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When Jesus spoke on the mount, as we refer to as the Beatitudes, Matthew 5:3-11 shows us the core message of social justice, or rather the threads from that.“3Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 4Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted. 5Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth. 6Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled. 7Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy. 8Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God. 9Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God. 10Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 11Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake.”Here he speaks of how those who mourn, are hungry, or cry out for justice will be comforted by God. He evens says those who work for peace will be called children of God. After all Matthew 5:13-16 instructs us to not hide our“light”of Christ from the world, but rather let it shine for all to see.“13Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men. 14Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid. 15Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. 16Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.”

Throughout our last 50 years, our society has seen present day persons who have exhibited the call to speak up for those who don’t have a voice. From Thomas Merton, Malcolm X, Martin Luther King, Mother Teresa to Gandhi, all these persons rose above their quietness, to raise the issues about social justices. Even those involved in the arts have used their public platform making others aware of the immediate cause of concerns in society. Peter Paul and Mary, Woody Guthrie, and Harry Chapin, who even founded the World Hunger Project ( www.worldhungeryear.org ), have used music as a tool to speak up. Present day rock and roll band Switchfoot has established their own clearing house of information on these issues on their website www.lowercasepeople.com . We can even reflect on the Farm Aid concerts or to the rock platform that Bob Geldof did with Band Aid to see how the arts was used to raise awareness of social justice issues. What this is showing us, is those who have become enlightened by Christ, to become vocal regarding social justice issues. On the other hand, is it not time for the esoteric church to stand up to their call in being active for social justice?

In our society today there are real needs of those suffering, to be comforted and cared for. From hunger, to health, to education, to legislation, to basic human rights, all the way up to ecological concerns needs to be addressed by those called by God to be his children.

Christians are called to care, as seen in; Luke 14:13-14; John 11:32-44; Acts 20:21-28; 1 Timothy 5:1-4; and James 1:27.

Our“platform”for social justice can take on many forms. From forming an organization, to volunteering, to using our present day technology in getting word out to the masses on social justice issues, to lobbying our legislators of these issues, sending letters to the editors, or simply form a discussion group to talk of these issues, are just some examples. What ever form you use, we just need to actively engage ourselves with social justice.

Before we delve more into these arenas for social justice, let us look at a common problem many of us have, when we first look at those in need. Sometimes our prejudices against those less fortunate, or in dire need of justice, we see those in need as being too“dirty”for us to be an advocate for. First let us look at the history of our traditions from in the lives of the saints, and leaders God used to show mercy.