In addition to Labor Day, today is also the liturgical memorial of Bl. Teresa of Calcutta (a.k.a. Mother Teresa). Her work and the on-going work of her Missionaries of Charity is certainly necessitated by appalling and unjust economic conditions. It is notable that, in addition to being present throughout most of what John Stott insisted on calling "the majority world" instead of the Third World, but are also present in Western Europe and North America, including the United States.
I thank my friend, who is also a companion, Allison (who composes a wonderful blog- Rambling Follower) for provoking me yesterday by her gentle insistence that I provide a concrete example of how love (agapé) connects orthodoxy to orthopraxis, which is nothing other than showing how Truth leads to love. Such provocations are a sure sign of true friendship. In response, I pointed her to several people, all of whom, quite unintentionally, were women (i.e., Dorothy Day, Madeleine Delbrêl). These women were all faithful daughters of the Church, that is, orthodox through-and-through. At least when it comes to Dorothy Day, this scandalizes many.
Another concrete example, the one with whom most people are familiar, is Mother Teresa. Here is a quote that I think succinctly answers Allison's inquiry and that is most appropriate for this Labor Day: "Love, tenderness, and compassion are real justice. Justice without love is not justice. Love without justice is not love."
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