Untitled Flashcards Set
Section A: Social Persons Called to Action
Lesson 1: Called to be in Society
Why do we do anything?
Happiness
When we can’t, we distract ourselves.
Happiness depends on the conditions around us.
In our minds
Fleeting
“Rush of dopamine”
Deep abiding joy
In our heart and soul
Remains in good and bad times
Depending on the goodness and love of God
Aristotle’s Four Levels of Happiness
Material thing
Having stuff
Comparative advantage
Having the best or being better
Contribution
Doing good for others and making the world a better place
Transcendence
Being in communion with God and fulfilling on purpose
What is our purpose? TO SHARE IN GOD’S LIFE!
God’s Life | Our Call |
Creator of All | Co-creators (family, art, society) |
Trinity | Community |
Perfect knowledge | Share in knowledge |
Perfect love | Share in love |
Created Communal
Made in the image and likeness of the Trinitarian God (a communion of persons)
Social nature = living in various societies or communities
Society – groups bound together by a principle of unity that goes beyond each individual
As humans, we are called to be our distinct self and yet enter into our communities and societies united in love.
The Importance of Society
“Through the exchange with others, mutual service and dialogue with his brethren, man develops his potential; thus, to his vocation” (CCC 1879)
Loving others and being loved by others is part of how we become who we are called to be
Importance to Society – Ultimate Goal
Ultimate Goal -> Communion with God (Who Himself is perfect communion with Father, Son, and Holy Spirit)
We fully discover the authentic and complete meaning of our personal and social lives through relationship with God
How do we pursue relationship with God?
The Church Goes Beyond Human Society
The Church
Draws her life from Christ and becomes his Body
Shows the way of unity to God, and others
It is a guide and sign of the unity to which our human society should aspire
Is a source of truth and Salvation
Church Roles
Mystical Body of Christ
All are linked, diversity of members with specific functions-Christ is the unity
Family of God
United in God through Baptism
Community of Sanctified Believers
Common goal to make all holy
Teacher
Guiding and modeling
It helps both individuals and societies reach their full potential
It can guide people in establishing social relationships that honor human dignity
Listener
Seeking common bond rooted in authenticity
What is justice?
What is justice?
Cardinal virtue
Naturally obtainable
Good-habit – balance between extremes
Giving God and neighbor what they are owed
What do we owe one another…love
God
Love of God above all
Religion: render to God the worship, homage, and thanksgiving that is due to him
Why? God created us, cares for us and saves us
Neighbor
Love our neighbor as ourselves
Love: willing the true good of the other
Respect each person’s rights
Why? God created everyone with inherent dignity
(Novo Millennio St. JP II – 2000)
Three/Four Types of Justice
Social Justice
Commutative Justice
Governs exchanges between individuals and private social groups
Commutative = reciprocal
Both sides should respect the dignity of the other and responsibly fulfill their obligations
Ex. Handbook agreement
Distributive Justice
Governs what the greater community owes individuals based on their contribution and needs
Distributive = just distribution of goods to individuals
Not in opposition to private ownership, rather requires citizens to support common needs for all
Ex. Public Education, public goods (everyone has access to public roads, even if they don't pay taxes), public transportation
Legal Justice
Governs what individuals owes the greater community (country and society)
Civil duty
Usually spelled out in laws and legal documents
Ex. Taxes, voting, jury duty, stopping at a red light
How do we work towards Justice?
Equality: giving each the same
Equity: giving to each person what they need
Both are good and needed, but are used in different circumstances
Social Justice Defined
Applying the virtue of justice to society
Protects and defends human dignity
Works to see social structures and institutions on all levels-including political, cultural, and economic
What is the common good?
Common -> for everyone
Good -> allowing a person to reach their potential/fulfillment
DEFINITION: the sum total of social conditions which allow people, either as groups or as individuals, to reach their fulfillment more fully and more easily
Why aim for the common good?
Pursues the perfection and progress of the person
To help ALL become who they are called to become
The common good is not separate from the individual good
Three essential elements of common good
Respect for the life and dignity of every person
A commitment to the social well-being and development of the group, especially by ensuring that individual’s basic needs are met
The establishment of a peaceful and just society
Why is caring about the individual so vital?
The Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church, 165
Working towards the common good
Founded in truth -> must be rooted in objective reality
Built in justice -> achieved by giving everyone what they are owed
Animated in by love -> willing the good of others must be present at every step
Commutative Justice
Truth -> Distributive Justice -> Common good
Legal Justice
How might we, in our everyday lives, work towards the common good?
Caritas in Veritate, 7
Diaper drive
Can the common good be achieved?
Not without Christ/Not on this side of Heaven
Common Good is still GOOD…
Ideal: Goal! Not completely achievable but still worth working towards.
Moral measure: a tool we can use to evaluate whether our choices, policies and institutions align with this ideal
Lesson 5: Two Feet of Love in Justice
Necessity of Charity (Love)
“Only love is capable of radically transforming the relationships that men maintain among themselves. This is the perspective that allows every person of good will to perceive the broad horizons of justice and human development in truth and goodness” (CSDC. 4)
Love isn’t necessarily “nice”
Nice -> pleasant, trying to get along with and please everyone
Love ->
Choosing to uphold everyone’s dignity
Can require difficult conversation and consequences
Aimed at helping others reach their potential/fulfillment
Love and Justice
The aim of justice is to give God and neighbor what they are owed (love).
You can’t have one without the other.
Acting in both love and justice
Practical steps towards the common good
Social action: praying and working for long-term solutions to root causes of problems in our community and the world
Concerned with the underlying causes of injustice
Focus on changing social structure
Look for long-term solutions
Provide indirect help aimed at permanent change
“Haves” and “have nots” work together and share power
Working toward changes in social structure
Direct action: giving direct help to people or families to help meet their immediate needs
Concerned with the present symptoms of injustice
Focus on induvial needs
Look for immediate solutions
Provide direct service with temporary results
Involve “haves” sharing with “have nots”
Require no change in social structure
Ex) providing food, clothing, shelter, or monetary assistance to help those in need
Section B: Roots of CST
Lesson 1: Needing a Guide
The Church acts as our guide to navigating acting towards the common good in our societies
Where should we begin bringing justice?
What is the right course of action?
Which issues in society should take priority?
Why is the Church concerned with Justice?
The Catholic Church (like Jesus) is concerned with the salvation of ALL people
Justice is a roadmap for harmonious, healthy, and happy relationships the way God intended…
Forming new relationships
Maintaining healthy relationships
Reconciling broken relationships
The Church is a Sacrament!
Sacrament: visible sign of an invisible reality
A visible sign of “communion with God and of unity among all”
Must be involved in worldly matters
Not political but concerned that worldly activities are pointing toward God
Salvation of souls!
Good News, Bad News
Good news: we can take daily steps to building the Kingdom of Heaven on Earth
Bad news: no human society will be perfect because of sin
Challenge: the Church responds by engaging with the world with the goal of bringing Church to all
How does the Church guide humanity on how to approach society? (hint it’s catholic social teaching)
Principles for reflection
Understand the realities of our social nature and the need for justice
Criteria for judgement
Look at the world and…
Judge what does not serve the dignity of the human person
Embrace that which does
Guidelines for action
Put these abstract concepts into action
Where do these Catholic Social Teachings come from?
Salvation history + magisterium = catholic social teaching
Working towards the common good
Eternal law: God’s plan
Natural law: our participation
Our participation in the eternal law. Moral knowledge written in every human heart and that every human person innately possesses.
Universal: it applies to all people in all places at all times
Permanent: it will never end
Unchanging: it will never alter
Moral law: to do what is good and avoid what is evil
Accounts for man’s duties and consequent rights
Looking in scripture we see…
God is just
God calls His people to act in justice
Notes on scriptural justice in OT
Review
Created in the image and likeness of God – dignity
God made a covenant (relationship) with humanity
Justice is meant to eradicate all injustice
God is not distant/only concerned with “balance”
God’s justice involved fidelity to what relationships require – God is always faithful to his relationships
The poor and oppressed are owed special attention
God hears our cries
God doesn’t change
God’s actions in OT and NT are unified
God’s justice and charity are inseparable
Jesus is the perfect embodiment of justice and charity
Notes of Jesus’ call for us
Jesus cares for the poor and oppressed and calls us to car too
Anawim – in Jewish scriptures the poor, those without material possessions who kept a positive attitude, realized their helplessness and sought out God for all of their needs
Our Salvation is bound in how we show love for Christ by the way we treat the least of his people
Jesus is the way
Sacred Tradition
Christ’s mission
To bring us all into relationship with God
Saints in Justice
St. Augustine
St. Ambrose
Men and women living justly in Church History
Mother Cabrini
Mother Theresa
Dorothy Day
Oscar Romero
How does the Magisterium speak about issues of justice?
Encyclical – a letter from the Pope to the Whole Church
Audiences – a meeting with the Pope
Constitutions – come out of councils
Documents – informative work and/or educational guides
From the Pope
From a Conference of Bishops
Letters – from a Bishop to a community
From the Pope to a group of Bishops
Issues the Church has spoken about recently
Human trafficking
Universal access to health care
Immigration reform
Religious persecution of all kinds
War
The protection of life in the womb
Historically, how has the Church practically addressed issues?
Hospitals
Safe homes for domestic violence victims
Orphanages
School systems
Homes for the elderly
The Development of Modern Catholic Social Teaching
Pre-1800s
The Church addressed social issues and there, but not in a systematized way
Post-1800s
The Church writes documents that clearly address the Social Issues of our time. These don’t create new ideas but reiterate Church Teachings found in Scripture and Tradition that apply to issues in our time.
What happened in the 1800s?
Industrial Revolution
Boom in industry
“Its structures for the production of consumer good, its new concept of society, the state and authority, and its new forms of labor and ownership” (CCC 2421)
Laissez-Faire Capitalism
Profit over people
Shift from agrarian to manufacturing economy
Unsafe working conditions
Employee abuse, inadequate pay
Response to Laissez-Faire Capitalism
Karl Marx
Socialism
Intention is to share wealth among all people and to abolish “overbearing/overpowered rich class”
Prioritize the state over the individual
Unintentionally undermines human dignity
Atheistic Communism
Descendant of Marxism
The Totalitarian government is dominated by a single political party
Pope Leo XIII’s response – Rerum Novarum
Condemned both Marxist Socialism and Unbridled Capitalism
This encyclical sets a precedent for Popes to address Social Issues in our modern times in a more clear and concise way
How to approach social encyclicals
Know basic info
Name (Latin & “English”)
Author
Year
Understand the context
Why was it written?
What was it responding to?
Take it paragraph by paragraph
Rerum Novarum
Rights and Duties of Capital and Labor
Pope Leo XIII
1891
Industrial Revolution
Poverty and exploitation of European and North American workers