So says the psalmist:
“But they flattered him with their mouths and lied to him with their tongues, though their hearts were not steadfast toward him, nor were they faithful to his covenant.”
And so says the same psalmist:
“But he, being merciful, forgave their sin and destroyed them not; often he turned back his anger and let none of his wrath be roused.”
If ever there was a time that God could be tempted to let “the Wrath” be roused, might it be now? Does it seem that way? Political assassinations, wars that starve children, unethical financial dealings in the highest office in the land; absolute disregard for dignity of women and girls, immigrants and nonwhite persons.
How long, O Lord? If ever there was a good time for lament, it might be now. Lucky for us, ours is not a wrathful God – even if we humans are tempted to be, and perhaps even, to wish God was.
So, when my community’s justice committee went looking for what we could do to let it be known that we stand in opposition to the nation’s many failings, we settled on the red, white and blue signs that since June have been parked on the property line around our block on West Monroe Street.
The signs articulate the principles of Catholic Social Teaching at the foundation of the Catholic Church’s approach to injustice worldwide. We started with six sets of 10 signs, each with a “title sign” announcing what they are: Catholic Social Teaching – followed by nine brief phrases summing up that teaching: (1) every human life has dignity, (2) we are called to community and participation in society,(3) human rights and responsibilities are to be protected, (4) put the needs of the poor and vulnerable first, (5) work has dignity and workers have rights; (6) in human solidarity we pursue peace and justice; (7) care for creation is a requirement of our faith.
We opted also to highlight two current concerns implicit in the seven principles but not stated outright: humans are “one global human family” and immigrants have rights and dignity, thus 10 signs.
The signs allow us to speak a loud “No” against the violence and challenges to democracy we see in the U.S. and around the world while being constructive in our cry against these ills. The QR codes on the signs lead passers-by to springfieldop.org/stand which provides details about CST and how it is articulated in the life and ministry of our congregation and the church.
Catholic Social Teaching was first formulated in 1891 when the last Pope Leo wrote Rerum Novarum, an encyclical on the rights of labor. I could be proved wrong, but I don’t think the principles were taught in schools until the 1970s at the earliest. That’s why I wasn’t surprised to be confronted by an older woman at a parish event who demanded to know why she had never been taught these principles. “I’ve never heard of them before this moment,” she said, astonished, as if we’d made them up.
What has been surprising – sometimes delightfully so – has been the public response to the signs.
There have been detractors. One person complained to the diocese, and there has been some vandalism – one entire set of signs was plucked up, ripped up and strewn around the yard.
Most curiously, three of the title signs, the ones that announce “Catholic Social Teaching” – have gone missing and had to be replaced. What to make of that? Either someone really liked the signs and wanted them for themselves – or they might have intended to suggest that these principles couldn’t possibly be “Catholic.”
Here’s the thing, though: They are truly catholic – truly “small c” catholic. Some passers-by recognize that. A friend emailed me to share that one of his friends, a retired AME pastor, was thrilled to see the signs. “Shouldn’t every Christian church be teaching these things?” he queried.
Yes! We “big C” Catholics proudly claim these principles, but because the Gospel is at their root – and beyond that the ethical codes of Judaism – they don’t belong exclusively to us. They belong to everyone with Judeo-Christian roots.
What thrilled me most was to hear from a mom who pulled into our parking lot one Wednesday during our weekly 4:30 vigil. She walked out to the curb where we were standing to share that her daughter was less than pleased to learn she’d be enrolled at Sacred Heart-Griffin High School until the day she arrived to register for the fall and saw the signs ringing the campus. According to the woman, her daughter exclaimed upon seeing the signs, “Mom! Look! I think I’ll love it here!”
Is that not a fine example of the non-wrathful, nonviolent, merciful impact of Gospel-rooted responses to the times we live in?
Sister Beth Murphy, OP, is the communication director for the Dominican Sisters of Springfield.
Appreciate of many, many Wednesday afternoon motorists who honk their horns in support!