Thirst for justice inspires first Day of Reflection

Intermountain Catholic

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Bishop John C. Wester leads a prayer during the diocesan Day of Reflection at Saint Vincent de Paul Parish's Benvegnu Center. IC photo/Marie Mischel

SALT LAKE CITY — Drawn by an interest in social justice, 30 people spent Oct. 8 learning about the Catholic Church’s social justice teaching, its application in today’s world and ways they could help bring about God’s kingdom in this world. The event was held at Saint Vincent de Paul Catholic Church.

Being religious in today’s world isn’t easy, said the keynote speaker, the Most Rev. John C. Wester, Bishop of Salt Lake City. "It would seem there are many who want to push religion into a corner and eventually off a cliff and create a new secularism devoid of any religious voice," he said, adding that Scripture, Catholic theology and the liturgy all call for blending a love of God (religion) with a love of neighbor (social justice.)

"God’s love is all-encompassing," Bishop Wester said. "It’s the grounding of our existence, so to think of a separation of religion and social justice is ludicrous. We must be hearers of the word and then doers of the word. Jesus made it clear that an integral part of our religion is to go into the world."

In the Gospel story of Mary and Martha, Mary chooses to listen to Jesus, while her sister Martha goes about the household chores. Jesus says that Mary has chosen the better part but "we have to realize that both have an important part to play," Bishop Wester said. "Religion needs to be integrated with the world and with society."

This doesn’t mean that the Church must be involved with politics, he explained, "but it does mean that the Church can offer a foundation and a context within which these questions can be answered. Sitting at the feet of Jesus like Mary is intimately connected to what we do when we go out to be like Martha and put into action what we celebrate."

The question of how to put into action what the Gospel proclaims was addressed by other speakers at the Day of Reflection.

Father John Norman, pastor of Our Lady of Lourdes Parish in Magna and a member of the diocesan Peace and Justice Commission, suggested that Catholics must practice social justice every day as issues arise.

To do that, however, Catholics must have an established set of values through which to process these issues and come up with a conclusion that is part of a committed, faith-filled life, he said, and this filter needs to be constantly adjusted because the issues are constantly changing.

"Catholic social teaching is not, as the bishop said, a thing that’s reserved to the quiet of the Church," Fr. Norman said. "You’ve really got to get out and muck around a bit. These are polarizing issues … and when you bring them up, they tend to make people nervous. They’re wonderful things to talk about but difficult to put into practice."

Putting social justice teachings into action means really seeing the person sitting next to us and giving them their due, said Dr. Kandie Brinkman, who teaches at Judge Memorial Catholic High School and the University of Utah.

There are many ways to act for social justice, from giving a dollar bill to a homeless person to writing legislators about unjust laws, and all are important, Brinkman said.

U.S. Catholics can engage in systemic change in other countries by supporting Catholic Relief Services, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ international relief agency, said Anna Huth, CRS area relationship manager.

Huth gave the example of an area in Ethiopia where CRS drilled a water well. Because the women and children didn’t have to spend their days walking miles to the river, the women were able to garden and the children go to school. In addition, the clean drinking water meant that no one died from water-borne disease. Also, agricultural practices changed so they were able to grow enough to sell crops as well as support their village.

"That’s U.S. Catholics in action to make a difference," Huth said.

American Catholics also can influence change by contacting their legislators about their support of social justice issues like humanitarian aid, she said. "It’s proven. We make a difference. But we have to use our voices to make a difference. We need to be the Catholics raising our voices."

According to a show of hands, about half of those who attended the event are involved in catechetics and the other in social ministry.

William Trentman, who teaches ethics and morality at Juan Diego Catholic High School, said he attended to get new insights for his students. "In this secular world, students need to know there is a place for religion; spirituality is good but we are called to a religion," he said, adding that he particularly liked Fr. Norman’s idea of building a filter in light of the Catholic faith through which to examine social justice issues.

Bishop Wester said he was delighted that the diocesan Peace and Justice Commission organized the event. "I think we need to pause and reflect on what the social teachings of the Church are. Even if we know them, we need to reflect on them. Every individual has a role to play. God created each of us as a unique and unrepeatable human being, and intended us to make a difference."