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Charity and Social Justice for the Poor

The document discusses poverty and charity, specifically focusing on social justice and having a preferential option for the poor. It outlines that as followers of Christ, we are called to defend the marginalized and assess policies and institutions based on their impact on the vulnerable. The Bible teaches that a society is judged by how it treats the poor, and that in the New Testament, the poor are agents of God's power. Christians must make a choice through concrete action to uplift the poor and look at the world from their perspective.

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42 views5 pages

Charity and Social Justice for the Poor

The document discusses poverty and charity, specifically focusing on social justice and having a preferential option for the poor. It outlines that as followers of Christ, we are called to defend the marginalized and assess policies and institutions based on their impact on the vulnerable. The Bible teaches that a society is judged by how it treats the poor, and that in the New Testament, the poor are agents of God's power. Christians must make a choice through concrete action to uplift the poor and look at the world from their perspective.

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POVERTY AND CHARITY

BAYBAYAN
BANQUIAO
POVERTY AND CHARITY
3. Social Justice
4. Charity and Preferential Option for the Poor
SOCAL JUSTICE
PREFERENTIAL OPTION FOR THE POOR
• "Positive signs in the contemporary world are the growing awareness
of the solidarity of the poor among themselves, their efforts to support
one another, and their public demonstrations on the social scene
which, without recourse to violence, present their own needs and
rights in the face of the inefficiency or corruption of public authorities.
By virtue of her own evangelical duty the Church feels called to take
her stand beside the poor, to discern the justice of their requests, and
to help satisfy them, without losing sight of the good of groups in the
context of the common good." (Sollicitudo Rei Socialis, para. 39)
• As followers of Christ, we are challenged to make a preferential
option for the poor, namely, to create conditions for marginalized
voices to be heard, to defend the defenseless, and to assess lifestyles,
policies and social institutions in terms of their impact on the poor. The
option for the poor does not mean pitting one group against another,
but rather, it calls us to strengthen the whole community by assisting
those who are most vulnerable.
• From the Scriptures we learn that the justice of a society is tested and
judged by its treatment of the poor. God's covenant with Israel was
dependant on the way the community treated the poor and
unprotected—the widow, the orphan and the stranger (Deut. 16.11-
12, Ex. 22.21-27, Isa. 1.16-17). Throughout Israel's history and in the
New Testament, the poor are agents of God's transforming power. In
the gospel of Luke, Jesus proclaims that he has been anointed to
bring good news to the poor (4.1-22). Similarly, in the Last Judgment,
we are told that we will be judged according to how we respond to
the hungry, the thirsty, the prisoner and the stranger (Matthew 25.31-
46).
• Therefore, the preferential option for the poor is not optional. The
Latin American bishops' conferences at Medillín (1968) and Puebla
(1979) aimed to emphasize the use of option as a verb rather than as
a noun. As such, each Christian must make a choice to lift up the
poor and disadvantaged in very real and concrete ways. Preferential
option for the poor means that Christians are called to look at the
world from the perspective of the marginalized and to work in
solidarity for justice.

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