CATHOLIC SOCIAL TEACHING: AN OVERVIEW - CHAPTER ONE

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1 CATHOLIC SOCIAL TEACHING: AN OVERVIEW - CHAPTER ONE TERMS Abba - an Aramaic term of endearment that means "papa" or "dada". Jesus taught us that God is a loving and compassionate Father (Abba) whom we can and should approach with faith and trust Common good - Social conditions that help us reach our full human potential / That which enables human beings to be their best Dignity of Human Person - the quality or state of being worthy, honored, or esteemed. Humans possess dignity because we are made in God's image and likeness, endowed with a spiritual soul. Therefore we are valuable, worthy of honor and esteem, simply because we are so precious in God's eyes Encyclical - a pastoral papal letter sent to the whole Church and sometimes to all people, on some important aspect of Church teaching Equality - we are all essentially equal because of our fundamental dignity as God s children made in his image and likeness Family, community & participation - We are social beings made for each other Free will - the power, rooted in reason and will, to perform deliberate actions on one's own resposibility' Human dignity - Respect due us because we are made in God s image and likeness. Option for poor - Responds to the least in our midst Original sin - The state or condition of sin into which all generations of people are born since the time of Adam and Eve's turning away from God Peace on Earth (Pacem in Terris) - an important social justice encyclical written by Pope John XXIII in 1963 that lists important human rights Pornography - the depiction of sexual acts or nudity with the purpose of gratifying lustful desires. Pornography violates the privacy of the human body and debases human dignity by turning people into objects to be used rather than persons to be respected Respect life - Respect that is from "the womb to the tomb". Rights - claims we can make on each other and on society to guarantee attaining certain basic minimum conditions to live a truly human life Rights & duties - The Catholic tradition teaches that human dignity can be protected and a healthy community can be achieved only if these are protected and met. Social justice doctrine - the body of Church doctrine that applies Jesus' Gospel to our life, together, that is, to society, it's institutions andits economic and political structures Solidarity - We are our sisters and brothers keepers Stewardship - Responsible care for God s creation Subsidiarity - the responsibilities and limits of government, and the essential roles of voluntary organizations Work & workers - Fair wages and union participation Chapter 1 Review Questions 1. Q. According to the American bishops, how best can we measure whether justice is being done in our midst? A. Every policy, institution, and action must be measured by how it protects human life and enhances hman dignity, especially for the poor and vulnerable. 2. Q. Where can we find Catholic social teaching? A. Modern Catholic social teaching comes from the writing tradition of the popes, expecially since Pope Leo XIII of the nineteenth century. It has its roots, however, in the Hebrew prophets, and primarily in Jesus Christ, and in the Triune God.

2 3. Q. What is Catholic social teaching? What are its three aspects? A. Catholic Social Teaching is the body of doctrine the Church has developed, with the Holy Spirit s guidance, to apply the gospel of Jesus Christ to our lives together as members of one human family. Its three aspects are: 1) It gives us principles for reflection; 2) It provides criteria for judgement; 3) It gives guideslines for action. 4. Q. List the nine principles of Catholic social teaching. A. The nine principles of Catholic social teaching are: human dignity; respect for life; the call to family, community and participation; rights and responsibilities; common good; preferential option and love for the poor and vulnerable; dignity of work and rights of workers; solidarity; and stewardship. 5. Q. What does it mean to be made in God s image and likeness? A. It means humans are invaluable and worthy of respect as members of the human family 6. Q. List two consequences of being made in God s image. A. For example, humans have dignity, are special in God s eyes, have rights and responsibilities, have a spiritual nature, possess freedom, etc. 7. Q. What powers does the human soul possess? A. The human soul has two powers: an intellect that allows us to think and free will that allows us to choose and love. 8. Q. What does it mean to call humans social beings? A. As God s very nature is community, God made humans to live with and for others. 9. Q. Explain how humans are flawed. Give three examples. A. As individuals and as societies, we often fail to do the good that we intend to do. We are weak and inclined to commit sin. As individuals we commit sin. And our sins sometimes develop into structures of sin that create unjust societies, ones that especially hurt the weak and defenseless. 10. Q. What does Jesus reveal about our true identity? A. Jesus reveals our true identity as God s children, that we are saved sinners, called to compassion, and are friends of the Lord. 11. Q. Explain what it means for you to be a friend of the Lord. A. Answers will vary. 12. Q. How does Jesus want us to manifest justice? A. Jesus want us to manifest justice by loving others and treating our brothers and sisters with respect. 13. Q. What is a right? Why are rights inalienable? A. A right is a claim we can make on other people and on society so we can live a full, human life. Rights that are inherent and beyond challenge are inalienable. 14. Q. List ten human rights and a corresponding duty for each of the rights you list. A. For example, humans have a right to life and the responsibility to protect life in all stages and forms. We have the duty, also, to respect the rights of others. 15. Q. What is the fundamental human right? Why doesn t it have to be earned? Explain. A. The fundamental right is the right to life. We do not have to earn this right because as humans we are made in God s image and likeness. 16. Q. Does the media have the right to exhibit pornography without any limits? Why or why not? A. This freedom of communication is not absolute in the same way that no one has thr right to yell fire in a crowded theatre. 17. Q. Why does the Christian community consider Mother Teresa of Calcutta a model of justice? A. Mother Teresa s utmost respect for the dignity of all people, especially the poor and dying, led all to consider her a model of justice.

3 CHAPTER ONE - An Overview Working for Justice: Essential for Christians The essence of Christian faith is loving your neighbor by working for justice Pope Paul VI defines justice as love s minimum requirement. At the core of the Kingdom of God is love, which is made visible to us through justice. It enables us to grow and relate with one another An advocate for justice once said: if I m going to call myself a Christian, I don t have any choice but to be concerned about justice. What s love without justice? It s empty and meaningless. Ideal World vs. Real World - A "just" world is a world in which all of our needs and requirements are met in order for us to survive and grow as human beings. We must aspire to have a just world and perceive the vision of Jesus and the church as an example of what a just world actually is. - "Living in a perfect ideal and just world means living without sin. When sin gets out of hand, it affects all people and things. We aspire to form a just world, but acts such as the World Trade disaster makes it impossible. - An ever-lasting and perfect New York skyline would be ideal for all but unfortunately we have lost this to human sin. How our Real World came about The book of Genesis gives us the Christian perspective of how injustice came about. In Genesis the biblical stories of creation including Adam and Eve, Cain and Abel, and Noah's Ark can help us further understand the meaning of injustice. We as humans were created by God as free persons with the freedom to choose. Because we choose to go against God's good will, sins are then created. Adam and Eve: Creation God saw everything that he made, and indeed, it was very good. In the biblical story of creation God created the Garden of Eden and entrusted Adam and Eve to upkeep the garden. Humans have the capacity to love and the freedom to choose. When we sin it is because we have a free choice to. The Dominance of Sin Sin: acting out of self-interest and refusing to be concerned about the needs of all of God s creation- -is the root of injustice When the world is heavily dominated by sin, it is hard to see things any other way. Many people are very self-centered and bad attitudes can hurt individuals as well as themselves. Good Christians acknowledge sin and reality. The Christian Vision: Sin is not the only way. Grace: God s transforming love, or self-communications, that has visible effects through human actions Grace is a Christian fundamental element. Accepting Gods Invitation to Justice God calls us to work for justice by helping others and loving one another. According to Pope VI, justice is "loves minimum requirement." Love is made visible through justice and is enabled to increase through justice.

4 PRINCIPLES OF CATHOLIC SOCIAL TEACHING 1998 document, Sharing Catholic Social Teaching: Challenges and Directions Reflections of the US Catholic Bishops Knowing and adopting these principles for our own lives can motivate us to action, help us to make correct choices, and ultimately lead us to be principled people in the area of social justice JUSTICE - To distinguish what a justice-based world is, there are several faith-based principles to guide us: -The Dignity of the Human Person -Respect for Human Life -The Call to Family, Community & Participation -Rights and Responsibilities -The Common Good -Preferential Option for the Poor & Vulnerable -The Dignity of Work & Rights of Workers -Solidarity -Stewardship Two additional principles Equality - we are all essentially equal because of our fundamental dignity as God s children made in his image and likeness Subsidiarity - the responsibilities and limits of government, and the essential roles of voluntary organizations How Christians View the Human Person - Foundation of Catholic Social Teaching is that each of us is made in God s image: Each human being has tremendous dignity Each human being is a child of God We are special in God s eyes We have rights and responsibilities We have a spiritual nature God made us for himself We possess freedom; we must use it responsibly We are social beings We image God best when we love one another God made us co-creators with him We are wounded by sin and inclined to evil and error - Jesus has much to reveal to us about who we are and how we should treat each other - We are saved through Jesus passion, death and resurrection - We are to be compassionate like Jesus Our Rights as Humans Right a claim we can make on other people and on society so we can live a full, human life Universal rights the rights are for every human being Inviolable rights these rights are untouchable because they come from God Inalienable rights these rights are inherent and beyond challenge Peace on Earth - Named the fundamental human rights: Right to Life Moral and Cultural Rights Right to Worship God Right to Choose Freely One s State of Life Economic Rights

5 The Right of Meeting and Association The Right to Emigrate and Immigrate Political Rights The bishops point out These principles build on the foundation of Catholic social teaching: the dignity of human life. This central Catholic principle requires that we measure every policy, every institution, and every action by whether it protects human life and embraces human dignity especially for the poor and vulnerable. Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta ( ) - Exemplar of Love Yesterday is gone. Tomorrow has not yet come. We have only today. Let us begin. Let s do something beautiful for God. There is a terrible hunger for love. We all experience that in our lives the pain, the loneliness. We must have the courage to recognize it. The poor you may have in your own family. Find them. Love them. Directed Reading Guide - Made in the image of God, we are endowed with _human intellect_ which enables us to understand how to do good and avoid evil and _free will_ which allows us to choose the good based on a well informed conscience. - Original sin_ is a state or condition in which we find ourselves separated from God and the injustices inflicted upon others, such as global poverty or the systematic prejudice against women. - Summarize what is meant by Catholic Social Teaching and where it originated. The doctrine attempts to understand how societies work Roots in the teachings of the Hebrew prophets. - The application of the gospel of Jesus Christ has three aspects: a) It gives us...principles for reflection b) It provides...criteria for judgement c) It gives us...guidelines for action - Human dignity recognizes that we are endowed with a _spiritual soul_ and are worthy of honor and esteem despite being _human_. - _The dignity of the human person_ is considered to be the foundational principle of Catholic Social Teaching because it recognizes the worth and value that stems from being made in the image of God. - Social barriers prevent the work of the _option for the poor and vulnerable_ and could include evils such as _poverty_, _prejudice_, and _hunger_. - Three examples of rights all humans possess and explain whose responsibility it is to have them fulfilled. a) Right to Life b) Right to Worship God c) Right to Choose freely one s state in life - Subsidiarity_ teaches that the lowest level of government should handle a function if it is capable without interference from higher authority. - Our dignity does not come from what we have or do; it comes from being God s special creation. - God made us as co-creators despite our limitations from original sin. - Freedom comes with responsibility - In the encyclical Peace on Earth (1963), Pope _John XXIII_ distinguished between _UNIVERSAL_ rights, meaning they are for every human being and _INVOILABLE_ rights, meaning they are innate and cannot be challenged.

6 - What three lessons are revealed in the life of Christ about what it means to be truly human? a) we are saved sinners b) we are called to be compassionate c) we are friends of the Lord Four types of rights enumerated in the encyclical mentioned above and the Catholic Social Teaching (CST) principle reflected in each type. a) RIGHT TO LIFE CST principle: RESPECT FOR LIFE b) MORAL & CULTURAL RIGHTS CST principle: RIGHTS & RESPONSIBILIT c) RIGHT TO CHOOSE FREELY LIFE STATE CST principle: CALL TO FAMILY d) RIGHT OF MEETING & ASSOCIATION CST principle: DIGNITY OF WORK. Principles of Catholic Social Teaching with the correct description: Stewardship - the social conditions that allow all people to reach their human potential Solidarity - necessities for individuals that correspond to the obligations of society Rights and Responsibilities - the commitment to the vulnerable and powerless in society Common Good - the right to participate in unions and earn a living wage Preferential Option for the Poor - care for God s creation Dignity of the Human Person - Love our neighbor Call to Family, Community, and Participation - the safeguarding of life from conception to death Respect for Human Life - respect regardless of race, gender, or nationality Dignity of Work and Rights of Workers - we are made to be in relationships with others