Part 3: Seven themes of catholic social teaching

Part 3: Seven themes of catholic social teaching
There are seven main themes that formulate Catholic social teaching, all of which are interdependent, woven together to complement one another. The first theme of Catholic social teaching is respecting the life and dignity of all human beings. All humans are: Made in God’s image Saved by His Son’s death Called to reproduce the image of God by creating new life with God

All life is sacred and deserves the utmost respect. No one and nothing can take away a person’s God given dignity. At the basic level, respecting human dignity and life means allowing people to live. At a more complex level, it means allowing people to live life to the fullest and experience all the goodness God intends for them.

Promoting the life and dignity of human beings is the most fundamental theme of Catholic social teaching. It is by this theme that Catholicism judges institutions and policies. For example, new technology, i.e. genetic engineering, can violate human life and dignity.

Nazi Eugenic Practices violated the dignity of human life by sterilizing or killing: Homosexuals Dissenters Criminals Weak Crippled Sick

The second theme of Catholic Social Teaching is that human beings are social creatures, created by God to live and participate in families and communities. The central form of the human community is the family with all other social groups built around it. The family serves as a “training ground” on how we are to live in relation to larger society.

At the basic level, society supports families by protecting marriage and children, as well as: Providing well paying jobs Warning about sexual relationships outside of Marriage Ensuring all people have their basic needs met Allow people to participate in society, such as by voting

The family and larger community are interdependent. Without the support of community, families with suffer. Without families participating in communities, the community suffers.

Scenario 1

Scenario 2

The Smart Growth Community Land Trust Homeownership Program revitalizes old buildings and homes, making them safe places for low to middle income families to live in and afford. When families are given the ability to buy homes, society is strengthen because neighborhoods stabilize and are safer for children. When families prosper, so does the larger community; when the larger community prospers, so does the family.

The third theme of Catholic social teaching is that all people possess rights that allow them to have things necessary for living a dignified life. The most basic of these rights includes: Life Food Shelter Clothing St. Pope John XXIII wrote an encyclical called Peace on Earth, or Pacem in Terris, in which he outlined numerous human rights.

Some of the rights found in the encyclical include: Rights pertaining to moral and cultural values The right to worship God according to one’s conscience The right to choose one’s state of life Economic rights The right to meet and association The right to emigrate and immigrate Political rights Governments have a responsibility to not block such rights.

With all these rights, it is important to understand that a person’s rights are NOT unlimited. A person's rights ARE LIMITED by their responsibility for the good of others. Society is called to get those people who have more than enough to share with the poor so they too can live a dignified life.

The fourth theme of Catholic social teaching is that all people must have special concern for the poor and vulnerable. This theme is rooted in the principle called the Universal Destination of Goods, or the teaching that the Earth and all its goods belong to God, and He intends these goods to allow all people to live with dignity.

No person has the right to keep accumulating wealth when other people lack basic things to survive. Just like a sick child takes priority over a healthy one, the poor need our help more so than wealthy people.

The Preferential Option for the Poor has two parts: 1. Freely becoming friends with the poor and taking on their problems as our own problems 2. A commitment to take action to transform any injustices that prevent the poor from realizing their God given dignity We must become a voice for the voiceless in society

Besides material poverty, spiritual poverty is when a person lacks a positive relationship with God and with others. People who are spiritually poor can be materially rich or materially poor. We are called to give to those who are materially and spiritually poor according to their needs; we are to see the image of God in all people.

The fifth theme of Catholic social teaching is based on the dignity of work and the rights of workers. The value of work is NOT measured by profit or paycheck, but rather by the fact that the work is being done by a human being. Work exists for the sake of people; people do not exist for the sake of work.

God worked when He created the world in the Book of Genesis, so we, as images of God, too are called to work. Also, God’s work was mixed in with rest, and so too must our work lives have periods of rest. Since human’s are called to share in God’s work, work takes on a sacred dignity.

These truths become evident from seeing work as having sacred dignity: 1. Work is to contribute to the common good of the world, never to detract from it 2. Workers must be treated with dignity by other workers and employers 3. The rights of workers must be protected by business owners and society

The sixth theme of Catholic social teaching is Solidarity, or the spirit of friendship between individuals, groups and nations, as the basis for a just world. Solidarity, simply put, is the union of one’s heart and mind with all people; it is working for the common good.

Solidarity is based on the understanding that all people are part of the same human family (no matter our differences). St. John Paul II said solidarity can be seen when: The rich feel responsible to help the poor The poor work to find a second chance in life When powerful nations help poorer nations When poorer countries still contribute to the world with the treasures of their culture

When one nation pollutes major waterways they are not practicing solidarity since they are harming others, both near and far. Solidarity also must take on a spiritual form, understanding that all people are a child of God.

The common good requires: A respect for all life and human dignity A commitment to the full development of all people The establishment of a just, peaceful society, which provides people with security and stability The common good today is no longer just our town/ state communities, but takes on a global identity.

The seventh and last theme of Catholic social teaching is that we must care for God’s creation. God told Adam and Even in the Garden to cultivate and care for the world. God calls human beings to Stewardship, or the careful and responsible management of God’s creation entrusted to all people. When God created the world, all beings, human, animal, and elemental, were interdependent; through Original Sin, that interdependence is disrupted.

The following are just a few examples of how the harmony at the time of Creation has vanished in our own times: Polluting the world Harming animals and killing them just for their bone and ivory Killing off entire species Steps, however, have been taken to prevent the growth of these issues to recreate the interdependence of all Creation.

We are called to care for Creation however we can. In the end, the call to care for Creation is a call to love God and the future generations to come in this world.

Part 3: Seven themes of catholic social teaching

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