CATHOLIC SOCIAL TEACHING CHAPTER 3 JUSTICE AND SOCIETY
Justice and Society
•We Belong to Each Other
•We belong to the community of humankind.
•We find our true selves by associating with and caring for other people.
Our Social Nature - Life is like a spider web.
•What “societies” do you belong to?
•What teams, clubs, communities?
•What makes you a member of each “society”?
•What do you have to do to maintain membership?
•What benefits do you receive from membership?
•What responsibility does each member have to one another?
•Why do we join any group?
As you can see, we belong to many different societies.
Section 1: Our Social Nature & the Principle of Subsidiarity
Humanity is endowed with a social nature. As a result, we are connected to others in a profound way – through societies, both large and small. In striving for justice within those communities, women and men are encouraged to apply the principle of subsidiarity – dealing with societal problems on the lowest, most local level possible.
•Principle of Subsidiarity
Definition: the principle of Catholic social teaching that teaches that justice and human welfare are best achieved at the most immediate level
People should take responsibility to provide for their own welfare without government intervention
Supports the sharing of power and authority on the grassroots level
Section 2: Principle of the Common Good
Society can benefit humanity only if the common good – that which promotes a respect for the human person, social well being and development of persons, and a peaceful existence among people – is achieved.
The common good exists and is sustained by the recognition of human solidarity (the understanding of our interdependence with others) and by a preferential option for the poor.
•Principle of the Common Good
Definition: the sum of those conditions of social life which allow social groups and their individual members relatively thorough and ready access to their own fulfillment
Three essential elements:
1) Respect for the person
2) Social well-being and development
3) Peace
The common good cannot be promoted without respecting individuals and groups of people.
Solidarity: the Christian virtue of social charity that helps us to see we are all members of one human family, sharing equal human dignity.
We share certain values, goals, standards and interests
We are all responsible for each other
We depend on each other
•The U.S. Bishops note:Catholic Social Teaching proclaims that we are our brothers’ and sisters’ keepers, wherever they live. We are one human family, whatever our national, racial, ethnic, economic, and ideological differences. Learning that “loving our neighbor” has global dimensions in an interdependent world. This virtue is described by John Paul II as “a firm and persevering determination to commit oneself to the common good; that is to say to the good of all and of each individual, because we are all really responsible for all.”
Principle of the Common Good
Option for the Poor: our responsibility to do justice by looking out for the poor
Requires us to change political and economic policies that hurt the poor
Calls us to live more simply so that we can share our basic wealth with those who lack the basics
•The Human Family and Natural Law
1. Universal = it applies to each person and society
2. Unchangeable and permanent
3. The foundation for civil law
•Responsibilities of Individuals & Society
Centrality of the Family
- The foundation of all society is the family.
- The family is original cell of social life.
- We cannot have a just society if the rights of families are not protected.
- Society and government have a duty to honor and assist family and to guarantee basic human rights.
Centrality of the Family - The Charter of the Rights of the Family
1. All persons have the right to marry or remain single
2. Marriage must be a free and full consent expressed by the spouses
3. Spouses have the inalienable right to found a family
4. Human life must be protected from the moment of conception
5. Parents are the first educators of their children
6. Family has right to exist and progress
7. Right to live freely its own religious life and express faith publicly
What does Blessed Pope Saint John Paul II mean when he writes, “There is no sin, not even the most intimate and secret one, the most strictly individual one, that exclusively concerns the person committing it” (Reconciliation and Penance, 16)? How can I apply this message to my life?
All sin has an impact on society. Every sin affects the sinner’s relationship with other people. In my personal life, I can be aware that every sin I commit is a sin against God and has an impact on my relationships with others.
Describe ways social structures help to protect the common good. How can I work through a social structure to protect the common good?
Social structures are complex patterns of relationships that shape society and determine how justice is lived out. Social structures should support and promote just and life-giving relationships. Examples of such social structures are fair payment for goods and services; business commitment to safe work environments and just wages; and government regulations protecting workers, consumers, and the environment. I can be aware of the purpose and work of a social structure and be sure the structure is geared toward the promotion of the common good.
What is meant by the term just social structure?In what ways do I support just social structures?
A just social structure is one that promotes justice, protects human life and human rights, and is sustained by ethical and good moral choices. I can support just social structures by supporting, with my time and money, only those that promote and protect human life and rights.
Describe an injustice, describe its social structure, and then describe a method that could be used to bring about transformation of that social structure. How can I personally contribute to this social structure transformation?
Hunger, poverty, and homelessness are examples of injustices of the social structure of government. Equitable distribution of wealth, food, and so on, would be a way to transform this social structure. I can become aware of the injustice and the structure and take political or social action to advocate for those who cannot advocate for themselves. For example, I can lobby for affordable housing, advocate for the poor, or boycott companies that exploit workers. I can also take action and be intentional in responding to social needs of others. For example, I can work at a soup kitchen or food pantry.
Answers will vary.
List factors that impede and obstruct the media’s ability to fulfill its role in God’s plan. What steps must I take to become a critical consumer of the media?
Often the media seeks to sensationalize the news rather than protect the common good. I can become a critical consumer of the media by analyzing the impact it has on others and on me. I can find news media that tell real stories about people who are working for the common good. I can use personal discernment to listen to God’s call in my life and to distinguish between good and bad media choices.
Catholic Social Teaching
COMPLETED Directed Reading Guide
Chapter Three—Catholic Social Justice: Justice and Society
Pages 55-63—Our Social Nature
1. We learn from Scripture that we are _made for each other_.
2. The Catechism defines society as a group of persons bound together “_organically_” by a principle of unity that goes “_beyond each one of them_.”
3. The principle of subsidiarity discourages attempts to _maximize or centralize the power of the state _ and encourages _the sharing of power and authority on the grassroots level_.
4. True or False (if false, explain why): Subsidiarity means that we should maintain the status quo.
5. The common good includes the sum of the _spiritual_, _material_, and _social_ conditions needed to achieve full human dignity and entails the elements of _respect for the person_, _social well-being and development_, and _peace_.
6. Pope John Paul II wrote that “we are all really responsible for all” reflecting the virtue of social charity, or _ solidarity__.
7. The preferential option for the poor demands a _conversion of heart_ despite living in a consumer society.
Pages 64-68—The Human Family and Natural Law
8. In addition to Scriptures and God’s revelation through Jesus Christ, the Church relies on _natural law_ which can be discovered through human reason and teaches us to do good and avoid evil.
9. The precepts of natural law are _universal_, meaning they apply to each person, and foundational for not only individual conduct but _it is the foundation for the civil law_.
CHAPTER 3 TERMS
Carmelite - St. Thérèse of Lisieux belonged to this order of nuns.
common good - Conditions that allow us access to human fulfillment; Involves respect for persons, social well-being, and peace
corporal works of mercy - body / physical needs
divine/revealed law - God’s laws given to people, namely scripture and tradition – “Love God above all else and love your neighbor as yourself”
family - Foundation of all society, the “original cell of social life”; The foundational social group.
Morality - That which drives us to do good from within – from the dictates of conscience.
natural law - Aids us in knowing what should be done and what should be avoided; Written on the human heart and discovered by human reason; The primary source of the Church’s social teaching comes from divine revelation. We find divine revelation in? .
option for the poor - Special consideration for the least in our midst
participation and community - We discover our humanity by association with others.
Rights - those conditions or things that any part of creation needs in order to fully be what God created it to be
society - A group of persons bound together in a way that goes beyond each of them.
solidarity - Social charity; Virtue of sharing with others
subsidiarity - Higher unit of society should not do what a lower unit can do as well; Work for justice on the most immediate level
universal - The precepts of the natural law are unchangeable, permanent, and ? , that is, applying to all persons, in every society, for all time.
BEATITUDES
bury the dead - Attend the wake of a friend’s loved one
clothe the naked - Give old clothes to Goodwill
feed the hungry - Hold food drive; help in a food pantry
give drink to the thirsty - Work in a soup kitchen
shelter the homeless - Work at a shelter/contribute to
visit the imprisoned - Visit a shut-in relative or neighbor
visit the sick - Visit a nursing home/hospital