Catholic Social

Teaching Sunday, February 21, 2016 Father Kevin Queally, TOR

Saint Mary Our Lady of Grace Saint Petersburg, Florida

“Far too many Catholics are not familiar with the basic content of

Catholic social teaching.

More fundamentally, many Catholics do not adequately understand that the social teaching of the Church is an essential part of Catholic faith.

This poses a serious challenge for all Catholics, since it weakens our capacity to be a Church that is true to the demands of the Gospel.

We need to do more to share the social mission and message of our Church.” Sharing Catholic Social Teaching: Challenges and Directions, U.S. Catholic Bishops

Justice in the World

Synod of Bishops, 1971 First time a Synodal statement was entitled “A Message to the People of God.”

6. “Action on behalf of justice and participation in the transformation of the world fully appear to us as a constitutive dimension of preaching the Gospel, …

…or, in other words, of the Church’s mission of the redemption of the human race and its liberation from every oppressive situation.”

What reasons do Christians give for Human Dignity?

“Every person, from the first moment of his life in the womb, has an inviolable dignity, because from all eternity God willed, loved, created, and redeemed that person and destined him [or her] for eternal happiness.

Human dignity (continued)

If human dignity were based solely on the successes and accomplishments of individuals, then those who are weak, sick, or helpless would have not dignity. Christians believe that human dignity is, in the first place, the result of God’s respect for us.

Human dignity (continued)

He looks at every person and loves him [or her] as though he [or she] were the only creature in the world. Because God has looked upon even the least significant child of Adam [and Eve], that person possesses an infinite worth, which must not be destroyed by [men].”

YOUCAT, 280

From the Youth Catechism prepared by Pope Benedict as a gift for the participants in World Youth Day, 2011, in Madrid, Spain.

THEMES OF CATHOLIC SOCIAL TEACHING

“The Church's social teaching is a rich treasure of wisdom about building a just society and living lives of holiness amidst the challenges of modern society. Modern Catholic social teaching has been articulated through a tradition of papal, conciliar, and episcopal documents.

THEMES OF CATHOLIC SOCIAL TEACHING

The depth and richness of this tradition can be understood best through a direct reading of these documents. In these brief reflections, we highlight several of the key themes that are at the heart of our Catholic social tradition.” -USCCB

Life and Dignity of the Human Person

The Catholic Church proclaims that human life is sacred and that the dignity of the human person is the foundation of a moral vision for society. This belief is the foundation of all the principles of our social teaching. In our society, human life is under direct attack from abortion and euthanasia.

Life and Dignity of the Human Person

The value of human life is being threatened by cloning, embryonic stem cell research, and the use of the death penalty. The intentional targeting of civilians in war or terrorist attacks is always wrong. Catholic teaching also calls on us to work to avoid war. Nations must protect the right to life by finding increasingly effective ways to prevent conflicts and resolve them by peaceful means.

Life and Dignity of the Human Person

Nations must protect the right to life by finding increasingly effective ways to prevent conflicts and resolve them by peaceful means. We believe that every person is precious, that people are more important than things, and that the measure of every institution is whether it threatens or enhances the life and dignity of the human person.