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 support and 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, are redeemed by His Son’s death, and are called to reproduce the image of God by creating new life with God; for these reasons and much more, all life is sacred and deserves the utmost respect.

Part 3: Seven themes of catholic social teaching 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, i.e. opposing abortion and euthanasia, but it means so much more than that: it means assuring all people live life to the fullest and experience all the goodness God intends for them, physically, socially, mentally, and spiritually.

Part 3: Seven themes of catholic social teaching 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 and is the basis for the other six upcoming themes. Whenever technology and medicine, such as genetic testing, abortion, or some forms of genetic engineering, are used in a way that does not preserve the dignity of human life, we must remember that not all technology and medical practices are moral.

Part 3: Seven themes of catholic social teaching

Part 3: Seven themes of catholic social teaching The second theme of Catholic Social Teaching is that human beings are social creatures, created by God to live in fellowship with family and community and to fully participate in such groups. The central form of the human community is the family with all other social groups built around the family. The family serves as a training ground on how we are to live in relation to larger society.

Part 3: Seven themes of catholic social teaching At the basic level, society protects and supports the family 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, helping others, and building up their community The family and larger community are interdependent; without the support of community, families with suffer; without families participating in communities, the larger community fails to meet the needs of its members.

Part 3: Seven themes of catholic social teaching 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 local neighborhoods stabilize and become safer to raise children. When families prosper, so does the larger community; when the larger community prospers, so does the family.

Part 3: Seven themes of catholic social teaching

Part 3: Seven themes of catholic social teaching The third theme of Catholic social teaching is that since God created all people with equal dignity and value, every human being has the right to things necessary to live a dignified life. The most basic of these rights is the right to life, which includes the right to food, shelter, clothing, etc. Pope John XXIII wrote an encyclical called Peace on Earth, or Pacem in Terris, in which he outlined numerous human rights.

Part 3: Seven themes of catholic social teaching Some of the rights found in the encyclical include: The right to life 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 meeting and association The right to emigrate and immigrate Political rights Governments have a responsibility not to block such rights; however, people must fulfill their responsibility to participate in society and promote the common good.

Part 3: Seven themes of catholic social teaching With all these rights, it is important to understand the a person’s rights are NOT unlimited. An individual’s rights are limited by their responsibility for the good of others. All people have a right to property; some people feel they have the right to acquire more and more property, while other people barely have their basic human needs met. Society is called, by Catholic social teaching, to get those people who have more than enough to share with the poor so they can live a dignified life and have their rights met, whether to property or any basic human need.

Part 3: Seven themes of catholic social teaching

Part 3: Seven themes of catholic social teaching 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 moral principle called Universal Destination of Goods, or the teaching that the Earth and all its goods belong to God, and He intends these goods to provide the things all human beings need to live with dignity. The universal destination of goods takes precedence over private property, meaning no person has the right to keep accumulating wealth when other people lack basic things to survive.

Part 3: Seven themes of catholic social teaching We are called to help the poor because they are in greater need of our help, much like a child who is sick takes priority over a healthy child; they just need a helping and caring hand. The preferential option for the poor has two parts: Freely becoming friends with the poor and taking on their problems as our own problems Unity with the poor and vulnerable is called solidarity 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

Part 3: Seven themes of catholic social teaching Material poverty is not the only type of poverty that exists when helping the poor; spiritual poverty is when a person lacks a positive relations with God and even with others, living lonely isolated lives. 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; whatever we give, we must do so because we want to and because we see Christ in every person in this world.

Part 3: Seven themes of catholic social teaching

Part 3: Seven themes of catholic social teaching The fifth theme of Catholic social teaching is the dignity of work and the rights of workers. The value of human work is not measured by profit or paycheck, but rather by the fact that the work is being done by a human being. Work and the economy exist for the sake of people; people do not exist for the sake of work and the economy. The value of human work rests in how well it promotes the dignity of the worker.

Part 3: Seven themes of catholic social teaching Pope John Paul II taught that human beings are called to imitate God, their Creator, in working. God worked when He created the world in the Book of Genesis, so we, as images of God, too are called to work to “subdue” the Earth. It is important to remember that God’s work was also mixed in with rest, and so too must our lives of work have periods of restful days. Since human’s are called to share in God’s work, work takes on a sacred dignity.

Part 3: Seven themes of catholic social teaching These truths become evident from seeing work as having sacred dignity: Work is to contribute to the good of the world, never to detract from it Workers must be treated with dignity by other workers and employers The rights of workers must be protected by business owners and society We must try to help those, especially in today’s economy, find jobs so as to be able to gain the human dignity of working with God, with the community, and for one’s own basic needs.

Part 3: Seven themes of catholic social teaching

Part 3: Seven themes of catholic social teaching The sixth theme of Catholic social teaching is solidarity, or the spirit of friendship and true community 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. Solidarity is a firm disposition toward the common good, or the good that is collectively shared by a number of people that is beneficial for all members of a given society.

Part 3: Seven themes of catholic social teaching Solidarity is based on the understanding that all people, no matter race, creed, ethnicity, etc., are part of the same human family. John Paul II said solidarity can be seen when: The rich feel responsible to help the poor and vulnerable The poor present their own needs to the world, even in the face of corruption, and change their destructive ways to get attention When powerful nations help poorer nations When poorer countries still contribute to the world with the treasures of their culture

Part 3: Seven themes of catholic social teaching Living in solidarity means creating a just and peaceful world. When one nation pollutes major waterways, for example, they are not practicing solidarity with the world since they are harming others, both near and far. Solidarity also must take on a spiritual form, understanding that all people from every nation and corner of the world is a child of God, with which comes the responsibility to protect all human life (theme one of Catholic social teaching).

Part 3: Seven themes of catholic social teaching The common good requires these three essential elements: A respect for life, dignity, and basic rights of every person A commitment to social well being and full development of all people, ensuring their right to food, clothing, education, etc. The establishment of true peace, based on a just society, that provides people with security and stability. The common good today is no longer just our communities of town and state, but takes on a global identity. If we practice solidarity with the entire world, so too must we achieve the common good of all people in it.

Part 3: Seven themes of catholic social teaching

Part 3: Seven themes of catholic social teaching The seventh and last theme of Catholic social teaching is that of care for God’s creation. God told Adam and Even in the Garden to cultivate and care for the world. This was God calling 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 that interdependence is disrupted.

Part 3: Seven themes of catholic social teaching That is why as stewards, we are called to restore that original state of interdependence between all things of God’s Creation to give Him the due glory. Polluting the world, harming animals and killing them just for their bone and ivory, and even killing off entire species, are just a few examples of how that perfect harmony at the time of Creation has vanished before our eyes. Yet, many good things have been done to bring at end to these issues and reestablish the perfect bond all creation should have with one another.

Part 3: Seven themes of catholic social teaching We are called to care for Creation however we can, whether by simply picking garbage up off the street and recycling, to being active participants in organizations that help protect the environment. In the end, the call to care for Creation is a call to love God and the future generations to come in this world.