Catholicism 101– Class #9

Introduction to Catholic Social Justice Principles

Marcel LeJeune

Secular vs Christian views of man and society:

Liberal / Individualist view

Materialist view

SECULAR MAN / SECULAR SOC. / SECULAR GOD
Where man follows passions and is self-fulfilled by them / Society is a collection of individuals / GOD is okay as long as He remains private and not “pushed on someone else”

Note that there is no transcendent dimension. This is the materialist view.

Socialist/Collectivist view

SECULAR MAN / SECULAR SOC. / SECULAR GOD
Just a cog in a machine
You exist for the collective like in a beehive / Society is all…people are a collectivity / The state does not allow religion because it would have a God with more power than the state and the state does not allow threats to its power

Catholic understanding of man and his part in society

CS Lewis uses the analogy of a fleet of ships to understand what the “Common Good” is and there are three things the ships must have to reach their destination:

1) They must sail in formation

2) They cannot do #1 unless each ship is seaworthy

3) They need a common direction and goal.

1 - First of all man is a work of God still being worked on. And we each must order ourselves to the good (that is God). When we are all aligned together in goodness we can move together because man is communal.

2 - Once we are virtuous and well-ordered, then we are seaworthy or able to make the trip.

3 - Unless there is something transcendent and beyond man, then we won’t be able to agree upon our goals. God is the goal of humanity and we must all work together to get to Him.

-This transcendence is also given to each human (in a shared sense) because we are made in God’s image and likeness. This means that a human should never be used as a means, but each person is an end unto themselves. We have human dignity.

-Now, if the ships are all in formation, seaworthy and have a common goal, then something must steer and direct them through storms and getting lost. This is what the state does.

-The state must respect individuals as ends as well as other institutions that nourish the individual, such as schools, churches and families. The state must respect the principle of subsidiarity, that is that the state must not usurp the proper function of a lower-level group. But rather give it aid and assistance.

-The most important of all these would be?

-FAMILY

-The “common good” = the good of the whole people, and each person, under just law.

-To provide the common good we must have: respect for persons, development and peace or stability.

-Thus, man will be able to achieve good and virtue.

-Justice = giving the other his due

-Thus a “right” is what the virtue of justice is ordered towards. We have rights because justice demands it.

-If I claim a right that is not in accord with the moral law, then I make a false claim.

-No one has a right to do what is wrong, because rights must harmonize with nature.

-Thus there is no “right” to abortion or a right to homosexual marriage.

-This leads us to solidarity.

- A recognition that I am not an autonomous center of rights, but that I have a communal nature and am bound to the truths of natural law.

-The best and most stable way to insure solidarity is to understand that we are all made in God’s image and likeness. Take that away and we become to individualistic (abortion in US) or too communal (abortion in China)

-The role of the laity is to administer these principles in everyday life.

-Preferential option for the poor - means a starving child has more of a right to a piece of bread than I do.

-The Church does not endorse any type of government, it merely comments on how different ones are applied:

-Communism is unacceptable because it denies God

-Democracies can be good as long as they don’t become a “veiled totalinarianism” - This happens when the state seems to be neutral as in abortion…it can’t do so and respect human persons.

-Socialism is acceptable as long as the principles mentioned above are met.

I.  Sacrament of Baptism:

The newly baptized is anointed with the oil of Chrism.

You share in the threefold ministry of Christ the:

Priest: make the world more holy

Prophet: speak out against injustice

King: manage our world with justice and fairness

Catholic Social Teaching Principles

Life and Dignity of the Human Person
1930 “Respect for the human person entails respect for the rights that flow from his dignity as a creature. These rights are prior to society and must be recognized by it. They are the basis of the moral legitimacy of every authority: by flouting them, or refusing to recognize them in its positive legislation, a society undermines its own moral legitimacy. If it does not respect them, authority can rely only on force or violence to obtain obedience from its subjects. It is the Church's role to remind men of good will of these rights and to distinguish them from unwarranted or false claims.”
Common Good and Community
1906 “By common good is to be understood "the sum total of social conditions which allow people, either as groups or as individuals, to reach their fulfillment more fully and more easily." The common good concerns the life of all. It calls for prudence from each, and even more from those who exercise the office of authority.”
Option for the Poor
2444 “"The Church's love for the poor ... is a part of her constant tradition." This love is inspired by the Gospel of the Beatitudes, of the poverty of Jesus, and of his concern for the poor. Love for the poor is even one of the motives for the duty of working so as to "be able to give to those in need." It extends not only to material poverty but also to the many forms of cultural and religious poverty.”
Rights and Responsibilities
2407 “In economic matters, respect for human dignity requires the practice of the virtue of temperance, so as to moderate attachment to this world's goods; the practice of the virtue of justice, to preserve our neighbor's rights and render him what is his due; and the practice of solidarity, in accordance with the golden rule and in keeping with the generosity of the Lord, who "though he was rich, yet for your sake ... became poor so that by his poverty, you might become rich."”
Promotion and Support of the Family
2207 The family is the original cell of social life. It is the natural society in which husband and wife are called to give themselves in love and in the gift of life. Authority, stability, and a life of relationships within the family constitute the foundations for freedom, security, and fraternity within society. The family is the community in which, from childhood, one can learn moral values, begin to honor God, and make good use of freedom. Family life is an initiation into life in society.
Subsidiarity
1883 “Socialization also presents dangers. Excessive intervention by the state can threaten personal freedom and initiative. The teaching of the Church has elaborated the principle of subsidiarity, according to which "a community of a higher order should not interfere in the internal life of a community of a lower order, depriving the latter of its functions, but rather should support it in case of need and help to co- ordinate its activity with the activities of the rest of society, always with a view to the common good."”
Economic Justice/ Right to Work and own Property
2458 “The Church makes a judgment about economic and social matters when the fundamental rights of the person or the salvation of souls requires it. She is concerned with the temporal common good of men because they are ordered to the sovereign Good, their ultimate end.”
Stewardship of God's Creation
2402 In the beginning God entrusted the earth and its resources to the common stewardship of mankind to take care of them, master them by labor, and enjoy their fruits.
Promotion of Peace and Disarmament
2304 Respect for and development of human life require peace. Peace is not merely the absence of war, and it is not limited to maintaining a balance of powers between adversaries. Peace cannot be attained on earth without safeguarding the goods of persons, free communication among men, respect for the dignity of persons and peoples, and the assiduous practice of fraternity. Peace is "the tranquillity of order." Peace is the work of justice and the effect of charity.
Solidarity
1948 Solidarity is an eminently Christian virtue. It practices the sharing of spiritual goods even more than material ones.