Task 3

Working for the poorest of the poor: Our Catholic tradition instructs us that we must put the needs of the poor and vulnerable first. The common good, the good of society as a whole requires it. The opposite of rich and powerful is poor and powerless. If the good of all is to prevail then preferential protection must move toward those affected adversely by the absence of power and presence of privation. Otherwise, the balance needed to keep society in one piece will be broken to the detriment of the whole.1

The Principle of the Preferential Protection for the Poor and Vulnerable provides enhancement for the lives affected by poverty in a number of ways. Organisations such as Missionaries of Charity whose main goal is "Working for the Poorest of the Poor" provide shelter and accommodation to the poor, the vulnerable and people who have been shunned by society. As Missionaries, they are spread globally with each of the volunteers, The Sisters and The Father's having the same goal "Working for the Poorest of the Poor". This relates to the scripture where it states in Matthew’s Gospel that “Truly I tell you, just as you did not do it to one of the least of these you did not do it to me."2 The Catholic church teaches us that we must work together in communion with others to provide the utmost care to the least of our brothers and sisters. Those who are oppressed by poverty are the object of a preferential love on the part of the Church which, since her origin and in spite of the failings of many of her members, has not ceased to work for their relief, defence, and liberation through numerous works of charity which remain indispensable always and everywhere.3 The statement says that those who are oppressed by poverty are the object of a preferential love through which many people including Volunteers, Priests, Nuns and Organisations work together to provide comfort, a sense of relief and are able to give to the victims of Poverty some power and ultimately to restore their dignity which may have been tarnished due to social status or from being shunned by Society. The obligation to provide justice for all means that the poor have the single most urgent economic claim on the conscience of the nation. Economic Justice for All4 Our faith calls us to measure this economy not only by what it produces, but also by how it touches human life and whether it protects or undermines the dignity of the human person. Economic decisions have human consequences and moral content; they help or

1 Principles of Catholic Social Teaching - Class Notes 4 March 20142 Mt 25:37-463 Catholic Ethical Principles Sheet - Class 4 Papal Encyclicals

hurt people and advance or diminish the quality of justice in our land. Therefore, as humans it is our duty to make sure that the poor and the oppressed our in our thoughts when making Economic decisions. We must place their needs first because it is priority and we must acknowledge that our Economic decisions greatly affect the outcome of poverty in society.

The Principle of Human Dignity relates to the social action "Working for the poorest of the poor" because the Catholic Church proclaims that human life is sacred and that the dignity of a human being is the foundation of a moral vision for society.5 God created humans individually through his own image but through Christ, we are united as one. This means that it is our responsibility to help our brothers and sisters who are less fortunate than us. We can help by donating, setting up a food bank, volunteering to help those at a shelter and by Praying with those and for those people who are less fortunate than us. This is backed up by the Papal Encyclical quote "The equal dignity of human persons requires the effort to reduce excessive social and economic inequalities. It gives urgency to the elimination of sinful inequalities."6 The Catholic Church teaches us that we must respect humans and that we must also respect their rights regardless of age, sex, race, social status and occupation. It is not what we do or what we have that gives us a claim on respect. It is simply being human that establishes our dignity. All this relates back to our Ethical Principle and to Catholic Social teachings. Every person is made in the image and likeness of God, and hence every human life is sacred and has an inherent dignity.

The Principle of the Common Good relates to the social action "Working for the Poorest of the poor" because every person has a fundamental right to life and a right to those things required for human decency. The Common good is about respecting the rights and responsibilities of all people. In this case we must respect the rights and take full responsibility in helping the poor and oppressed in society. An example of this can be found in the bible "When someone is reduced to poverty, we have an obligation to help."7 A Papal Encyclical document states: "Man has the right to live. He has the right to bodily integrity and to the means necessary for the proper development of life, particularly food, clothing, shelter, medical care, rest, and, finally, the necessary social services."8 This means that each and every individual should have access to the basic necessities needed for survival. In relation to our social action, we must ensure that the poor and vulnerable are given priority 5 The Principle of Human Dignity - Catholic Ethical Principles 6 Papal Encyclical Development of Peoples 19667 Pope Paul IV 7 Leviticus 25:358 Papal Encyclical - Catholic Ethical Principles

and that each and every individual affected by poverty and those who are shunned by society have the same equal rights as those who aren't affected.

The Principle of Solidarity links closely to the social action "Working for the poorest of the poor" because Solidarity is a union or fellowship arising from common responsibilities between members of a group or between classes and people. Although the Church teaches us that there are no such "Classes" for individuals because we are all made in the image and likeness of God which makes us equal and therefore, responsible for welcoming with open arms those who have been shunned by society. Through our actions we can provide comfort a sense of human pride and we are able to restore their dignity. "The love of God in us is witnessed to by our willingness to lay down our lives for others as Christ did for us."9 The Principle of Solidarity functions as a moral category which leads to choices that promotes and protects the common good. Catholic Social teachings states that we are our brothers and sisters keepers and that wherever we live, we are one human family. This means we need to support our brothers and sisters suffering from Poverty. We must treat them like our own family and we must recognise the responsibility of caring, feeding, and providing needs to those people who require it. Jesus teaches us to "Love one another" And in order to do this we must treat each and every individual equally and to care for each other just as Jesus taught us to. The church teaches us that " The dominion granted by the Creator over the mineral, vegetable, and animal resources of the universe cannot be separated from respect for moral obligations, including those toward generations to come."10 This means that we as humans do not "Dominate" and own these resources but rather we must use it for the common good of providing these resources to those who cannot access them. It is not for us to abuse but to share and to give wholeheartedly to those needing them.

The Principles of: Preferential Protection for the Poor, Solidarity, Common Good and Human Dignity all closely link to the action of Working for the Poorest of the Poor. Human Dignity needs to be acknowledged regardless of race, sex, age or Social Status and The Principle of Solidarity promotes and protects the Principle of common good through its actions and choices made by us. Therefore linking back to the Social Action, It is our responsibility to provide Protection for the poor, the oppressed and those who have been shunned. It is our duty to uphold the common good by making good economic choices which will enable those less fortunate than us to gain access to basic

9 1 Jn3:16-1810 Catechism of the Catholic Church - Teachings

necessities. We must respect each and every persons dignity and we must practise the virtue of Solidarity -To Love our neighbour has global dimensions in an interdependent world.

If we can achieve this, Jesus would have a positive reaction because we are able to follow in his footsteps and we are able to follow his teachings through Papal Encyclicals, though the Scriptures and through the Catholic Church.