work, to decent and fair wages, to the organization and joining of unions, to private property, and to economic initiative.

The spirit of friendship between individuals, groups, nations is the basis for a just world We are one human family whatever our national, racial, ethnic, economic, and ideological differences. We are our brothers’ and sisters’ keeper Loving our neighbor has global dimensions in a shrinking world. We are all children of God and have responsibilities toward each other that any family members have Solidarity

Caring for God’s Creation We show our respect for the Creator by our stewardship of creation (the environment). Care for the earth is a requirement of our faith (dominion NOT dominate; it’s a gift and reflection of the beauty of Creator) We are called to protect people and the planet, living our faith in relationship with all of God’s creation.

Shad - Fam Jam (Fe Sum Immigrins) APPLICATION: We need to be able to identify HOW these 7 themes are being upheld and violated in the world we live in. THE THEMES ARE ALL AROUND US – in the news, on tv, in songs, art, books, EVERYWHERE! Shad - Fam Jam (Fe Sum Immigrins) Shad – Fam Jam (Fe Sum Immigrins) Lyrics