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Newsletter
No.9
March 2004
The
Synod of the Church in Malta
CHARITY
AND JUSTICE
Service
ministry and justice (Djakonija u Gustizzja) was one of the
eight main themes dealt with during the Diocesan Synod.
The working group delved into the local situation and
proposed ways and means to strengthen the works of charity
combined with the promotion of justice in the different
sectors of society.
The
Maltese appreciate the charitable and social services
(homes, institutions and other initiatives in favour of the
marginalised) the Church offers to people in need.
But few are aware of the link between the promotion
of justice and works of charity.
Very little is known about the Catholic social
teaching and many do not consider it as an essential part of
the teaching of the Church.
The
history of the Church in Malta shows a long tradition of
assisting those in need by providing material goods and
services to those sectors mostly in need.
The Maltese have always responded generously to
demands of material goods, donations and rendering of
services to various causes on a national and international
scale.
However
in its evangelical meaning charity goes beyond the provision
of material assistance and direct services to the
vulnerable. It demands that we help others to stand up on their own feet,
thus becoming independent and being wanted with a truly
inclusive society.
To
do this we need to “throw out nets into the deep” to
discern the presence of social injustices and to address our
focus to the dismantling of the structures that create them.
But we need to be aware of the basic principles of
the Church’s social teaching that is absolute respect for
the dignity and rights of every human being; a preferential
option for the poor; local and global solidarity; the common
good; subsidiarity.
It
is part of the mission of the Christian community to be
concerned about areas such as politics, work, education,
health, the welfare system and pensions, housing, the
environment, refugees and immigrants, and commitment towards
the world’s poorest countries.
The
document proposed the re-establishing of the Commission for
Peace and Justice as a permanent structure within the
Church. Its
specific responsibility would be to promote the social
teaching of the Church, to study the impact and the
implications of the economic, social and legislative
developments, to have a structured dialogue with
authorities, the social partners and civil society and to
take a stand on specific situations.
Social
Justice and the common good are daily built up or torn down
by the decisions and choices that we all make in every facet
of our lives. As
family members, workers, owners, managers, investors,
consumers and citizens we are called to use our talents and
resources in the service of others.
Both
charity and the promotion of justice are rooted in the
social dimension of the gospels.
Both reflect the same gospel mandates.
Both can be powerful Christian responses to human
need.
Josephine Vassallo
Ignatian
Maxims
37.
If you mortify yourself and curb your bad
inclinations you will find in prayer what you desire much
sooner than the one who is unmortified. (Ribadeneira,
Selectae S. Ignatii Sententiae, M.I. Font. Narr., III, Mon.
39, n.13, p.636.)
38.
If in all things you are single-minded in searching
God's will, everything will turn to be prayerful. (Ittra
lil P. Frangisk Borgia, 20 ta' Settembru, 1553, M.I., Epp. VI,
p.93)
39.
All the honey which we can extract from the pleasures
of the world, is not as sweet as the gall and vinegar
presented to Jesus; that is to say, as the bitterness of
suffering, accepted through love for Him and in union with
Him.
(Bartoli, 1. IV, n.36, pp. 394-395).
40.
I prefer a simple and humble person, even if he/she
hardly knows how to spell three words, to a very learned one
who is conceited.
(Rosephius,
Promptuarium, M.I. Font. Narr., III, Mon. 29, p.575) .
41.
Just as it is unwise to do so much physical labour
that the spirit should be oppressed and the body be harmed,
so too some bodily exercise to help both body and spirit is
ordinarily expedient for all, even for those who must apply
themselves to mental labours, for these too are to be
interrupted by exterior activities and not prolonged or
undertaken beyond the measure of discretion.
(Constit.
S.I., p. III, c.2 {298})
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