UNIVERSITY OF NEGROS OCCIDENTAL RECOLETOS

RECOLETOS DE BACOLOD GRADUATE SCHOOL

Bacolod, City

COURSE OUTPUT
Name: Mark Joseph T. Reyes
Subject: TEACHINGS OF ST. AUGUSTINE
Professor: Dexter Paul Dioso, PhD.

A Research Paper on Solidarity and Justice

Introduction
In a world with diverse culture, perspectives, strengths and weaknesses, solidarity and
justice is pursued. Love, solidarity, and justice are inseparable. Where there is love, there is
justice in solidarity. St. Augustine said, “The love of God is the fountain from which justice
flows; for it is only in the love of God, manifested in the love of others, from which justice can
‘assign to each his due’”, which established the fact that the source of justice and solidarity is the
Love of God. It binds all other values together and serves as the main source of all.
Results
Michael Jackson and Lionel Richie, two of the sensational artists, created an iconic song
in 1984 which inspired millions of people, young and old. The song was originally created for
the people in Africa during the time of famine and was later recreated for Haiti during the
devastating earthquake. Since the world experienced a lot of sufferings such as, pandemics,
killings, and overwhelming natural disasters, the song “We are the World” inspired us to change
our perspective of the world and tell us that we are connected and should work in solidarity
together with those who suffer and in pain. The theme of the song is mainly caring about and
helping people in need.
“There comes a time when we heed a certain call
When the world must come together as one
There are people dying
And it's time to lend a hand to life
The greatest gift of all”

In this stanza, the songwriters describe the love from giving help as “the greatest gift of
all”. This implies that the source of giving is love. As St. Augustine emphasized, one must give
in order to acquire what one does not have. We need not be rich in order to give because as what
St. Augustine said, “God does not weight the quantity of what you give but the intention.” A
person must give with good intention and with joy and happiness because according to him, once
a person gives few from the few he has, it will not be considered as few and the rewards awaits
for him in heaven.
“We can't go on pretending day by day
That someone somewhere will soon make a change
We're all a part of God's great big family
And the truth, you know
Love is all we need”
 The following stanza further emphasized the importance and connection of Love with
solidarity, justice and charity. Solidarity and commitment to justice has its origin in love as
underscored by St. Augustine. Christ is seen through the people who are needy and the poor
with awareness that everything done with love to the poor, will be having a price in heaven. The
stanza further implies that we are God’s family and as a family, we have to work in solidarity
together with love and compassion.
Send them your heart so they'll know that someone cares
And their lives will be stronger and free
As God has shown us by turning stone to bread
And so we all must lend a helping hand

Very frequently receiving gifts makes people believe that receiving is much better than
giving, which is not true. It is because when people receive gifts, they only consider the feelings
of those who receive and usually ignore the feelings of those who give. Nevertheless, the reality
is that givers generally feel happier and more satisfied than takers. 600 Americans from all social
classes participated in a study conducted by Liz Dunn, a social psychologist, and found out that
people who give tend to be happier than those who receive. This study shows that giving brings a
lot of joy and happiness to people. Even the poor are happier when they help others, not when
they help themselves.
Martin Luther King Junior, one of the most influential civil rights activist of the 20th
century, illustrates that nobody can achieve personal greatness without giving. He claimed that
unless people become selfless and altruistic, they will never grow. King meant that people must
give readily in order to reach real success. This implies that giving really can give an
unexplainable happiness to a person regardless of the quantity.
We are the world
We are the children
We are the ones who make a brighter day
So, let's start giving
There's a choice we're making
We're saving our own lives
It's true we'll make a better day
Just you and me

This stanza implies the importance of solidarity in making our lives better and happier.
“We are the world” means we were created to the likeness and image of God therefore, we are
living as one and must live in solidarity and pursue justice. “We are the children” implies that we
are children of God who are capable of giving to make somebody’s day brighter. “Just you and
me” implies a life with others. This further means that we cannot live by our own, we need
others in order to live.
Conclusion
We should not think that our power is insignificant. Never think that nothing will be
changed even if we try. Actually, if we stand together (in solidarity), many things that seem
impossible can be achieved. Many people think that the poor will not become better because of
our little help and do nothing about it. However, if everyone in the world offers such ‘little’ help,
the world will be changed a lot. Through giving help to people in need, a world with love and
care can be created. This is not only for the poor but for everyone in the world, including you
and me.