Coming to Awareness

"The ministry of justice and service nurtures in young people a social consciousness and a commitment to a life of justice and service rooted in their faith in Jesus Christ, in the Scriptures, and in Catholic social teaching; empowers young people to work for justice by concrete efforts to address the causes of human suffering; and infuses the concepts of justice, peace, and human dignity into all ministry efforts."

-USCCB Renewing the Vision

When I got to college one of the most startling lessons I learned came as I sat on the floor of a retreat center on a cold November evening listening to the director for Creighton University’s Center for Service and Justice. The basic meaning of her words has never left me—service and justice cannot be peripheral to authentic Christian faith, they are central to it. What did this mean for me? Through high school I lived in Kearney and never really considered it as a place that had a lot of poverty or social problems. Sure I felt bad about starving children in other countries but I considered any involvement as an “extra” good deed on top of an already solid Catholic faith. I didn’t realize my role as a Christian in a global community—that problems don’t have to be right outside my door for them to matter to me. I should care about people in third-world countries, not because I’m an especially nice person, but because they are my brothers and sisters, we are united in our human dignity and we have not only a right but an obligation to defend human dignity for all. As Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. said it “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.”

What was so shocking to me about learning that service and justice are central to Christian faith is that it shook my identity. I strongly identified with my Roman Catholic background. I was active in my parish, had considered religious life—what was I if not a Catholic Christian? Through my years at Creighton I spent time “catching up” with this understanding of Christianity. Our bishops tell us that because this is a central component of Christian faith we must include it in our formation of young people. My transition to adult Christian responsibility may have been a bit smoother if I understood from the start that service and justice are not “extras” to lived Christian faith.

-Sara, Intern

More information on the Tradition of Service and Justice
Back to Justice Resources Page