An elusive Socialist Easter

“And all who believed were together and had all things in common; and they sold their possessions and goods and distributed them to all, as any had need. And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they partook of food with glad and generous hearts, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.”
(Acts of the Apostles 2:44 – 47)

My family heard the anticipated Mass at the Baguio Cathedral last April 18. The following day was the second Sunday of the Easter season. It was also declared by the Catholic Church as Divine Mercy Sunday, a very appropriate celebration for this season of joy and hope.



The first reading was taken from Acts of the Apostles, Chapter 4; Verses 32-35:


“Now the company of those who believed were of one heart and soul, and no one said that any of the things which he possessed was his own, but they had everything in common. And with great power the apostles gave their testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace was upon them all. There was not a needy person among them, for as many as were possessors of lands or houses sold them, and brought the proceeds of what was sold and laid it at the apostles' feet; and distribution was made to each as any had need.” (RSV)



The lives of the early Christians as described in the above cited reading brought me back to an article, a Jesuit priest, Fr. Ruben M. Tanseco wrote roughly a year ago in his regular column in a local daily entitled “Future: A Socialist Easter”. There he stated that Filipinos are still very far from experiencing the real meaning of Easter, especially in the area of social justice.



He then cited a recent survey that showed “no less than 27.6 million Filipinos who are living a miserably poor life”. Latest figures in population place Filipinos at around 85 million people. That would mean approximately 33% of the population are living impoverished lives. Think about it, at this day and age…one of three Filipinos living in poverty. Then compare that with the infinitesimal number of rich Filipinos, some of which continue to be richer by the year (and ironically, are also some of the world’s richest) despite the worldwide economic crunch. Fr. Tanseco asks: “How can we ever justify this social situation in the eyes of men, and more in the eyes of God?”



This sinful social situation also made me remember the insights on the subject by one of my college professors who taught philosophy in De La Salle University. Dr. Emerita Quito believed that social unrest will not disappear from our society while majority of our countrymen suffer from abject poverty (symbolized by a pyramidal social structure) at the same time, resources continue to be so unequally distributed among the rich and the poor (symbolized by an inverted pyramid). I dare say, this is in fact the sort of social volcano that churns out revolutions around the world.



So I go to the question - how do we attain social justice in the world?



The first step of course is for everyone to agree on what the term actually meant.



My quick review of available definitions made me realize that “social justice” had a multiplicity of meanings, few of which were very exact, most talked about a rather abstract concept.



Let me cite some of the definitions I gathered:


Wikipedia states that “social justice refers to conceptions of justice applied to an entire society. It is based on the idea of a just society, which gives individuals and groups fair treatment and a just share of the benefits of society….Social Justice derives its authority from the codes of morality prevailing in each culture.”



A 2004 document of the Community Foundations of Canada compiled three very valuable definitions:


“Distribution of the social and economic resources of society for the benefit of all people.”
-- “An Inclusion Lens: Workbook for Looking at Social and Economic Exclusion and Inclusion,” Public Health Agency of Canada, Population and Public Health Branch, Atlantic Canada, June 2002



“The process through which society attains a more equitable distribution of power in the political, economic and social realms.”
-- “Understanding Social Justice Philanthropy,” John Hunsaker and Brenda Hanzl, National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy, April 2003



“A concept based upon the belief that each individual and group within a given society has a right to civil liberties, equal opportunity, fairness, and participation in the educational, economic, institutional, social and moral freedoms and responsibilities
valued by the community.”
-- “Cultural Competency Handbook,” R. Degan and Dr. M. Disman, Department of Public Health Sciences, University of Toronto




Social scientist and newspaper columnist Dr. Mahar Mangahas, cited in his article aptly entitled “A Filipino definition of social justice” (posted last Dec. 15, 2007 at the internet site of the Philippine Daily Inquirer) what he believed was the best definition of social justice made by a Filipino that he has seen so far. I strongly concur.



Dr. Mangahas was referring to the definition of the nationalist Jose W. Diokno in his essay published in 1983 in Solidarity magazine entitled “A Filipino concept of justice”.



According to Diokno:

“Social justice, for us Filipinos, means a coherent, intelligible system of law, made known to us, enacted by a legitimate government freely chosen by us, and enforced fairly and equitably by a courageous, honest, impartial, and competent police force, legal profession and judiciary, that:

• “first, respects our rights and our freedoms both as individuals and as a people;

• “second, seeks to repair the injustices that society has inflicted on the poor by eliminating poverty as rapidly as our resources and our ingenuity permit;

• “third, develops a self-directed and self-sustaining economy that distributes its benefits to meet, at first, the basic material needs of all, then to provide an improving standard of living for all, but particularly for the lower income groups, with time enough and space to allow them to take part in and enjoy our culture;

• “fourth, changes our institutions and structures, our ways of doing things and relating to each other, so that whatever inequalities remain are not caused by those institutions or structures, unless inequality is needed temporarily to favor the least favored and its cost is borne by the most favored; and

• “fifth, adopts means and processes that are capable of attaining those objectives."

While the concept may be wide-ranging, it is almost always rooted in teachings based on religious faith if not also in law and politics. Furthermore, though there is a divergence of mission and philosophies among organizations that advocate for social justice, there is a common core that centers on the rights of human beings to equality and the equitable distribution and utilization of resources.



Workers worldwide celebrated Labor Day last May 1. Are workers especially in Third World countries less exploited now? Are the present monopolistic and oligarchic capitalistic systems in the world taking us nearer to a socially just milieu?



Capitalism according to Fr. Tanseco “has never worked for us in following God’s design: a more equitable and just distribution of God’s wealth and resources”. Likewise, the principle of unbridled private ownership of resources and rugged individualism goes diametrically opposed to the Christian concept of stewardship, that we are merely stewards of God’s creations.



In his article, Fr. Tanseco makes a very relevant quotation from spiritual writer Albert Nolan who stated that:


“Worse still is the abuse of the right to private ownership. The right of private ownership makes it illegal for a poor person to steal a loaf of bread but perfectly legal for a rich man to hoard more food and other resources than he or she can ever make use of. Rampant individualism leads to the limitless accumulation of wealth by some while billions of others live in misery and die of starvation. The rich justify this blatant injustice by claiming their right to own as much as they like no matter how many others are deprived of the bare necessities of life” (From Jesus Today).



The communal lives of the early Christians and the social teachings of the Catholic Church point only to one direction – SOCIALISM. Not the authoritarian type of Third World countries like Cuba or North Korea or the totalitarian versions of the former Soviet Union, China and isolationist Albania. Neither am I espousing the utopian type of communities that emerged and disappeared in the 1800s. I advocate for a society that upholds social justice based on Christian principles. I envision a society not born out of a class struggle pitting the proletariat against the bourgeoisie, but rather a society that transcends class distinctions where people rise above their class origins to work for the common good. A society that just doesn’t promote human rights but sees human existence as serving a higher purpose – to serve God through his fellow men. In the final analysis, it isn’t about us…it’s about God.



Though I share many of the policies that social democrats like Fr. Tanseco stand for, I have no plans to become a card carrying member of the Partido Demokratiko – Sosyalista Ng Pilipinas (PDSP) in the near future. What I think is important at this point is to promote and to make aware peoples of the world about the futility of capitalism and the promises and hope of genuine Christian socialism.



Impossible? By God’s grace, the early Christians were able to do it. Monasteries and religious orders continue to apply socialism into their respective communities.



Of course, there are obvious challenges in applying socialism in the macro level of societies. People have to be made aware of their rights, empowered and conscious of their social responsibilities. Genuine advocates have to be placed in government to effect structural changes such as breaking down monopolies, protection of the marginalized sectors and enabling the public ownership of the strategic means of economic production.



Difficult? Definitely yes. Impossible? With God, absolutely not! Like Fr. Tanseco, my own faith tells me that in God’s own time, our political economy will someday finally transform into a democratic form of socialism. In addition, while pluralistic in its early stages it shall eventually be enlightened by the Holy Spirit. Through unwavering evangelization by dedicated Christians, we will not only change the world for a socialism based on Christian principles, we will eventually win the world for Christ!



Vaclev Havel once said, “I’m not an optimist, because I don’t believe everything will turn out for the best. And I’m not a pessimist, because I don’t believe everything will turn out for the worst. But I couldn’t do anything without Hope” (Attributed to Ambassador James Joseph, at a presentation to the National Rural Funders Conference, September 2006).



On my part, I draw strength from the Hope that comes from Christ! By divine providence, the Gospel reading during that Mass we heard in Baguio was taken from St. John, Chapter 20, verses 19-31. In this reading, the Risen Christ tells the doubting Thomas, "Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet believe" (verse29).

Lord, I believe that You are the Son of God and that you have come to give us life in abundance. Use us as your instruments to establish social justice in the world and hasten the coming of your Heavenly Kingdom. Amen.