The Catholic Church has a rich tradition of helping people to understand how they should relate to the world around them. With an emphasis on our responsibility to others Catholics are guided toward a lifestyle of caring and concern for others. When people forget about their responsibility toward others the Christian Faith can become overly personalistic and idiosyncratic. It becomes easy to emphasize the things we like to think about and forget everything else. To help us past such a difficulty the bishops of the United States suggest the consideration of Seven Themes of Catholic Social Teaching. Usccb.org Over the coming weeks I will discuss in more detail each of these important points.
Life and dignity of the Human Person We are reminded of the myriad challenging Catholics as they attempt to proclaim a truly prolife understanding of the world. Abortion, euthanasia, and the death penalty come immediate- ly to mind, but we must also be concerned about cloning and embryonic stem cell research. Professing that each person has a “right to life” means that we must be committed to resolving conflict without violence. We must al- so respect the dignity of each person.
Call to Family, Community, and Participation People are both sacred and social. We have a right and a responsi- bility to work in society for the common good.
Rights and Responsibilities We must be willing to encourage and work for a protection of human rights. The first and most fundamental right is the right to life. People also have a right to those things required for human de- cency.
Option for the Poor and Vulnerable “A basic moral test is how our most vulnerable members are faring. In a so- ciety marred by deepening divisions between rich and poor, our Catholic Tradition recalls the story of the Last Judgment. (Mt 25:31-46)
The Dignity of Work and the Rights of Workers “The economy must serve people, not the other way around.”
Solidarity We are reminded that we are “one human family.” National, racial, ethnic, economic, or ideological
differences set aside—we are all brothers and sisters.
Care for God’s Creation We are called to respect what God has created by exercising responsible stewardship of
creation. Care for the earth is not just an Earth Day slogan, it is a requirement of our faith.
These seven points are a place to begin if we wish to understand the fullness of the Church’s social teaching. By under- standing the social teaching of the Church we understand how Christ would have us live and we can grow in holiness.