Principles of Catholic Churchs Teaching in Social Justice - Coursework Example

Principles of Catholic Church’s Teaching in Social Justice Assignment Student Name Professor Abstract The gospel of Jesus Christ espouses a strong commitment to social justice which is absolutely essential to the life of every Christian. According to the Catholic tradition, a life of faith without commitment to the ethos of social justice is not feasible. Christians have a responsibility to promote and work towards achieving social justice as millions of people worldwide are in misery and change needs to happen to transform their lives. The Catholic Church has over the years through the popes, Vatican Council, Synod of Bishops and Bishop’s conferences called for justice for all in the world. The teachings of social justice are also entrenched in the spirit of the Eucharist. Despite the consistent call for justice by the Universal Church, the message has not always been taken into action or in some cases it is not been heard. The Catholic modern teaching on social justice traces its roots to Pope Leo XIII in the early 1890s (Krier, 2011, pg 103). Pope Leo XII issued a Pastoral Letter on the situation of the then working class. In it he said that Catholic social teachings use the gospel as the basis to strive for social justice and social love. He also reiterated that lessons in social justice are very essential component of the church’s mission of evangelization and also an integral component of the Christian message. Pope Leo XII considered striving for social justice not as a marginal activity of the church but a very essential activity at the heart of the ministry of the church. Pope Benedict XVI also continued with the same philosophy of social teaching as the core role and responsibility of the church (Charity in truth, #38). This paper will discuss the principles underlying Catholic’s teachings social justice and approaches taken to teach social justice, and to show Jesus as the light of the world. It will also correlate Eucharist and these principles of social justice. In addition, it will also examine how Eucharist and the principles of social justice in the daily life experiences of a Catholic. Every member of the Catholic Church is urged to learn the Church’s teaching in social justice. Nonetheless, there is quite a wide array of the principles in Catholic’s teachings of social justice which can be difficult to understand given the multitude of applications. There is a need for the teaching of these principles to be unified and made more coherent such that they are seen to systematically fit into one whole. These principles of social justice ought to be appreciated in their correlation, unity and expression (McCann and Miller, 2005). Even though these principles are often examined individually, this should not lead to them being applied in isolation that is why these principles should never be invoked in an unconnected manner in relation to each other. In the Catholic Church’s social teaching, there are ten core fundamental principles: the dignity of humanity, rights and responsibilities for the common good, solidarity and call to family, community and participation (Compendium of Social Doctrine of the Church no. 67). These teachings are in tandem with the principles of social justice and social love which are basically these teachings in practice. Based on these basic principles, comes forth the Church’s social teaching of human rights, sharing and care of God’s creations, right to private ownership of property, option for the vulnerable and the poor and involvement in governance and the community in general. The Second Vatican Council declared Eucharistic sacrifice as the source and summit of the Life of a Christian (Vatican Council: Gaudium et Spes #27). This shows the Eucharist as having a specific social dimension. Pope John Paul II apostolic letter, Mane Nobiscum Domine (2004) said of the Eucharist as a teaching in solidarity. The pope said that the Eucharist can be made an occasion for parish and diocesan communities to endear themselves in responding to the many challenges of poverty in the world. He went ahead to caution the Catholic communities that the criterion by which their Eucharistic celebrations will be judged is by their love for one another and particularly concern for the needy. This is the only way the Catholic community can be the new light of the world as Christ himself was. This linking of the Eucharist and the service to the poor is also explained by Apostle Paul who said that it is unworthy for Christians to join in the Lord’s Supper while there is division and indifference directed to the needy (1 Corinthians 12:7). The Catechism (1497) also says that to receive in truth the Body and Blood of Christ given up for Christians, Christians must recognize Christ in the poorest, his brethren. This is also reflected on the number of times in Mass that the words peace, love and unity are stated. The Eucharist promotes Christians as the body of Christ on earth continuing Jesus’ mission to the needy, the imprisoned and to those under tyranny to spread good news. In this way Christians continue being the new light to the community. The Eucharistic meal is designed to be shared equally amongst the faithful. There should never be any division. However, most of the time the Eucharist meal is disregarded as the faithful creates divisions and discrimination against brother and sister according to social classification. Presence and continued existence of racial discrimination, sexual discrimination, classism, prejudice against the disabled, the senior members of the society and fundamentally structural social injustices. They are a reflection of the permeating lack of understanding of the social aspects of the Eucharist or the absence of the will of Christians to practice the social demands of the Eucharist. Pope Benedict XVI said that charity is at the core of the Catholic Church’s social doctrine (Ency. 2). The responsibility and the commitment espoused by the doctrine are fundamentally founded on charity. And it is a principle that should not just be applied to family and friends only but also in the wider economic and political interactions. Everything is originated in God’s love and should be shaped by it and directed towards it (Ency. 2). Love should be the force that directs people towards generosity and brave engagement towards justice and peace (Ency. 1). The number one principle of Catholic’s teaching is social justice is respect in life and dignity of the human person. Life and dignity is God given as a result of having been created by God and coupled with human capability to know, love and glorify God, much unlike any other creation of God in the world. As children of one God, we are all brethren to one another. The respect accorded to the human dignity of each person is the fundamental principle of Catholic Social Teaching. Human rights naturally emanate from human dignity that is God given. Right to life from the time of conception till death by natural causes is a basic human right and the conditional foundation for all other human rights which includes: right to food, clothing and shelter. Other rights such as rights of a child to family, rights to healthcare, rights to education, rights to dignified work, rights to marry, rights to free speech, right of participation in participation in government and society and most importantly religious freedom, all are highly conditional on the right to life and human dignity. Nonetheless, with individual rights come responsibilities: there is an innate duty within the individual to be as per the will of God, also the responsibility in others to appreciate and respect these rights and also the duty to help others attain full exercise of their rights if by any chance it is denied of them. The Vatican Council (Vatican Council: Gaudium et Spes #27) states that, whatever suppression of human dignity which could be in the form of inhumane living conditions, unlawful incarceration, unlawful deportation, enslavement, prostitution, trafficking of children and women and inhumane working conditions where persons are treated as tools to make money, as opposed to free people. All these and such are infamies. Pope Benedict XVI (Charity in Truth for Integral Human Development, 32, 25) said that individual dignity calls upon all people in the world to prioritize achieving steady creation of jobs as joblessness or dependence whether on public or private help is an indignity to the person and his family and also his social standing amongst his peers. This has the resultant effect of causing considerable psychological and spiritual suffering. The principle of the common good is the number two principle in the Catholic Social Teachings. The principle of common good means attaining an environment that enables all to achieve their full potential as individuals and be all that God intended them to be. In simple terms, it can be surmised as “on for all, all for one”. Emanating from the principle of common good is: the collective and individual rights to the goods of the earth for all; right to ownership of property privately and the related social uses; conservation of the environment and encouragement of peaceful coexistence. Environmental conservation and religious freedom are increasingly becoming of great concern in promoting common good. According to (Comp. Soc. Doct. 466), caring for the environment presents a challenge to all of humanity. It is an issue of a common and universal responsibility and that of upholding the common good for all. Pope Benedict, (Charity in Truth for Integral Human Development, 32, 25) says that, desiring the common good and striving towards achieving it is as required of by justice and charity. In the striving to achieve a common good in relation to the needs of your neighbours, the more is your love expressed towards them. Fighting for the common good is the institutional role and direction of charity, which is not in any way less perfect or ineffective as any other form of charity focused on your neighbor directly. According to the Vatican council: “Joy and Hope” 30, it is essential that no one indulges themselves in base individualistic morality. In fulfilling one’s duty of justice and love, the most appropriate way is by contributing to the common good in relation to one’s ability and the other’s needs. One can also contribute to and assist public and private institutions committed to making the conditions of life better. By doing this he associates himself with the doctrine of social justice. The number three principle in Catholic Social Teachings is the principle of subsidiarity. The principle of subsidiarity suggests that individuals, or groups or bodies in the society have the freedom and the ability to do whatever it can do best for itself without their undertaking being overtaken by higher body or level of authority. In simply terms it connotes that, powerful authorities or governments must never overrule the regular citizen’s activities if it is within their abilities and within the principle of common good (Pius XI: Restoration of the Social Order #79). The principle of subsidiarity in several ways aligns itself with the principle of participation in society and government. This is whereby the people either at individual level or as groups such as workers unions participate in the cultural, economic and socio political activities of the community. It is critical that the disadvantaged members of the society be encouraged to be involved in the life of the community. This is one of the major avenues to guarantee real and true functioning democracy. Subsidiarity supports the creation and development of intermediate entities between the individual and the government which is crucial to a just society (Maas and Kelly, 2005, pg 89). Society should be built on interactions of subordinate and coordinated entities all toiling for the common good. The number four principle of Catholic social teaching is the principle of solidarity. On this Pope Benedict (Benedict: Charity in Truth, #38) said that God created man to live in solidarity, connoting that man should live in union with each other. All should be committed to good for all and good for each person as it is the responsibility of everyone to be responsible for each one (John Paul II: Social Concerns of the Church 38.4). He furthered said that we are our brother’s keeper as one family. The resultant effect of this universal brotherhood is that the choice we make will be in tandem with the promotion and protection of the common good for all. Between solidarity and the common good, there is a strong bond; the same is true for the relation between sharing of goods and solidarity and solidarity and world peace. Solidarity explains how family, church, school and any other organization should operate: mutual support and concern for each other’s needs and for the common good for all. There should always be a feeling of communal sense of belonging. The fundamental principles of Catholic social teachings are in relation to each other, with one leading to the next. All of them are being practiced by the church showing the light the church shines to the world. The ultimate focus of the church is the dignity of the human person as created in the image of God. The Catholic Church through the Eucharist continuously reaffirms her commitment to social justice and her role to be the light of the world as Jesus was. References 1 Corinthians 12:7 Benedict: Charity in Truth, #38 Charity in Truth for Integral Human Development, 32, 25 Charity in Truth for Integral Human Development, 32, 25 Charity in truth, #38 Comp. Soc. Doct. 466 Compendium of Social Doctrine of the Church no. 67 Ency. 1 Ency. 2 Krier Mich, M.L. (2011). The challenge and spirituality of Catholic social teaching. New York: Orbis Books Maas Weigert, K., & Kelley, A. K. (2005). Living the Catholic social tradition. Lanham: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc. McCann, D. P., & Miller, P. D. (Eds.). (2005). In search of the common good. New York: T & T Clark. Pius XI: Restoration of the Social Order #79 Pope John Paul II apostolic letter, Mane Nobiscum Domine (2004) The Catechism (1497) Vatican council: “Joy and Hope” 30 Vatican Council: Gaudium et Spes #27 Vatican Council: Gaudium et Spes #27 Read More

These principles of social justice ought to be appreciated in their correlation, unity and expression (McCann and Miller, 2005). Even though these principles are often examined individually, this should not lead to them being applied in isolation that is why these principles should never be invoked in an unconnected manner in relation to each other. In the Catholic Church’s social teaching, there are ten core fundamental principles: the dignity of humanity, rights and responsibilities for the common good, solidarity and call to family, community and participation (Compendium of Social Doctrine of the Church no. 67). These teachings are in tandem with the principles of social justice and social love which are basically these teachings in practice.

Based on these basic principles, comes forth the Church’s social teaching of human rights, sharing and care of God’s creations, right to private ownership of property, option for the vulnerable and the poor and involvement in governance and the community in general. The Second Vatican Council declared Eucharistic sacrifice as the source and summit of the Life of a Christian (Vatican Council: Gaudium et Spes #27). This shows the Eucharist as having a specific social dimension. Pope John Paul II apostolic letter, Mane Nobiscum Domine (2004) said of the Eucharist as a teaching in solidarity.

The pope said that the Eucharist can be made an occasion for parish and diocesan communities to endear themselves in responding to the many challenges of poverty in the world. He went ahead to caution the Catholic communities that the criterion by which their Eucharistic celebrations will be judged is by their love for one another and particularly concern for the needy. This is the only way the Catholic community can be the new light of the world as Christ himself was. This linking of the Eucharist and the service to the poor is also explained by Apostle Paul who said that it is unworthy for Christians to join in the Lord’s Supper while there is division and indifference directed to the needy (1 Corinthians 12:7).

The Catechism (1497) also says that to receive in truth the Body and Blood of Christ given up for Christians, Christians must recognize Christ in the poorest, his brethren. This is also reflected on the number of times in Mass that the words peace, love and unity are stated. The Eucharist promotes Christians as the body of Christ on earth continuing Jesus’ mission to the needy, the imprisoned and to those under tyranny to spread good news. In this way Christians continue being the new light to the community.

The Eucharistic meal is designed to be shared equally amongst the faithful. There should never be any division. However, most of the time the Eucharist meal is disregarded as the faithful creates divisions and discrimination against brother and sister according to social classification. Presence and continued existence of racial discrimination, sexual discrimination, classism, prejudice against the disabled, the senior members of the society and fundamentally structural social injustices. They are a reflection of the permeating lack of understanding of the social aspects of the Eucharist or the absence of the will of Christians to practice the social demands of the Eucharist.

Pope Benedict XVI said that charity is at the core of the Catholic Church’s social doctrine (Ency. 2). The responsibility and the commitment espoused by the doctrine are fundamentally founded on charity. And it is a principle that should not just be applied to family and friends only but also in the wider economic and political interactions. Everything is originated in God’s love and should be shaped by it and directed towards it (Ency. 2). Love should be the force that directs people towards generosity and brave engagement towards justice and peace (Ency. 1). The number one principle of Catholic’s teaching is social justice is respect in life and dignity of the human person.

Life and dignity is God given as a result of having been created by God and coupled with human capability to know, love and glorify God, much unlike any other creation of God in the world.

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