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The Social Justice Principles Found in the Creation Accounts

Explore the social justice principles found in Creation accounts of Genesis and Catholic Social Teaching, emphasizing the value of human life, communal love, and individual salvation through the Paschal Mystery.

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The Social Justice Principles Found in the Creation Accounts

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  1. The Social Justice Principles Found in the Creation Accounts Catholic Social Teaching Document #: TX001943

  2. God’s original plan was to create a just community. Image in shutterstock

  3. This just community is based on a foundational religious truth: Every person is created in the image of God. Image in shutterstock

  4. The Creation accounts in the first chapters of the Book of Genesis reveal three important truths about the role that justice plays in God’s plan for human beings. Image in shutterstock

  5. The first truth revealed in the Creation accounts is that God has given human beings a share of his divine life, creating us “in the divine image” (Genesis 1:27). Image in shutterstock Justice requires that we recognize and respect the divine presence in every human being (see Matthew 25:37–40).

  6. A second truth revealed in the Creation accounts is that human beings were created to live in communion with God, who alone is the source of our true happiness. Image in shutterstock

  7. A third truth revealed in the Creation accounts is that God created human beings to live in loving communion with one another. Image in shutterstock According to the Catechism of the Catholic Church: “The human person needs to live in society. Society is not for him [or her] an extraneous addition, but a requirement of his [or her] nature” (1879).

  8. Adam and Eve’s disobedience, their failure to live according to God’s original plan to create a just community, led to the loss of the state of original holiness and justice for all human beings. Image in shutterstock

  9. This is Original Sin: the wounded human nature that is transmitted to all people as a result of Adam and Eve’s first sin

  10. Because of Original Sin, the power of our human nature is weakened. We are subject to ignorance, suffering, and death, and it is harder to resist the temptation to sin. Image in shutterstock

  11. We see examples of this in two stories from the Old Testament. Image in shutterstock WikiMediaCommons The story of Noah and the ark—due to the sinful ways of the people, God destroyed all life except for Noah, his family, and the animals he brought on the ark. The story of Cain and Abel—the first murder.

  12. We learn from Noah’s story that God’s salvation is near to those who remember him and who remain faithful to his original plan in creating humankind. Image in shutterstock

  13. These four social justice principles are found in the Creation accounts: 1. Each human life has great worth and must be protected. We must promote values that emphasize the inherent worth of each individual. Image in shutterstock 2. As human beings we cannot find the happiness we long for by pursuing things that do not lead to God. 3. God intends that human beings form communities of love and justice to work together for the common good. 4. We must have the same concern for other people’s welfare that we do for our own.

  14. The Social Dimension of the Paschal Mystery Catholic Social Teaching Document #: TX001944

  15. True faith always has a social dimension. Image in shutterstock

  16. God’s plan of salvation is both personal and communal. We need to care about others, not just ourselves. Image in shutterstock

  17. Christ gave us a New Law (the Sermon on the Mount) to teach us how to live as citizens of God’s Kingdom, completing the instruction that began with the Old Law. Image in shutterstock The Holy Spirit empowers us to build the Kingdom of God here on earth. Interesting Fact: Matthew’s Gospel refers to the Kingdom of God four times.

  18. The New Testament teaches us that God’s love is fulfilled through the life and work of Jesus Christ. Image in shutterstock We call this the Paschal Mystery—the life, death, Resurrection, and Ascension of Jesus Christ. The Paschal Mystery is the fulfillment of the New Covenant that God makes with all people.

  19. For people to enter into the New Covenant, we must Image in shutterstock Image in shutterstock Image in shutterstock be baptized, place our faith in Jesus, and follow Christ’s New Law of Love.

  20. • be compassionate toward others, • live justly,• respect the life and dignity of every person, • share our material goods to help others inneed, • and build just societies that protect theessential rights of all people. By Leon Brocard (originally posted to Flickr as IXS_2631) [CC-BY-2.0 (www.creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons The New Law of Christ requires us to

  21. The Holy Spirit calls us to conversion, empowers us for service, and helps us to grow in holiness. Image in shutterstock

  22. Each person’s salvation is based on his or her personal decision and actions. We must commit to being a member of the Body of Christ, make decisions to partake in the Sacraments, make good moral choices, serve others, and live a just life. Image in shutterstock

  23. The communal dimension of salvation is based in community. We are united as one family through the Sacraments and are therefore called to take care of all our brothers and sisters in Christ. Image in shutterstock

  24. Social Teaching in the Old Testament Catholic Social Teaching Document #: TX001945

  25. Social teaching in the Old Testament can be broken into five major themes: 1. Respect for Human Life 2. Respect for Property Image in shutterstock 3. Honesty in Business 4. Just Distribution of Wealth 5. Special Concern for the Vulnerable

  26. One must not cause another person physical harm. Respect Human Life Principles Taught in the Old Testament Image in shutterstock • If someone does injure or kill another human being, even accidentally or through negligence, a just recompense must be made for the harm done.

  27. The right to private property is a basic human right necessary for a person’s or family’s survival. Respect for Property Principles Taught in the Old Testament By Infrogmation of New Orleans (Photo by Infrogmation) [GFDL (www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html), CC-BY-SA-2.0 (www.creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0), CC-BY-SA-2.5 (www.creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.5) or CC-BY-SA-3.0 (www.creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons • Note: The right to private property is not an absolute right in the Old Law.

  28. One must act fairly in financial affairs and must not profit from someone else’s misfortune. Honesty in Business Principle Taught in the Old Testament Image in shutterstock

  29. The natural resources that people need to survive must be fairly distributed. Just Distribution of Wealth Principles Taught in the Old Testament Image in shutterstock When the ownership of natural resources becomes unbalanced, those resources must periodically be redistributed.

  30. One must treat foreigners, widows, orphans, and other vulnerable people in society with compassion and generosity. Special Concern for the Vulnerable Principle Taught in the Old Testament WikiMediaComons

  31. The Old Law was a step in God’s plan, the first stage of the revealed law. Image in shutterstock The next step was the New Law, which emphasizes God’s love and mercy.

  32. . . . what the Lordrequiresof you:Only to do the right and to love goodness, and to walk humbly with your God. (Micah 6:8). “ ”

  33. Social Teaching in the New Testament Catholic Social Teaching Document #: TX001946

  34. The New Law reveals the Old Law’s true meaning because Jesus fulfilled the Old Law perfectly. He took upon himself all the sins against the Old Law and redeemed them, making salvation possible for all people. Image in shutterstock

  35. The new life we receive from Christ calls us to put love into practice by performing acts of charity and building just social structures. Image in shutterstock

  36. One of the most foundational social justice principles is that we must see the image of God in every person, as did Jesus, our role model. Jesus welcomed the societal outcasts, and he calls us to do the same. WikiMediaComons Image in shutterstock

  37. Jesus taught that mercy and forgiveness are an essential part of God’s justice. In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus instructs us to forgive others and not to respond to transgressions by means of violence. By Louise Docker from sydney, Australia [CC-BY-2.0 (www.creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

  38. Jesus taught that detachment from wealth is necessary for entering the Kingdom of God. Jesus also asked some of his wealthy followers to share their wealth with those who are poor. Image in shutterstock

  39. Jesus taught that people who care for those who are poor and vulnerable (the corporal works of mercy) are placed at God’s right hand and receive the gift of eternal life. WikiMediaCommons

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