"But if you would offer me holocausts, then let justice surge like water, and goodness like an unfailing stream."

Do you recognize these words? (Hint: they appear on the tombstone of Martin Luther King, Jr.) They are the words of Yahweh in the Old Testament as proclaimed by the 8th Century B.C. Hebrew prophet Amos, expressing God's feelings about those who profess to worship their Creator without concern for their fellow human beings. Immediately before this admonition, Amos had declared God's disgust with any form of worship that is divorced from real concern and compassion for the poor, the widow or orphan, or the stranger in their midst. Amazingly, God is saying through the prophet that to Him, assuring just treatment for all is worship in its most basic form!

A holocaust was a burnt offering of crops or animals, the "first fruits" of the Jewish people's agricultural bounty, offered in thanksgiving and worship to Yahweh. It was akin to our practice of tithing, or "giving off the top" of our income... returning to God a portion of that with which he has blessed us. Amos wanted justice to wash over Jewish society like a flood that drenches all it touches.

PROPHETIC TRADITION CONTINUES..
The Catholic Church has always taken seriously the warning of the Prophets that worship divorced from justice is no worship at all, and that injustice eventually brings God's judgment and retribution. It has developed a large body of social teaching that applies the message of the prophets and the Gospel itself to modern issues like human rights, war and peace, economics, criminal justice, etc. This Catholic social teaching, often called the Church's "best-kept secret," has nonetheless had a major impact on contemporary American society, from the "labor priests" of the 1940's to the U.S. Bishops' Pastoral Letters on Peace and the Economy in the 80's. It is a profoundly counter cultural message, defying any easy label such as "conservative" or "liberal," and challenging both the political parties of the Left (on abortion, sexual morality, and personal responsibility) and the Right (on the rights of the poor and minorities, the excesses of capitalism, and militarism).

CHARITY VS. JUSTICE
Catholic social teaching insists that it is not enough to treat the symptoms of injustice through works of charity. We must also look at its underlying causes. This means, for example, that the direct service of feeding the hungry is only a first - if basic and indispensable - step that must be followed by asking why there is hunger and why the conditions that contribute to hunger are so hard to change. Such social analysis will then also lead to justice education (informing others of the problem), advocacy and empowerment. It may also culminate in various combination ministries of social action, such as legislative advocacy, letter-writing campaigns, even protest. For more on the relationship of charity and justice, visit the Office of Social Justice's "Food for Thought" web site where you'll find a virtual smorgasbord of documents, quotations and comprehensive reading list.

CATHOLIC SOCIAL TEACHING CONFRONTS MANY AMERICAN VALUES & POLICIES
For Human Concerns ministry at St. John Vianney, the social teaching of the Roman Catholic Church will always be the starting point and benchmark. This means, among other things, that our country's mores and our government's policies will be judged by Gospel values, and not the other way around. As both Catholics and U.S. citizens, we need to be clear about this and acknowledge, without apology, that our most profound loyalty is to our faith and its essential principles. This doesn't mean that we don't love our country, recognize its many wonderful aspects, or consider ourselves concerned citizens, even patriots. But our faith guides our patriotism, and when the principles that seem to be guiding our nation are seriously in conflict with our deepest principles, we must speak up and act.

We must also note that Catholic social teaching is merely a framework, not a blueprint. The prophets did not foresee the rise of capitalism and communism, nor did Jesus' teachings anticipate the nuclear era, although they did provide us with a core set of principles that can guide us into the third millennium and beyond. Nonetheless, those bedrock principles do not offer easy answers to every contemporary question.

Should welfare reform be about responsibility or mercy - or if both, in what proportion ? Must Christians by definition be pacifists, or is violence against evil sometimes justified? What is more dangerous to the common good: inflation or unemployment? Do we vote for the Democrat who professes concern for the poor here and abroad but is "pro-choice," or for the Republican who is pro-life but for the death penalty and tax breaks for big business but not for the working poor or single mothers? Even a complete understanding of and commitment to Catholic Social Teaching would not prevent people of good will from disagreeing on the specifics of social policies. For this reason, the U.S. Bishops have forbidden parishes to endorse parties or candidates while at the same time encouraging them to urge their members to vote and take their political rights and responsibilities seriously. It's also one more reason to strive for civility and respect in our debates, rather than demonizing those whose conscience leads them to other conclusions.

Contact Mary Kaminski, Adult & Family Minister/Human Concerns, via phone or email. We'll help you find a way to put your compassion into action and pursue your passion for justice. Whether it's participating in a parish service program, joining the Human Concerns Commission, or finding a group that fits your interests and schedule outside the parish, you'll find that putting your faith into action is a lot easier with the support of others - and it makes you feel much better than ignoring the problem!

Hunger... Homelessness... Poverty... Violence... Ecological Destruction.
Needless to say, the social issues that confront our society and world are overwhelming both in quantity and complexity. Many would prefer to ignore them. But our faith compels us to struggle with them. Persons of conscience and compassion are needed now more than ever to lift up a prophetic voice in challenge of the status quo. The Human Concerns Commission aims to be that vehicle for socially concerned members of our faith community.

The Human Concerns Commission is one of four standing committees directly accountable to the Parish Council (the others are the Prayer & Worship Commission, the Christian Formation Commission, and the Administrative Services Commission).

Each commission:

• implements Council priorities and goals in its own area of responsibility
• identifies and prioritizes needs within its area in keeping with the parish mission
• in concert with the pastor and pastoral staff, formulates long- and short-term goals and objectives, investigates options for implementation
• communicates with other committees and the parish at large, encouraging active support and involvement in a spirit of collaboration
• engages in on-going formation and spiritual development, recommends budget priorities to the Council through the Finance Committee, and periodically evaluates existing programs and activities

Four Complementary Approaches:

1. Direct Service
2. Justice Education
3. Advocacy
4. Empowerment

The Human Concerns Commission meets monthly and welcomes new members or the merely curious. To find out about their upcoming meetings, please contact Mary Kaminski, Adult & Family Minister/Human Concerns, via phone or email.

This is the point of entry for most people who get involved in parish Human Concerns ministry. It begins when human suffering or need is recognized and steps are taken to alleviate that suffering. For example, when we see that someone is hungry or a family doesn't have adequate money for food by the end of the month, we may set up a meal program or organize a food pantry, or provide financial assistance.

Direct Service ministries include:

• St. Vincent de Paul/Food Pantry: Assistance with emergency needs in the local area
• St. Gall's Meal Program: Provides monthly meal to people in Milwaukee's inner city
• Companions in Christ: Visitation of shut-ins or the lonely
• Funeral Reception Committee: A service to bereaved families of the parish
• Interfaith Caregiving Network: Helps seniors stay in their homes by offering transportation, phone reassurance, help with shopping, chores, forms
• Angel Tree: Christmas gifts purchased and delivered to children of prisoners

Direct service is vitally necessary, but only a first step. Catholic social teaching insists that it is not enough to treat the symptoms of a problem through works of charity. We must also work to eliminate the problem at its source. Charity must be accompanied by justice.

St. John Vianney also sponsors several ministries that combine some or all of the four approaches:

• Twinning: Works with our sister parish, Principe de Paz/Prince of Peace, to foster an understanding and appreciation of Catholic, socioeconomic, and cultural diversity and to assist their own service and empowerment efforts on Milwaukee's near South side.