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scripture
Scripture
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When we are kind and charitable to those in need, we are in fact being kind and charitable towards God Himself. Our faith needs to be practical.
Matthew 25:40-45
40 And the king will answer them, ‘Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family,[a] you did it to me.’ 41 Then he will say to those at his left hand, ‘You that are accursed, depart from me into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels; 42 for I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, 43 I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not give me clothing, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.’ 44 Then they also will answer, ‘Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not take care of you?’ 45 Then he will answer them, ‘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.’
James 2:14-17
14 What good is it, my brothers and sisters,[a] if you say you have faith but do not have works? Can faith save you? 15 If a brother or sister is naked and lacks daily food, 16 and one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and eat your fill,” and yet you do not supply their bodily needs, what is the good of that? 17 So faith by itself, if it has no works, is dead.
Luke 4:18-19
8 “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,
because he has anointed me
to bring good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives
and recovery of sight to the blind,
to let the oppressed go free,
19 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”
Exodus 22:21–23
21 You shall not wrong or oppress a resident alien, for you were aliens in the land of Egypt. 22 You shall not abuse any widow or orphan. 23 If you do abuse them, when they cry out to me, I will surely heed their cry;
Luke 16:19-31
19 “There was a rich man who was dressed in purple and fine linen and who feasted sumptuously every day. 20 And at his gate lay a poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores, 21 who longed to satisfy his hunger with what fell from the rich man’s table; even the dogs would come and lick his sores. 22 The poor man died and was carried away by the angels to be with Abraham.[a] The rich man also died and was buried. 23 In Hades, where he was being tormented, he looked up and saw Abraham far away with Lazarus by his side.[b] 24 He called out, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue; for I am in agony in these flames.’ 25 But Abraham said, ‘Child, remember that during your lifetime you received your good things, and Lazarus in like manner evil things; but now he is comforted here, and you are in agony. 26 Besides all this, between you and us a great chasm has been fixed, so that those who might want to pass from here to you cannot do so, and no one can cross from there to us.’ 27 He said, ‘Then, father, I beg you to send him to my father’s house— 28 for I have five brothers—that he may warn them, so that they will not also come into this place of torment.’ 29 Abraham replied, ‘They have Moses and the prophets; they should listen to them.’ 30 He said, ‘No, father Abraham; but if someone goes to them from the dead, they will repent.’ 31 He said to him, ‘If they do not listen to Moses and the prophets, neither will they be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.’”
Luke 12:13-21
13 Someone in the crowd said to him, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the family inheritance with me.” 14 But he said to him, “Friend, who set me to be a judge or arbitrator over you?” 15 And he said to them, “Take care! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of possessions.” 16 Then he told them a parable: “The land of a rich man produced abundantly. 17 And he thought to himself, ‘What should I do, for I have no place to store my crops?’ 18 Then he said, ‘I will do this: I will pull down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. 19 And I will say to my soul, Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry.’ 20 But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life is being demanded of you. And the things you have prepared, whose will they be?’ 21 So it is with those who store up treasures for themselves but are not rich toward God.”
major document
Major Document
Octogesima Adveniens
Octogesima Adveniens A Call to Action | Paul VI |1971
Let every person examine themselves, to see what they have done up to now, and what they ought to do. It is not enough to recall principles, state intentions, point to crying injustice and utter prophetic denunciations; these words will lack real weight unless they are accompanied for each individual by a livelier awareness of personal responsibility and by effective action. It is too easy to throw back on others the responsibility for injustice, if at the same time one does not realize how each one shares in it personally, and how personal conversion is needed first.
- Octogesima Adveniens | Apostolic Letter of Pope Paul VI" The eightieth anniversary of the publication of the encyclical Rerum Novarum, the message of which continues to inspire action for social justice, prompts us to take up again and to extend the teaching of our predecessors, in response to the new needs of a changing world. The Church, in fact, travels forward with humanity and shares its lot in the setting of history. At the same time that she announces to men the Good News of God's love and of salvation in Christ she clarifies their activity in the light of the Gospel and in this way helps them to correspond to God's plan of love and to realize the fullness of their aspirations ... "
- Octogesima Adveniens – A Call to Action"Pope Paul VI reflects on the challenges of post-industrial society and the inadequacy of ideologies to address them in this 1971 Apostolic Letter. Octogesima Adveniens is an open letter addressed to the President of the Pontifical Commission for Justice and Peace, Cardinal Roy. Although it is not a social encyclical, Octogesima Adveniens is considered to be one of the major Catholic Social Teaching documents. It commemorated the eightieth anniversary of Rerum Novarum ... "
- The new working class and the Pope's duty to be an "advocate of the poor""Fifty years ago, ‘Octogesima adveniens’ was published. In it, Pope Paul VI spoke about the exodus toward the large urban centers, about the dignity of women and the pluralism of political options. He criticized Marxist and liberal ideologies and defended the “duty-right” of the Church to express itself regarding social issues ... "
- Octogesima Adveniens (Eightieth Anniversary)"Pope Paul VI wrote the Apostolic letter “Octogesima Adveniens” in 1971 as a letter to Cardinal Maurice Roy, the President of the Council of Laity and of the Pontifical Commission on Justice and Peace on the eightieth anniversary of the encyclical Rerum Novarum. His Holiness sought to highlight many social issues facing people at the time and to inspire renewed action for lay members to participate in social and political reform according to the Gospel ... "
Evangelii Nuntiandi
Evangelii Nuntiandi Evangelization in the Modern World | Paul VI | 1975
Do you really believe what you are proclaiming? Do you live what you believe? Do you really preach what you live? The witness of life has become more than ever an essential condition for real effectiveness in preaching.
Pope Paul VI, 1975
- Evangelii Nuntiandi | Apostolic Exhortation of his Holiness Pope Paul VI"There is no doubt that the effort to proclaim the Gospel to the people of today, who are buoyed up by hope but at the same time often oppressed by fear and distress, is a service rendered to the Christian community and also to the whole of humanity ..."
- Evangelii Nuntiandi – Evangelization in the Modern World"Pope Paul VI’s 1974 Apostolic Exhortation Evangelii Nuntiandi, on evangelization in the modern world, commemorates the 10th anniversary of the closing of Vatican II. He wrote it at the request of the 1974 Synod of Bishops. The 1974 Synod considered the question of evangelisation in the modern world but failed to produce an agreed document. At this time there were different interpretations of the theology of liberation and the liberation theology movement was controversial ... "
- Pope at Audience: The first means of evangelization is witness"Pope Francis continues his weekly catechesis at his General Audience and urges all those present to re-read Saint Paul VI's Apostolic Exhortation "Evangelii nuntiandi", as each person goes forth in their journey of evangelizing and evangelization ... "
- Evangelisation: Encounter, Discipleship, Mission"In this document, we will examine evangelisation in our Catholic Tradition. We will do so by reflecting on two key Gospel texts related to the Lord’s evangelising work. From this, we draw some pastoral observations ... "
Preferential Option for the Poor
Australian Catholic bishops Social Justice Statements
Australian Catholic Bishops Social Justice Statements
Social Justice Statement | Cry of the earth Cry of the poor
- Resources on the Social Justice Statement 2021-22 | Cry of the Earth, Cry of the Poor"The Bishops’ Social Justice Statement 2021-22: Cry of the Earth, Cry of the Poor, affirms that “we human beings need a change of heart, mind, and behaviour”. It draws from Scripture, from the theological tradition, from Catholic Social Teaching, and from the wisdom of the world, including the insights of the First Nations ... "
social justice statement | Live life to the full : Mental Health in Australia
- Resources on the Social Justice Statement 2020-21 | To Live Life to the Full: Mental health in Australia today"The COVID-19 pandemic is impacting the mental health of many members of our parishes, schools and communities. In fact, most of us will experience a mental health problem at some point over the course of our lives. Understanding mental health will help us to be aware of those who need our support. Our parishes, organisations and communities can be places of acceptance care and healing, not places of rejection, judgment or stigma ... "
social justice statement | A Place to Call Home: Making a home for everyone in our land
- Resources on the Social Justice Statement 2018-19 | Social Justice Statement: A Place to Call Home: Making a home for everyone in our land"The Australian Catholic Bishops’ Social Justice Statement for 2018–19 is titled A Place to Call Home: Making a home for everyone in our land. It confronts the growing challenge of homelessness and housing insecurity in Australia ... "
social justice statement | Everyone’s Business: Developing an inclusive and sustainable economy
- Resources on the Social Justice Statement 2017-18 | Everyone’s Business: Developing an inclusive and sustainable economy"Pope Francis has called for an economic system that places men and women at the very centre – one that meets the needs of all people and is just and sustainable. He denounces economic structures that take a purely utilitarian view of human beings, treating them as mere elements of production, to be thrown away if they are not seen as useful or productive. The Australian Catholic Bishops’ Social Justice Statement for 2017–18 is titled ‘Everyone’s Business: Developing an inclusive and sustainable economy’. The Bishops call for an economy that is founded on justice and offers dignity and inclusion to every person ... "