On Social Justice: Sts. Basil & John Chrysostom

INTRODUCTION

Video to start discussion

This is a TED talk by Prof. Michael Sandel, who is a famous philosopher at Harvard University. Try to listen carefully & see what he's talking about.

If there is no time to watch the whole video, the class can watch from the beginning till minute 2:40 and then from minute 7:35 until the end.

Discussion Questions:

  • What is Michael Sandel talking about?

Answer: about if people who are successful always deserve their success, and if those who are rich always deserve their wealth and so on.

  • What does he think?

Answer: Those at the bottom are no less worthy simply because they weren't born with the talents that a particular society rewards. If I become a successful engineer in the future for example, this could be due to the fact that I went to a good school, my parents helped me along the way, and could afford to send me to college & that I am good at math. This does not mean I deserve this ... it just means my circumstances allowed me to succeed whereas other people simply could not afford to go to college and will never become engineers. Of course, I will work hard in college, but some people will never even get the chance.

  • What do you think about this? How should we think about this problem as Christians?

CONTENT (Key Points)

How many of you here have heard about "social justice"? Did you know that the word "justice" in Greek is δικαιοσύνη (dikaiosuni)? You can also find it in "just/adjust/justify." All this means to realign and to fix and restore. In other words, justice is not about punishment but about being righteous and restoring a human being or society again.

What we've been talking about so far is called "social justice," which means trying to make sure that society is fair to everyone. Today, lots of people are thinking about social justice in many different ways. But actually, not only today. Some Christians have been thinking about social justice from centuries and millennia ago, and they've been writing and preaching about it, and most importantly, working hard to accomplish social justice in their societies. Let's get to know 2 of these fathers today, and then see what they thought about social justice.

The first is called St. Basil, who lived in the 4th century and was bishop of a city called Caesarea. Let me ask you: What happens today when you fall sick or need medical attention? You go to the hospital. Well, who manages the hospital? And who will pay your bill? Usually, hospitals are private or run by the state, and insurance will pay your bill---or most of it. But in premodern times, it was much harder to find hospitals except in really big cities, and many people would not be able to enter them. And usually these hospitals would be really expensive.

St Basil would have none of it. In his youth he wanted to be a monk but over time felt that so many people outside the monastery were suffering from sickness and poverty. He thought that the monks and nuns should be serving these people ... and so he established something like a small city that was called the Basiliad. He wanted a place where everyone was welcome, and especially those who could not afford good medical care (actually in the 4th century that would be most of us), those who were orphans, and who needed to learn. In the Basiliad, monks and nuns worked with doctors and other specialists to give food, clothing, shelter, and medical assistance to everyone who needed it. It was also an orphanage and trade school. St Basil didn't just want to give some money to the poor and that's it, no He wanted to help them stand on their feet.

The second is St. John Chrysostom, who also lived in the 4th century and was bishop of Constantinople. During his time, Constantinople was the capital of the entire Roman empire. The emperor, empress, and all the court came to the church he served in every week, and they were some of the richest people in the whole empire And all through his life, St John preached at them to give to those less fortunate Their money is not just theirs, but it belongs to God and they should give it back to God by giving to the poor.

Was it only words? No St. John practiced what he preached. In Antioch, he led his congregation to use the church's buildings as a hostel for travelers. They operated a hospital for those with incurable illnesses and had a registry for widows and ensured that they were taken care of. When he later became Archbishop of Constantinople, he drastically cut his own salary and gave it instead to the local hospital.

And when the hospital couldn't handle the healthcare of the entire city,St. John had the church build more hospitals. St. John really cared about his community, about the systemic problems in wealth disparity, and he did something about it.

So for example, let's read the parable of the rich man and Lazarus in Luke 16:19-31 & see what St John thinks about it.

This coming section can be a discussion. The servant can state the answer & youth can debate it, then the servant can explain to them what St John and St Basil say about the issue.

Discussion

  • (1) Isn't it enough to be a good person, pray, fast, go to church, ... etc.? Do I have to give?

The fathers considered giving as the measure of love, and the ultimate goal of the Christian faith.

St Basil says: "I know many who fast, pray, sigh, and demonstrate all kinds of piety, so long as it costs them nothing. But they would not part with a penny to help those in distress How then does the rest of their virtue benefit them?"

Likewise, St John reminds us that the altar of God is made up of the members of Christ. He says: "How can you venerate the altar of the church when the body of Christ is on it, BUT you neglect the other altar, the poor person, although he is the body of Christ You can bear to stand by and not care while he dies of hunger This altar you can see lying everywhere, in the alleys and in the markets, and you can sacrifice upon it anytime... And as the priest stands, invoking the Spirit, so you too can invoke the Spirit, not by words, but by deeds."

  • (2) Well, it's my money. We live in a free society, and I can do whatever I want with my money. What does anyone have to do with my money?

Actually, here St John's answer is shocking He says: if you have the money & energy and you choose not to serve others with it, you are a thief What was the rich man's fault? The rich man did not take Lazarus' money. He simply didn't share his own money, and for that was not admitted into heaven Not to share one's possessions with the poor is theft ... For our money is God's, however we may have gathered it. . . The rich man is a kind of steward of the money which is owed for distribution to the poor... So, let us think about our goods as belonging to others... We should not spend beyond our needs, and not spend for our needs only, but give equal shares into the hands of the poor.

  • (3) But I need this money I can't afford to give it away to anyone.

The fathers remind us that we should give even out of our needs. Do you remember the widow who gave two cents, her whole livelihood? (Mark 12:41-44). Maybe we should think about what we identify as needs. When I go shopping, I need to think "do I really need this iPhone or Apple Watch or dress, or am I just getting it because I can?"

St Basil says, "When will you use the things you already have? When will you ever be able to enjoy them, since your mind is always on buying stuff?"

St Basil adds, "After all, what is the use of wealth? Do you wish to wrap yourself in wonderful clothes? Surely one coat is enough and not more, and a single garment is enough for clothes Or would you rather spend your wealth on food? Well, a loaf of bread is enough to fill your stomach Why then do you grieve? Of what have you been deprived? Of the glory that derives from wealth? Well, if you were not seeking earthly glory, you would have discovered the true glory like a shining beacon leading you to the Kingdom of Heaven."

  • (4) I cannot share my money with the poor as I save money for the future. The future is always uncertain, and some foreseen need might arise.

St Basil says that the best "investment" is to save your money for the kingdom of heaven by giving it to the poor. And God, from whom you received that money, is the same God who will take care of you in the future.

St John also says something really interesting. He says: Christ told us that when we feed the hungry we are feeding Christ himself, right? (Matthew 25). Well, it is much better to feed Christ than to do the mightiest miracles, even raising someone from the dead When you give from your needs and feed and clothe a poor person, then God is in your debt. Imagine that And He will take care of you.

  • (5) Well, whom should I give to? What if this person is bad or wicked? Why should I give to someone who does not deserve the money?

St John says: So what? Even if he is the most wicked of all men, but is still hungry and needs food, then let us free him from hunger Wickedness does not mean a person should starve to death

I do not despise anyone; even if he is only one, he is a human being, the living creature for whom God cares. My Master died and poured out His blood for this person. Shall I despise him?

If someone is in need, then they are worthy to receive. Period. They don't need to do anything else for you to give them. Actually, we give them so that we too can receive mercy from God, which we do not deserve either If we want to receive from God, then we should freely give to others as well.

Take-aways:

  • While governments and politicians approach social justice in many different ways, Christianity focuses on our inside: our heart and intentions. Giving is not something that we just do to make society better but it is a main aspect of our faith.
  • While some of the quotes can be shocking and even if we may not be able to fulfill the commandment fully, we should at least seek to fulfill it partially as much as we can.

DISCUSSION

Did you know that Christians in the US have a reputation for being the worst tippers at restaurants? Let's check some news headlines about it.

Example 1:

This image of a receipt went viral. Can you read what it says? It was a Christian pastor at a restaurant, who gave the server $0.00 tips and wrote: "I give God 10%. Why do you get 18%?" Imagine There was lots of trouble in that restaurant afterwards.

Example 2:

These are some real sayings from waiters and waitresses across the US. When you read them, think, do I sometimes act in this way?

  • "The Sunday after church crowd were always the worst tippers. I found another line of work."
  • "I have waited tables in the past and I am sorry to say this behavior is not unusual. Often ministers come into restaurants with their parishioners and treat the staff there to wait on them beyond poorly. They usually come in rather large parties and often leave very little tip for the poor server, who goes out of their way to care for the group."
  • "As a former waitress who frequently served large parties of CHURCH members and pastors, I can attest to the fact that the majority of them were very demanding, condescending, dismissive and cheap. When 1 or 2 from the party of 12 -15 did tip they would leave pennies and loose change."
  • "I don't understand. Would Jesus do this? What is their problem?"

APPLICATION

What are some practical ways we can practice social justice today?

  • The examples about tips were just one way for us to think about generosity and about giving money. Do we think about those who we should be generous to in our daily lives? Or do we think that if we just go to a homeless service or donated to one that we are "good enough"?
  • Don't forget that it is not just about money. You can also help with your time, service and extra goods like old clothes or personal belongings. See what social justice projects are available at your church and consider signing up. Prison service, homeless people service, services for collecting goods and sending them to the needy, hospital and hospice service (the servant can share some information about these projects specific to the church)
  • Check your neighborhood civic center. Are there immigrant centers you can help at? Maybe there are special projects connected to health, homelessness, & others that you can sign up for.

ACTIVITY

"Know your Lemon" Game

Give a lemon to each student. Have them look for any identifying marks, shape ... etc. Then take the lemons and put them in a basket and have each student find their lemon. If they manage to do it, peel the lemons and have the students attempt to find their lemons again. Moral: we are all equal, and even if we may look slightly different on the outside, we look the same on the inside - we're all human beings.

RESOURCES

Books the youth can read for themselves

References