Social Justice Quotations

"Created in the image of the one God and equally endowed with rational souls, all men have the same nature and the same origin. Redeemed by the sacrifice of Christ, all are called to participate in the same divine beatitude: all therefore enjoy an equal dignity."

Catechism of the Catholic Church, #1934

"…The common good requires the social well-being and development of the group itself. Development is the epitome of all social duties. Certainly, it is the proper function of authority to arbitrate, in the name of the common good, between various particular interests; but it should make accessible to each what is needed to lead a truly human life: food, clothing, health, work, education and culture, suitable information, the right to establish a family, and so on…"

Catechism of the Catholic Church, #1908

"Man is himself the author, center, and goal of all economic and social life. The decisive point of the social question is that goods created by God for everyone should in fact reach everyone in accordance with justice and with the help of charity."

Catechism of the Catholic Church, #2459

"’The Church’s love for the poor… is part of her constant tradition.’ This love is inspired by the Gospel of the Beatitudes, of the poverty of Jesus, and of His concern for the poor. Love for the poor is even one of the motives for the duty of working so as to ‘be able to give to those in need’."

Catechism of the Catholic Church, #2444

"Everyone should be able to draw from work the means of providing for his life and that of his family, and of serving the human community."

Catechism of the Catholic Church, #2428

"Socio-economic problems can be resolved only with the help of all forms of solidarity: solidarity of the poor among themselves, between the rich and the poor, of workers among themselves, between employers and employees in a business, solidarity among nations and peoples. International solidarity is a requirement of the moral order; world peace depends in part upon this."

Catechism of the Catholic Church, #1941

"If you want peace, work for justice."

Pope Paul VI

"Poor and vulnerable people have a special place in Catholic social teaching. A basic moral test of a society is how its most vulnerable members are faring. This is not new insight; it is the lesson of the Parable of the Last Judgment (Mt 25). Our tradition calls us to put the needs of the poor and vulnerable first. As Christians, we are called to respond to the needs of all our sisters and brothers, but those with the greatest needs require the greatest response. We must seek creative ways to expand the emphasis of our nation’s founders on individual rights and freedom by extending democratic ideals to economic life and thus ensure that the basic requirements for life with dignity are accessible to all."

USCCB, A Century of Social Teaching, p 4

"Catholic social teaching is a central and essential element of our faith. Its roots are in the Hebrew prophets who announced God's special love for the poor and called God's people to a covenant of love and justice. It is a teaching founded on the life and words of Jesus Christ, who came "to bring glad tidings to the poor . . . liberty to captives . . . recovery of sight to the blind" (Luke 4:18-19), and who identified himself with "the least of these," the hungry and the stranger (cf. Mt 25:45). Catholic social teaching is built on a commitment to the poor. This commitment arises from our experiences of Christ in the Eucharist… Catholic social teaching is based on and inseparable from our understanding of human life and human dignity…"

USCCB, Sharing Catholic Social Teaching: Challenges and Directions, 1998

"Each day we hear about the millions of people who suffer from the agony of hunger and thirst, who have no work or are paid so little that they cannot buy "daily bread" for themselves or their children. We are haunted by images of those who are displaced from their homes and local communities by the ravages of war and violence. In our cities, we confront ever-increasing numbers of people who have no homes or even minimal shelter in which to lay their heads. In our rural areas, we regret the loss of family farms, which have been tilled and passed on from generation to generation and, until recently, have represented the mainstay of our country's food supply. We witness the pain of broken families and the confusion of children who turn to violence as a result of the absence of adult role models at home or school… Thus we, the Catholic bishops of the United States, as teachers and pastors express our solidarity with all our brothers and sisters living in poverty or other unjust conditions and offer thanks and encouragement to those responding to the "cries of those who are poor" through the Church's works of charity, justice, and peace. We write as well to challenge all people of faith and people of good will to greater solidarity with the poor and with those prevented from fulfilling the unique dignity that God has given to all women and men."

USCCB, In All Things Charity: A Pastoral Challenge for the New Millennium, 1999

"I am a shepherd who, with his people, has begun to learn a beautiful and difficult truth: our Christian faith requires that we submerge ourselves in the world... The world that the Church must serve is the world of the poor, and the poor are the ones who decide what it means for the Church to really live in the world... It is the poor who force us to understand what is really taking place... the persecution of the Church is a result of defending the poor. The poor are the Body of Christ today. Through them He lives on in history..."

Archbishop Oscar Romero

"There are so many hungry people in this world, and their hunger is more than physical. Children are starving for love and affection. The elderly are groaning out of loneliness. People in our families and circle of friends are craving our time and attention. The poor and sick yearn for care and understanding. The wealthy hunger for meaning. Our challenge as Eucharistic people is to become the Bread of Life for others. As St. Augustine put it: 'Become what you receive.' We, as Christians, must become the bread that feeds the hungry people around us. We are called to feed others with love, care, compassion, concern, hospitality, and justice.

This is precisely what we commit ourselves to at each Eucharist. The challenge is addressed to each of us personally, and as a community: 'The Body of Christ.' 'The Blood of Christ.' When we say our 'Amen,' we accept the challenge. We say, 'Yes! I am called to break my body and pour out my blood for everybody. Yes! I am daily bread for the hungry people I know and those I don't know.'

That 'Amen' is one of the most important words we say at Mass. We should think twice before we say it. It should make us shudder.

To receive the Eucharist is to make the commitment to become the Eucharist—for whomever needs it. Indeed, if we do not intend to 'become what we receive', we would do well to absent ourselves from the communion line."

Albert Haase, O.F.M., Swimming In the Sun

"You may not be called on to ward off international conflict, but you will have opportunities to do something more vital: to bring inner peace to troubled hearts. Jesus modeled this. We don't see Him settling many disputes or negotiating conflicts. But we do see Him cultivating inward harmony through acts of love: washing the feet of men who would betray Him, having lunch with a corrupt tax official, honoring the sinful woman whom society had scorned.

He built bridges by healing hurts... He cultivated harmony by sowing seeds of peace in fertile hearts.

Once we see the world, and ourselves for what we are, we can help. We realize that the lights are out and a lot of people are stumbling in the darkness. So we light candles."

Max Lucado, The Applause of Heaven

"I have the audacity to believe that peoples everywhere can have three meals a day for their bodies, education and culture for their minds, and dignity, equality, and freedom for their spirits. I believe that what self-centered people have torn down, people other-centered can build up. I still believe that one day all humankind will bow before the altars of God and be crowned triumphant over war and bloodshed, and nonviolent redemptive goodwill will proclaim the rule of the land."

Martin Luther King, Jr., 1964

"Justice is about people, not issues! Don’t try to change the country. Let the country and its people change you. Just live with us, be with us, get to know us - cry with us, laugh with us, celebrate with us, get sick with us…"

J.G.