The word of God and commitment to justice in society
God’s word inspires men and women to build relationships based on rectitude and justice, and testifies to the great value in God’s eyes of every effort to create a more just and more liveable world. The word of God itself unambiguously denounces injustices and promotes solidarity and equality. In the light of the Lord’s words, let us discern the “signs of the times” present in history, and not flee from a commitment to those who suffer and the victims of forms of selfishness.
The Synod recalled that a commitment to justice and to changing our world is an essential element of evangelization. In the words of Pope Paul VI, we must “reach and as it were overturn with the force of the Gospel the standards of judgement, the interests, the thought-patterns, the sources of inspiration and life-styles of humanity that are in contrast with the word of God and with his plan for salvation”.
For this reason, the Synod Fathers wished to say a special word to all those who take part in political and social life. Evangelization and the spread of God’s word ought to inspire their activity in the world, as they work for the true common good in respecting and promoting the dignity of every person. Certainly it is not the direct task of the Church to create a more just society, although she does have the right and duty to intervene on ethical and moral issues related to the good of individuals and peoples. It is primarily the task of the lay faithful, formed in the school of the Gospel, to be directly involved in political and social activity. For this reason, the Synod recommends that they receive a suitable formation in the principles of the Church’s social teaching.
I would like also to call the attention of everyone to the importance of defending and promoting the human rights of every person, based on the natural law written on the human heart, which, as such, are “universal, inviolable and inalienable”. The Church expresses the hope that by the recognition of these rights human dignity will be more effectively acknowledged and universally promoted, inasmuch as it is a distinctive mark imprinted by the Creator on his creatures, taken up and redeemed by Jesus Christ through his incarnation, death and resurrection. The spread of the word of God cannot fail to strengthen the recognition of, and respect for, the human rights of every person.- Verbum Domini 100
I'm not sure I totally follow Verbum Domini's reasoning here.
ReplyDeleteOn the one hand, it seems to be calling for teaching about the Church's social teachings: "the Synod recommends that they receive a suitable formation in the principles of the Church’s social teaching." Unfortunately, Verbum Domini does not relate "nod recommends that they receive a suitable formation in the principles of the Church’s social teaching" to the topic at hand: the word of God.
On the other hand, it concludes somewhat abruptly by suddenly changing the topic back to the Bible: with "The spread of the word of God cannot fail to strengthen the recognition of, and respect for, the human rights of every person." What are we to make of this statement, which seems almost insensitive? Certainly the 20th century has seen widespread distribution of Bibles -- greater than that of any other period in human history -- but "the spread of the word of God" did in fact "fail to strengthen the recognition of, and respect, for the human rights of ever person." It is almost a cliche to point out that the 20th century brought with it the mechanization of mass murder, with (multiple) tyrannical regimes murdering millions of people.
I have to admit being disappointed with this section. It was an opportunity to talk about the links between Scripture and social teachings, and their co-equal importance, but I think the opportunity was missed.