Lord, if I see someone being treated unfairly, please give me the courage to stand up for them.
Read:
The fruit of Silence is Prayer. The fruit of Prayer is Faith. The fruit of Faith is Love. The fruit of Love is Service. The fruit of Service is Peace.- Found on St. Teresa's business card
Here is an interesting book that introduces children and their families to the Catholic Social Teachings.
Stone Soup tells the story of a village that grew stronger as they learned to work together. This version has traditionally included an audio cd.
Learn:
There are 7 key themes to the Catholic Social Teachings (CST). Try out this interactive learning site on the 7 key themes
The first theme is Life and Dignity of the Human Person-Every person is created in the image of God. Every person is precious. We must protect human life.
The second theme is Call to Family, Community, and Participation-We are social beings and our family is where we grow to our fullest potential. God created us to be part of a family just as He, Jesus and the Holy Spirit are family. We should work to make our families strong.
The third theme is Rights and Responsibilities. We have some basic rights in life that include a right to food, clothing, shelter, rest, medical care, and essential social services. We also have a responsibility to do things that help all people.
The fourth theme is Option for the Poor and Vulnerable. The Lord helped the poor people and those that were 'different' than others (lepers, sick, widows, etc.). So to be like Jesus we must welcome and help those people, too.
The fifth theme is The Dignity of Work and the Rights of Workers. Workers have rights to decent work, fair wages,fair hours, and safe working conditions.
The sixth theme is Solidarity. We are all linked to everyone else in the world. We should treat each other fairly and live in peace.
The seventh theme is Care For God's Creation. We show respect for God by caring for His earth. We must take care of the earth for all of the people that will come after us.
Respond:
Be kind to someone at school this week. Treat everyone like you would treat Jesus. Do something together as a family-play a game, go to the park, say prayers-anything that will help your family grow stronger together. Walk your child(ren) through St. Teresa's quote, creating a scenario so that they can visualize how that will play out. Take time as a family to come up with some ways that you will help the poor and vulnerable in your city, state, country and/or the world, explaining that it is our responsibility to give them help just as Jesus did. Did you know that in some places in the world children your age are forced to work hard for several hours per day? And for very little money? Pray for the children of the world that they all have a chance to have a happy childhood. Spend some time looking at the lives of children and families around the world. How is their life different from yours? How is it the same?
Remind your mom and dad to recycle boxes, paper, cans, and water bottles. You can make a game of it by charging 25 cents every time someone in your family throws away an item that can be recycled. Instead of buying bottles of water, have mom and day buy you one bottle that you can reuse every day. Plant and take care of a garden or a tree. When you grow your own foods you save a lot of energy and materials. Plus, it is healthier for you. Play outside or take a bike ride instead of playing with electronic devices.