Social Justice Journal

By: Jason Nienhaus

1) Reflection

This past weekend I attended the junior day of service where we teamed up with Americorps to clean up a historic cemetary site, Father Dickson Cemetery. When we arrived, I was surprised by how worn down everything was. There were tombstones that were cracked or simply propped up against the base to which they had once been attached. Sticks and fallen trees lay where they fell. Then as we picked up rakes, shovels, and clippers, the single person who maintained the gravesite gave us a brief history. When I took all of this in, I connected it to what Jesus said in his Judgement of Nations Parable: Whatever you do to the least of my brothers, you do to me. Although we were technically not helping the least and the lowliest, we were cleaning up a resting place for over 12,000 people that has been forgotten or ignored by most and began to fall into disrepair and helped out a man who had more work than he could possibly do alone. And although some people might say that we didn't really accomplish too much in terms of fixing it up, to the gravekeeper and the families it meant less work for the keeper and a nicer resting place for their family members, which in my opinion was a worthwhile experience.

A picture of Father Dickson Cemetary

2) A Photo or Picture that illustrates a key idea.



3) Two key ideas from different parts of the section studied and different from the assigned reflection.

One key issue that we covered in this section is the principle of subsidiarity, which states that matters ought to be handled by the smallest competent authority. This principle is based on the fact that every human being has an inalienable dignity just by being human and that this should allow them to solve their own issues without intervention from a higher authority. The reason that this is an important term in social justice is because it focuses on small communities of individuals, such as a church or a family, and allows them to communicate with each other. This focusing on small communities also implies that the higher level organizations such as the government should serve to meet the needs of these smaller communities which allows them to form a stable society.

Another key idea covered in this section were the corporal and spiritual works of mercy. The reason that I think that this is one of the most important parts of the section is because they describe ways in which we can live up to what Jesus called the greatest commandment, which is to love God with all our heart, mind, and soul and to love our neighbors as ourself. We know that performing these acts show our love because Jesus said in Matthew 25: "Amen, I say to you, whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me." These also tie perfectly into social justice by helping those who are in circumstances beyond their control, which makes them important guidelines for anyone looking to accomplish this.

4) One key question from the section.

What, in William J. O'Malley's opinion, did Jesus consider to be the worst type of sin and why?

In his article on the morality of Jesus, O'Malley stated that the worst kind of sin was having "an obtuse spirit" in which a person denies that he/she has done anything wrong and rejects the idea that they need forgiveness. In the gospels, there are various parables, such as the Prodigal Son or the Adulterous Woman, in which Jesus offers uninhibited forgiveness when he sees the genuine sorrow and humility within them. On the other hand, when he saw people selling for profit in the temple he grew enraged and overturned their tables. It is these kinds of self-centered actions that irritated him because it is a blasphemy against the Holy Spirit and an insult to his mission which was to die for the world's sins.

To become active in a day of service at Father Dickson Cemetery, follow this link to find more information: http://www.usgennet.org/usa/mo/county/stlouis/dickson/fdc.htm Home