The Impossible Dream
Vision of a Just World
Try this….
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Flying
Sailing around the
world
Talking to someone in
Europe on the phone
Running a Four minute
mile
Breaking the sound
barrier
Climbing Mt. Everest
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What do all of these
things have in
common?
When someone asked
if they would ever
happen, everyone’s
response was:
IMPOSSIBLE
Now this….
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Running a marathon in
under 2 hours (current
record about 2:07)
Doing Ironman Hawaii
in under 8 hours
(current record 8:08)
6 gigahertz computer
processor
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What do these have in
common?
We believe they will
happen SOON
And Finally…
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End to poverty
End to Racism
Economic Justice for
everyone
Political stability
End to terrorism (and
the perceived need for
it)
Observation of human
rights for everyone
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What do these things
have in common?
Most people believe
they will NEVER
happen
Why is there a difference?
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Why can we try so hard to achieve the next
level in sports, grades, etc. but not in large
terms?
Because it’s too hard? Because it will take to
long?
We CAN do it. It looks like we can do about
anything.
We know from both human reason and divine
revelation that we SHOULD do it.
The agreements:
1)
2)
3)
We must question the norms of the world.
It is OK to be revolutionary.
We must try to bring the Kingdom of God to
earth. Too hard, frustrating, inconvenient,
etc. is NOT an excuse.
Living in the Just World
Now that we know we can have one
The Good Samaritan
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Read the parable, Lk 10:25
What was the relationship between Jews and
Samaritans like?
How would we make this fit into today’s
world?
So what is the Just World?
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A place where the Samaritan’s actions aren’t
unusual.
A place where no one is frozen by the
enormity of a problem.
A place where people understand why
someone might want to run for an ungrateful
political office, work at a job where they know
they will be under-compensated, work with
people who might not appreciate them, etc.
What is Justice?
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Seen through the Trinity and work of God, in
the person of Jesus, on Earth and the
continued presence of the Holy Spirit
We give God the love, faith, adoration, trust,
and hope that God deserves.
We give others what we would like them to
give to us
In short, we give God and others what they
are due.
Four Elements of a Just World
1
2
3
4
Concern for Basic Needs
Concern for Personal Dignity
Concern for Solidarity
Concern for Social Structures
So what are each of these things?
Concern for Basic Needs
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Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs states that no
one can move further up the pyramid until
they master each lower level
We can not be fully human unless our needs
to live are met
The Church maintains that:
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Most people’s needs (worldwide) are not met
Enough resources exist to meet them
Resources must be redistributed to achieve this
Concern for Personal Dignity
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God made all humans in His likeness, therefore we
all possess the same dignity
That dignity is a gift from God that is non-negotiable
All people deserve to feel like that dignity is granted
them
They deserve self-esteem
They must foster their own ability to offer to others,
to not be completely selfish
They must be empowered
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gaining of power over one’s life and within one’s community
Concern for Solidarity
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When we work for justice, we must work with, not for
We must work for solidarity
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A spirit of unity and mutual concern; the quality of justice
that breaks down barriers between people
There is no “us helping them”, there is only “we”
Everyone must have a voice
This only makes sense, how can people know what
others truly need if they are not in a similar
situation?
Examples of FOR vs. WITH
Concern for Social Structures
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All problems exist on a personal and societal level
We worry about personal (individual’s concerns)
problems immediately. They are the symptoms.
But we must worry about societal (community,
national, or international) problems as well. They
are the disease.
Without addressing the disease, there can never be
a cure—the symptoms never go away.
List examples of Personal Problems and their
corresponding Societal Problems.
Need to address Social Structures
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We live in a communal world. None of our
actions exclusively affect us—they help or
hinder others as well
How we spend our money on a micro (small)
and macro (big) level indicates our priorities
We are obliged to see to it that our priorities
are reflected in the structures we create