Old Testament:
Throughout the history of salvation in the Old Testament, God shows himself to be concerned for the vulnerable amongst his people; he always acts in favour of the least, those who are easily marginalised and excluded.
In the book of Exodus, we see how God heard the cry of the people suffering from slavery and oppression in Egypt and how He decided to act to set them free.
Exodus 2:23–25
In the prophetic literature, we can clearly see God’s preference for the outcasts, and He sends His messengers to denounce, in His name, the people or structures that cause marginalisation. These structures may be political or religious. Particularly in the prophetic books of Amos and Micah, we see the prophet’s special mission to denounce all forms of corruption, whether religious, economic or political…
Amos 2: 6–8
Micah 2: 1–3 3: 1–8 6: 9–12 7: 1–4
In all this, God’s will is clear: In truth, the Lord has taught people what is good; what he requires of us is to do justice, to seek what is good, and to walk humbly with God. (Micah 6:8)
We can summarise faith in the God of the Old Testament and His worship in these terms:
Micah 5:21–24 “I detest your religious festivals; I cannot bear your solemn assemblies. I will not accept your burnt offerings or thank-offerings; I will not even look upon your peace offerings. Silence your hymns of praise, for they are nothing but mere noise to my ears. I will not listen to your music, however beautiful it may be. What I want to see is righteousness flowing like the mighty current of a river, and justice like an overflowing torrent.“
There is always a desire amongst the people to see a society where justice and righteousness reign, where people live in peace and harmony, where everyone has a place of equality and respect. This is what is called Utopia, which fuels hope. We always hope that tomorrow will be better. Jeremiah 33:14–16 and Isaiah 11:1–9 illustrate well this utopian force that drives and sustains the people’s belief that a just human society is possible.
New Testament:
The gospel proclaimed by Jesus of Nazareth contains a message of the coming of a KINGDOM which He called the Kingdom of God. The Synoptic Gospels present this element as the heart of Jesus’ missionary programme, as can be seen in Matt. 4:23 Luke 9:1–2 Mark 3:1–2 Matt. 13:44–47. These texts reveal to us the central focus of the message proclaimed by Jesus and his disciples. He was sent to establish the Kingdom of God, and in turn he sends his disciples out on the same missionary task.
The Kingdom of God consists of a new way of living in society. The incarnation of God in the person of Jesus of Nazareth is the concrete sign of the advent of this Kingdom amongst men and women. In the Gospels we can see what the social, political, economic and religious reality was like in Jesus’ time. The challenges he had to face were enormous. Establishing his missionary project would be far from easy, particularly given the key guiding principles governing relations between people within the context of the Kingdom of God. Life in the Kingdom of God is driven by different values rooted in faith in God: mercy, justice, compassion, equity, solidarity, non-discrimination………. Above all, there is a special focus on the least among us, the vulnerable. Jesus’ missionary life is characterised by concrete choices in favour of the victims of an unjust, discriminatory socio-religious system that favoured the exclusion of minority and vulnerable social groups in the name of God.
Ecclesiological foundation
The Church’s magisterium, particularly since the Second Vatican Council, has openly and officially reflected on the Church’s socio-political mission in the world. Even before the official convening of the Council, there were already reflections that had been set out in official documents; however, it was the Council that lent authority to the documents addressing social realities and how, drawing on our faith, we can respond to the challenges of modern society. This gave rise to the so-called documents on the social doctrine of the Church. In these documents, the Church, with the help of the social sciences, analyses the realities of modern society and the various challenges it faces at the social, economic, political and religious levels. The principles underpinning the Church’s social doctrine are rooted in the Gospel. Its aim is the promotion and integral liberation of people, recognising them as children of God.
The Encyclical Rerum Novarum by Leo XIII (1891) stands as the first systematic exposition of social doctrine in the form of an official document and its public release. Subsequently, other documents appeared, such as Master et Magistra by John XXIII, Pacem in Terris by John XXIII, Gaudium et Spes (Vatican II), Populorum Progressio by Paul VI, Centesimus Annus by John Paul II… And more recently, there have been encyclicals by Pope Francis addressing highly topical issues, such as Laudato si, Fratelli tutti, Laudato Deus… and by Pope Leo XIV, Dilexi Te. All these documents are situated within the social context.
The Church cannot turn a blind eye to the unjust realities experienced by thousands of human beings around the world, caused by socio-political and economic structures that serve the interests of a few to the detriment of the vast majority. The Second Vatican Council most clearly marked the Church’s official commitment to its mission of social justice and the defence of human dignity through the promotion of human rights.
The post-Vatican II Church has sought to incorporate this social dimension into its pastoral structure. Justice and Peace have become an essential element of the Church’s missionary work, with particular attention paid to all forms of injustice occurring in various social contexts around the world. Various vulnerable groups have come to the fore, taking centre stage in pastoral reflections within the Church: migrants, refugees, women, people struggling with addiction, indigenous peoples, the poor who suffer marginalisation, those excluded by an unjust economic system, marginalised ethnic groups, etc. In these contexts, the pastoral care of Justice and Peace is a means by which the Church seeks to make the Kingdom of God a reality.
In our contemporary society, a new subject has emerged as a victim of human greed: the environment, nature – or, in theological terms, Creation as a whole. Creation is a vulnerable, defenceless entity that suffers destruction at the hands of humankind without being able to defend itself. The Church has become aware of this situation and has chosen to incorporate the issue of the ecosystem into its social reflection; hence what we have today: the pastoral ministry of Justice, Peace and the Integrity of Creation.
Beyond the liturgical dimension of praise and thanksgiving, and beyond the catechetical dimension of teaching the faith, there is the social dimension which the Church—as the people of God and disciples of Jesus as described in the Gospels—absolutely cannot disregard. It is an evangelical imperative to care for the wronged, the excluded and the defenceless. In various parts of the world, local diocesan churches have organised themselves to implement the JPIC pastoral programme within their pastoral plans.
Consecrated Life and JPIC
Religious congregations, in general, have also chosen—as a path of evangelisation—the area of Justice, Peace and Integrity of Creation within our missionary work. We have organised the structure of our institutions with the aim of responding to the guidelines of the universal Church. We reflect, in the light of faith and our charisms, on the various challenges of modern society in the global context, but also on the diverse specific contexts in which we carry out our pastoral work. What are the new faces of the excluded, the wronged, and the vulnerable who need to be accompanied, listened to and cared for in our mission fields? In the Gospels, these people or groups are given concrete faces and names: widows, orphans, women, lepers, ‘sinners’, Samaritans……
Each Congregation has a charism, a spirituality and a purpose for which it was founded. The founding charism is usually a response to a real need among the People of God. God calls and inspires the founder to create, organise and structure a response to some need suffered by society, whether material or spiritual.
Through their general chapters, the congregations — by reading the signs of the times — identify the needs that contemporary society faces. What are the needs, the injustices, the corruption, the discrimination and the violations of rights that individuals or groups suffer within our mission contexts? How is nature and the environment treated? JPIC pastoral care is the space where we analyse, reflect and seek ways to provide a ‘solution’ to these situations.