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A Reflection on Five Quotes: Putting Caritas in Veritate in Action Benedict XVI leaves us with a legacy of doctrinal, moral, and social concerns for our future. In in his social teachings, we see awareness of an urgent need to respond to the troubling social, economic, religious, and political affairs of today.
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The Missionaries of the Sacred Heart USA Province305 S. Lake Street, PO Box 270 Aurora, IL 60507 (630) 892-2371 [email protected]
Caritas in Veritate
A Reflection on Five Quotes:Putting Caritas in Veritate in Action
Benedict XVI leaves us with a legacy of doctrinal, moral, and social concerns for our
future. In his social teachings we see awareness of an urgent need to respond to the
troubling social, economic, religious, and political affairs of today.
Good Stewardship - Quote #1:
“Human beings legitimately exercise a
responsible stewardship over nature, in order to protect it, to enjoy its
fruits and to cultivate in new ways, with the
assistance of advanced technologies, so that it
can worthily accommodate and feed the world’s population.
…In this earth there is room for everyone: here the entire family must find the resources to live with dignity, through the help of nature itself—God’s gift to his children—and through hard work and creativity.”
(Caritas in Veritate, 5)
Take Action• Become a Better Steward• Take the St. Francis Pledge• Learn about how natural resource use impacts poverty
Universal Rights to Food and Water - Quote #2
“...The right to food, like the right to water, has an important place within the pursuit of other rights, beginning with the fundamental right to life…
…It is therefore necessary to cultivate a public conscience that considers food and access to water as universal rights of all human beings, without distinction or discrimination.”
(Caritas in Veritate, 27)
Above: Construction of a water well in Cameroon made possible through generous donations and the MSC
Mission Office in Australia.
www.australia.mscmission.org/waterdevelopment
How can we help cultivate this public conscience?
One way is to start in our own lives, i.e. by using water more wisely and making
our lifestyle a reflection of the fact
that water is a resource to be
shared with everyone.
3 Ways to Use Water More Wisely
We can join Operation Rice Bowl, eating moresimply and donating the savings to those inneed.
We can even use our recreation to help donaterice through the World Food Programme
(Freerice.com)
Poverty and Unemployment – Quote #3
“In many cases, poverty results from a violation of the dignity of human work, either because work opportunities are limited (through unemployment or underemployment)…
… or because a low value is put on work and the rights that flow from it, especially the right to a just wage and to the personal security of the worker and his or her family. (Caritas in Veritate, 63)
How can we help respect the dignity of human work?
We can make a micro loan online (such as at kiva.org) and help a person in another part of the world start or grow their own business.
We can stand up against discrimination in the workplace.(See Prohibited Practices; Pregnancy Discrimination; Age
Discrimination; Disability Discrimination)
We can support job-retraining programs so that
workers whose jobs are now less in demand due to changes in the market or
technology can learn skills that will help them find
another job.
We can find out whether the rights of workers that produce the products we buy are respected, and avoid purchasing products that are
made in sweatshops or using child labor.
Dignity of the Poor – Quote #4
The poor are not to be
considered a “burden,” but
a resource, even from the
purely economic
point of view.(Caritas in Veritate, 35)
How do we think of the poor?
Do we think to ourselves that we “have to” donate a portion of our income to help those less fortunate? Or that programs to benefit the poor are “a drain” on our economy?
Pope Benedict XVI challenges us to change our thinking. Imagine what our society would look like if we truly respected the dignity and met the needs of our most vulnerable brothers and sisters!
How much less sickness and disease
would there be if every family had
access to adequate nutrition and safe
drinking water?
What would our economy be like if every person had access to an education and could participate in meaningful work?
While we may disagree with
others as to the best way to
overcome poverty, we will likely make better decisions if we start viewing
the poor as a resource, not a
burden.
Purchasing Decisions/Lifestyle – Quote #5:
It is good for people to realize that
purchasing is always a moral—and not
simply economic—act. Hence the
consumer has a specific social responsibility.
(Caritas in Veritate, 66)
Every purchase that we make supports a particular company (or series of companies). Do these companies respect the rights and dignity of their workers? Does the use of the product or its production process harm the environment?
We can encourage more companies to adopt better practices by rewarding the companies that respect their workers and the environment with our business.
How can we start purchasing more ecologically friendly and fairly traded items?
Changing our spending habits takes time. Start by replacing just one or two items on your list. For instance, switch to fairly traded coffee.
Start Small.
A Couple Resources:• www.crsfairtrade.org/ricebowl/• Ideas for Creating A More Human Food System• FishWatch.gov• FairTradeUSA
We hope you enjoyed this reflection onCaritas in Veritate.
If you would like to learn more about CatholicSocial Teaching, please sign up for ourmonthly e-newsletter, JPIC Corner.
www.misacor-usa.org/index.php/jpic-e-newsletter
The Missionaries of the Sacred Heart USA Province305 S. Lake Street, PO Box 270 Aurora, IL 60507 (630) 892-2371 [email protected]
Photo Credits• Slide 1: Photo by Teodoro S Gruhl via PublicDomainPictures.net • Slide 2: Photo by Massimo Macconi via Wikimedia Commons• Slide 3: Photo by George Hodan via PublicDomainPictures.net • Slide 4: Photo by Petr Kratochvil via PublicDomainPictures.net • Slide 5: Photo by Виталий Смолыгин via PublicDomainPictures.net • Slide 6: Photo by Junior Libby via PublicDomainPictures.net • Slide 7: Photo by Maliz Ong via PublicDomainPictures.net• Slide 8: Photo by Vera Kratochvil via PublicDomainPictures.net• Slide 9: Photo from MSC Mission Office Australia website • Slide 10: Photo © mipan – Fotalia.com• Slide 11: Photo © brainmaster, via www.istockphoto.com• Slide 12: Photo by Petr Kratochvil via www.PublicDomainPictures.net
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