Matthew 5:4647

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Matthew 546-47

• For if you love those who love you, what reward
  do you have? Do not even tax collectors do the
  same? And if you greet only your brothers and
  sisters, what more are you doing than others? Do
  not even the gentiles do the same?

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CHAPTER 5

• Building Community
• Celebrating Unity amid Diversity

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Community

• Human dignity can be realized and protected only
  in community (Economic Justice for All, USCCB
  1986).
• Human beings, created imago Dei are social
  beings need one another to exist and thrive
• Community
• Group of people who relate to one another on the
  basis of common characteristics, circumstances,
  or interests.

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Two Approaches

• We as humans cannot escape the fact that we are
  social, thus we have a choice in terms of how we
  live in community
• Exclusion vs. Inclusion
• Exclusion
• Attempts to determine who does and does not
  belong by focusing on differences
• Inclusion
• Recognizes that differences do not take away the
  fact that all are created by God imago Dei

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Scriptures and Community

• The theme of community is strong in both the Old
  and New Testaments
• Jonah and the Ninevites
• The Ninevites were enemies of the Jews during
  Jonahs life Yahweh sends Jonah to preach
  conversion to them, but Jonah refuses to go.
• God does not care about Jonahs objections, the
  story of the whale spitting Jonah on the shore

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New Testament

• The first Christian communities recounted in the
  Acts of the Apostles 2 42-47
• Communal Life
• Feature of the Early Christian communities
• 3 Aspects of Communal Life
• devoted themselves to the teachings of the
  Apostles
• to the communal life
• to the breaking of the bread and the prayers

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Scriptural Insights

• From the stories of Jonah and the early
  Christians we are left with the following
• God does not create any people for them to be
  hated
• Gods vision of people is absolutely inclusive
• God is not a God only of one group but of all
• All people are sisters and brothers
• We are called to live and develop communal life

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What Makes a Community?

• Participation in community is both a right and
  responsibility.
• Social justice implies that persons have an
  obligation to be active and productive
  participants in the life of society and that
  society has a duty to enable them to participate
  in this way (Economic Justice for All, 71)

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St. Paul and Community

• In his letters, St. Paul continuously stresses
  building communities.
• 1 Cor 12 4-7
• Varieties of gifts, one Lord
• Three key themes in Pauls teaching
• We are different, but all are loved by God
• We need one another
• Solidarity is key

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Living Together in Community

• Three major requirements for a well-formed
  community
• The right and responsibility to contribute to the
  common good
• Refers to Theme 3 of CST (Rights
  Responsibilities)
• Individual right to be able to contribute
  meaningfully to society
• Individual responsibility to contribute to the
  good of the community

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Living Together in Community

• 2. The right to access the benefits and resources
  of the community
• If individuals are not able to receive benefits
  such as education, the entire community suffers
• Communities have a duty to organize structures
  that allow each member to have an abundant life

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Living Together in Community

• 3. Human Rights
• include the rights to fulfillment of material
  needs, a guarantee of fundamental freedoms, and
  the protection of relationships that are
  essential to participation in the life of
  society
• Bare minimums that must be met
• We are called to move beyond in terms of love and
  solidarity

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Remember the Titans

• How was inclusion demonstrated in the movie?
• How was exclusion demonstrated?
• What is the most important lesson from this film?

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Exclusion

• Attempts to determine who does and does not
  belong by focusing on differences
• Excuses not reasons
• Stereotypes, prejudice, discrimination

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Stereotype

• Our worldviews come from two sources
• Culture personal experience
• Stereotype
• When our view of a person or group is based on
  inaccurate or incomplete knowledge
• Can seem positive or negative
• Attack on human dignity

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Origins

• Stereotypes begin with an experience that becomes
  confused by faulty logic
• Examples pg 152
• Stereotypes also come from our culture /
  upbringing

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Prejudice

• Prejudice
• The combination of stereotypes and fear or
  selfishness that results in an attitude of
  hostility directed at whole groups of people.
• Pre judge ments
• Rejects individuality human dignity
• Leads to discrimination

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Discrimination

• Discrimination
• The denial of individuals or groups the right to
  participate in community
• Motivated by prejudice fueled by power
• Based on ethnicity, gender, creed, socio-economic
  status
• Discrimination is the root cause of Racism

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Discrimination on a Social Level

• Large-scale exclusions made by an institution or
  entire society
• Recent examples
• Apartheid in South Africa
• Segregation
• Denial of voting rights for women before 1920

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Current discrimination

• Discrimination continues in our society today ---
  usually in less noticeable ways
• Indirect result of many individual acts of
  discrimination
• Patterns of unjust activity that promotes
  exclusion and separation

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3 current examples

• Wage Gap
• Difference between the amount paid to different
  groups of people for their work.
• Educational inequalities
• Lack of funding in certain districts lower
  expectations (crippling effect)
• Housing segregation
• Unjust lending practices lease agreements
• Contribute to other examples of societal
  discrimination

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Cycle of Exclusion

• Stereotypes ? Prejudicial attitudes ?
  Discriminatory actions ? Reinforcement of
  negative stereotypes
• As this cycle continues, society becomes more
  entrenched in exclusion and reduces its respect
  for human dignity

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Racism

• Reflect on the following phrase
• the root of racism is fear of those we do not
  know
• Do you agree or disagree?

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The Sin of Racism

• a personal sin and social disorder rooted in the
  belief that one race is superior to another. It
  involves not only prejudice but also the use of
  religious, social, political, economic, or
  historic power to keep one race privileged
• Moving Beyond Racism, 2000.
• Racism ? combination of prejudice and power

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Racism the fruit of exclusion

• Despite an end to legalized slavery and
  segregation, racism still exists in this nation
• Racism is an evil that endures in our society
  and our Church. Despite apparent advances and
  even significant changes the reality of racism
  remains. In large part it is only external
  appearances that have changed
• Brothers and Sisters to Us, 1979

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• Racism is a sin a sin that divides the human
  family, blots out the image of God among specific
  members of that family, and violates the
  fundamental human dignity of those called to be
  children of the same Father. Racism is the sin
  that says some human beings are inherently
  superior and others essentially inferior because
  of races. It is the sin that makes racial
  characteristics the determining factor for the
  exercise of human right. It mocks the words of
  Jesus "Treat others the way you have them teat
  you." Indeed, racism is more than a disregard for
  the words of Jesus it is a denial of the truth
  of the dignity of each human being revealed by
  the mystery of the Incarnation. 
• Brothers and Sisters, 1979

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What can we do?

• Therefore, let the Church proclaim to all that
  the sin of racism defiles the image of God and
  degrades the sacred dignity of humankind which
  has been revealed by the mystery of the
  Incarnation. Let all know that it is a terrible
  sin that mocks the cross of Christ and ridicules
  the Incarnation. For the brother and sister of
  our Brother Jesus Christ are brother and sister
  to us.
• Brothers and Sisters, 1979.

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Building Inclusive Communities

• To break the cycle of exclusion, we must work to
  build inclusive communities
• Jesus example the Good Samaritan
• Luke 1030-37
• When asked who is my neighbor? Jesus responded
  with this parable
• Love of neighbor means love of all

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Jesus and humanity

• Incarnation the Word became flesh
• Through his birth as a human, Jesus gives the
  greatest example of inclusion
• Sharing in our humanity demonstrates Gods desire
  to be inclusive
• Fully realized in the crucifixion event

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Dwell in My Love

• Written to commemorate the 33rd anniversary of
  the death of Martin Luther King by Francis
  Cardinal George
• Discusses the evils of racism and its effect on
  the people of Chicago

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Bible Activity

• John 15 1-17
• What does it mean to abide in Jesus?
• How is the theme of Participation demonstrated in
  this passage?
• How is passage an attack on the sin of racism?

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St. Martin de Porres

• Dominican brother
• Former slave
• Inspiration to African-Americans and multi-racial
  people
• Example of the importance of inclusion

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Inclusion through conversion

• In order to build an inclusive society, we must
  redefine who and who does not belong
• Called to a change of heart
• We must, as individuals, look at our own values
  and determine how willing we are to welcome
  others
• Examples on pg. 162-63

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Working for inclusion

• Re-examining our attitudes is only the beginning,
  we must put our analysis into action
• Must occur on the individual, community,
  national, and global levels
• Individual actions ? nation

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Toward a Community of Love

• the fullness of love and community will be
  achieved only when Gods work in Christ comes to
  completion in the Kingdom of God. This kingdom
  has been inaugurated among us, but Gods
  redeeming and transforming work in not yet
  complete.
• Church as the Kingdom of God
• Church as the community of inclusion

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Test Chapter 5

• 8 Matching _at_ 4pts ? 32 pts
• 6 Multiple Choice _at_ 5 pts ? 30 pts
• 1 scripture _at_ 7 pts ? 7 pts
• 3 Short Answer _at_ 7 pts ? 21 pts
• 1 essay _at_ 10 pts ? 10 pts
• Bring a sheet of loose-leaf