Church teaching requires special care for poor

By Karen Johnston

	An Advent series on Catholic Social Teaching

Embodied in the rich teachings of the church, are the key principals of Catholic Social Teaching; among them, the church's Preferential option for the Poor.

It should come as no surprise to most Catholics that our society will be judged by what we did to care for the weakest among us.

Compassionate care is more than a statement of vision for many in the church. To see God revealed in the tapestry of human and social events, objects and issues, is to view our God in a way that recognizes that we are instruments for good. It is the knowledge that the ultimate measure of justice is concern and treatment for those in our midst who are poor and living at the margins of our society.

	A d v e n t
	• Other Everyday People, Everyday Faith articles
	• Other Advent articles

The church, since its early days, has witnessed to the servant and prophetic mission of Jesus. The Gospels are rich with encouragement for caring for the widow, the orphan and the stranger among us. This has been a legacy of service for many in the church. It has also been the impetus for many to reach out through teaching, healing and providing care for people who are without basic needs, who are vulnerable and who have suffered at the hands of others.

Over the years we have seen a rapidly changing social, economic and political climate in our country that strains the fabric of our communities. Families are marginal, children are vulnerable, and the poor are overlooked and irrelevant to many. We see the mounting casualties of anger and violence in our homes and in the communities in which we live. More and more, many are being driven from the mainstream of society and pushed to the fringes.

We are blessed at Catholic Charities to find them there and invite them to new life, to offer healing for their troubled lives, to offer hope.

Yet, we are called to do more than acts of charity, more than delivering services through the many social programs of our agencies and parishes. Catholic Social Teaching calls us to confront the widening gaps of inequality that divide the human family. They challenge us to break a growing cycle of poverty and dependency in our society.

We are called to take responsibility for the environment we have created and to transform the structures and policies that keep people in a state of hopelessness and hold them captive and dependent on social policies which often keep them poor and oppressed.

As a church dedicated to living the message of the Gospel, in word, sacrament and service, we must seek to envision a new and bolder vision of community that calls us back to Jesus' vision of the reign of God in the ministry of a servant and prophetic church.

The church's works of mercy and its ministries of service must witness to the faith of the entire church. We should be generous in the living out of our baptismal calling. We must invite one another to engage in a more collaborative approach to discipleship and encourage one another to be more integrally involved in the caring for those who are considered the least among us. Together, we must provide leadership in nurturing faith, proclaiming justice, serving all God's people and building up our communities.

As a community of believers, we can and do make a difference in the lives of the poor and marginalized. Charged with the Gospel and mission of Jesus, we can be a continued sign of hope for others.

In a world that sadly needs our message, we must embrace the church's social mission, and live the mission and vision of the Diocese of Green Bay by being the arms and hands of Christ, offering the love and compassion that helps to transform the structures of society which oppress those who are poor. We must provide opportunities and life-enhancing possibilities. As we touch all of humanity, we reveal to those most in need the tenderness, goodness and loving kindness of a God who comes to save us.

(Johnston is the director of Catholic Charities for the Diocese of Green Bay.)