[• What is Jesus calling you to do about the world in which you Iive?
• What small action can you carry out that will contribute to the change Jesus wants to see in the world and in you?
• Who can you involve in your action, when, where and how often?]
Here is my suggestion:
Avoid scandal and help the poor
“A preferential option for the poor” should be maintained in our Catholic Schools. If we find that we cannot afford to keep our schools open to the poor, the Church should be ready to use its resources for something else which can be kept open to the poor. We cannot allow our Church to become a church primarily for the upper classes while leaving the poor in the public schools. The priority should be given to the poor even if we have to let the upper classes fend for themselves.
Practically speaking, the Catholic Schools must give up general education in those countries where the State is providing it. The resources of the Church could then be focused on “Confraternity of Christian Doctrine” and other programs which can be kept open to the poor. These resources could then be used to help society become more human in solidarity with the poor. Remember, the Church managed without Catholic Schools for centuries. It can get along without them today. The essential factor is to avoid scandal and cultivate enough Faith to act in the Gospel Tradition, namely, THE POOR GET PRIORITY. The rich and middle-class are welcome too. But the poor must be included.
Thank you for your comment, William. While I agree with you about our Catholic schools demonstrating their adoption of the principle of “a preferential option for the poor”, the purpose of the Act stage of the SJA method is to find a small, practical action, which could be used by a few or many to achieve the overall goal. In this case, you could focus on one Catholic school you know and ask them how they operate with the Church’s social teaching principles to guide them. It would be even better if you could find an example of where they do use the principles and compliment them through one of their social media pages.
[• What is Jesus calling you to do about the world in which you Iive?
• What small action can you carry out that will contribute to the change Jesus wants to see in the world and in you?
• Who can you involve in your action, when, where and how often?]
Here is my suggestion:
Avoid scandal and help the poor
“A preferential option for the poor” should be maintained in our Catholic Schools. If we find that we cannot afford to keep our schools open to the poor, the Church should be ready to use its resources for something else which can be kept open to the poor. We cannot allow our Church to become a church primarily for the upper classes while leaving the poor in the public schools. The priority should be given to the poor even if we have to let the upper classes fend for themselves.
Practically speaking, the Catholic Schools must give up general education in those countries where the State is providing it. The resources of the Church could then be focused on “Confraternity of Christian Doctrine” and other programs which can be kept open to the poor. These resources could then be used to help society become more human in solidarity with the poor. Remember, the Church managed without Catholic Schools for centuries. It can get along without them today. The essential factor is to avoid scandal and cultivate enough Faith to act in the Gospel Tradition, namely, THE POOR GET PRIORITY. The rich and middle-class are welcome too. But the poor must be included.
Thank you for your comment, William. While I agree with you about our Catholic schools demonstrating their adoption of the principle of “a preferential option for the poor”, the purpose of the Act stage of the SJA method is to find a small, practical action, which could be used by a few or many to achieve the overall goal. In this case, you could focus on one Catholic school you know and ask them how they operate with the Church’s social teaching principles to guide them. It would be even better if you could find an example of where they do use the principles and compliment them through one of their social media pages.