Going to bat for the defenseless

Since I began my seminary journey and was discerning what track to strive for, I have often been asked when I tell people that I am a social justice major, "what does that mean"? And "what do you want to do with that"?

If asked that when I first began down this path I would have responded by saying something like, "I want to continue doing what I am doing in the non-profit world and I want to be the voice to those who feel like they don't have a voice and be of support to those who need someone to lean on."

Since it's hard to define what social justice is, I took to the Internet to find a good definition and found the following description for social justice:

"Social justice is defined as "... promoting a just society by challenging injustice and valuing diversity." It exists when "all people share a common humanity and therefore have a right to equitable treatment, support for their human rights, and a fair allocation of community resources." In conditions of social justice, people are "not be discriminated against, nor their welfare and well-being constrained or prejudiced on the basis of gender, sexuality, religion, political affiliations, age, race, belief, disability, location, social class, socioeconomic circumstances, or other characteristic of background or group membership" (Toowoomba Catholic Education, 2006).

Being that my undergrad major was in Spanish, I have always had a heart for the Latin American culture and heritage and I find myself, even more so since being in Texas these past 3 years, in defense mode when it comes to the rights of the Spanish speaking population. It has been during the past 3 years that I have truly obtained experience with working directly with the Spanish speaking population and more recently, I have found myself heart broken for the lack of understanding for this population that is growing in the United States. I have found myself wanting to fight for and stand up for them when others want to turn them down.

So, what don't want to do with this degree in social justice? I want to love on those who are punches aside and persecuted for being different than we are, I want to be the voice for those who may not feel like they have a voice in our society, I want to be a mediator between the oppressed and the oppressor, I want to be the support for someone to lean on, I want to be a listener when nobody else will listen...

I want to be someone who makes a difference, maybe not to the world but to one person and one family at a time. And I think that's where God is leading me and showing me, that I have these different passions and desires but the big questions has been, "how do they all fit together?"

But, I have a passion for community organizing/ development, for pastoral care and chaplaincy, for mentors hip and one on one relationships, for Spanish/ Spanish speaking population and Latin America, for serving others, for walking with others in both good and bad times, and ultimately for serving God...

So, as I am still asked at times, "what is my ideal job and what do I want to do with my degrees?" I have to answer with, doing the things of my passions which little by little the pieces are starting to be put together and the picture is becoming more visible and clear on how all of the pieces fit together and where it is that God wants me.