Biblical Roots of CST and Catholic Moral Theology - Essay Example

due: Biblical Roots of CST and Catholic Moral Theology The Catholic faith is based on Catholic social teaching, which seeks to understand human life and dignity. These teachings are derived from a number of literary works including papal statements and encyclicals, Catholic bishops’ statements, the Gospels and words of Christ and pastoral letters. Overall, the teachings urge us to uphold human dignity and sanctity of life and be our brothers and sisters keepers. There are seven themes in these teachings that touch on the important social matters that affect our lives as humans, in general. They are: life and dignity of the human person; call to family, community and participation; solidarity; dignity of duty and the rights of workers; rights and responsibilities; option for the poor and vulnerable; and lastly, care for God’s creation (United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, para 2-8). All of these themes are closely linked and aimed at promoting the common good of humanity. Two of these themes (solidarity and option for the poor and vulnerable) seem to be the most important. They are also very closely related. The principle message in the option for the poor and vulnerable is love and care among human beings. The teachings urge us to take care of the poor and needy in our society since it is a basic moral test. In the current society where the division between the rich and poor continually widens, it is important to consider this tradition as the story of the Last Judgment in Matthew 25: 31-46 tells us. The needy individuals ought to be taken care of because it is required of us as Christians. Additionally, as long as there is pure love among us, we will not need to fight for justice or peace or other social morals. Also, it is good karma; no one is ever sure about tomorrow. However, it is not right to simply help the disadvantaged to clear the conscience. It requires one to make a choice for the vulnerable. The theme of solidarity, similar to the previous one, emphasizes the need for us to take care of others. It contends that we are part of a collection of one big human family so we should be our brothers and sisters keepers. As Christians, loving our neighbors is mandatory regardless of our racial, national, ethnic and ideological differences. In our shrinking world, loving ones neighbor has global dimensions (United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, para 7). Most importantly, this theme stresses the pursuit of justice and peace. Even Pope Paul VI once stated that if you want peace, work for justice (Paul VI, 1972). Solidarity implies that we must take care of each other because we are all the same. We should also make peace among conflicting people. This way, we will avoid injustices and also promote love among ourselves. Relationship between Life and Dignity and Solidarity The theme of life and dignity and that of solidarity have got many similarities. They are closely related due to their common insistence on how we should view others. Solidarity points out the virtues that need to be observed by Christians, including peace, caring for one another and justice. Life and dignity shows us how we can coexist in peace, justice and love through observance of human rights. It also emphasizes that only through loving our neighbors can we protect human life fully. As stated earlier, the life and dignity theme emphasizes that we uphold the dignity of the human person and maintain the sanctity of human life. According to Benestad (2011), protecting human rights should not be the only way in which people uphold human dignity. He recommends that we should first consider what we owe others, instead of the claims we may have on other people while emphasizing our rights (p.80). The same principles are advocated by the theme of solidarity. It teaches us that we should take care of our neighbors, regardless of our differences. Apart from rights, love and peace are essential in maintaining human dignity, and both of these virtues are advocated by the two themes. The theme of life and dignity also emphasizes protecting the rights of other people and observing the sanctity of life, especially for those who are unable to defend themselves (The Catholic Spirit, para 2). The same principles of peace and justice are highlighted by the theme of solidarity. For instance, the theme of life and dignity is the basis for the opposition to certain medicine practices such as embryonic stem cell research, abortion and euthanasia among others. These practices portray social injustice to those who cannot defend themselves. Human life is sacred and, thus, the society should safeguard it from conception to the end. Protection of life by the society is especially important for those who are unable to fight for themselves. Such people include infants, innocent victims of war and the elderly. In addition, protection only occurs when there is peace and justice in the society. Relationship between Life and Dignity, Solidarity, and Other Themes The option for the poor and vulnerable theme relates well with both the themes of solidarity and life and dignity. The option for the poor and vulnerable theme advocates for people to take care of the needy and poor in our society since we are all brothers and sisters, who Christ died for (Pontifical Council for Justice & Peace 49). This can only happen when there is love and understanding among us, a virtue which is stressed by the theme of solidarity. Also, in taking care of the poor and needy, we need to make sure that their human rights are upheld and observed. The same virtues are also advocated by the life and dignity theme. Another similarity between these two themes is their view on love as essential in attaining the virtues they encourage. Without love, observance of rights would only lead to further division while assisting the needy will turn out to be shallow act, aimed at merely satisfying the conscience. The rights and responsibilities theme is closely linked to the theme of life and dignity in that they both advocate for the fortification of human life through observance of human rights. The rights and responsibilities theme specifically stresses the fact that human dignity can only be protected through the observance of human rights, similar to the theme of life and dignity. According to this theme, every person has a right to life and all other things that are necessary for human decency. Responsibilities also go hand-in-hand with rights. Protection of life and dignity also depends on everyone meeting their responsibilities to their fellow humans (Pontifical Council for Justice & Peace 37). These responsibilities include caring for each other, which is the main point expressed by the theme of solidarity. Both of these themes imply that observing rights begins with knowing what we owe others and fulfilling that first before making our claims. The theme of family, community and participation also relates well to life and dignity and solidarity. Human beings are not only sanctified, but also social. The way we organize our society politically, economically and in law and policy has a direct effect on human dignity and the ability of each to grow within the community. Marriage and family are very important in the society and should be encouraged. It is through families that morals are taught to young children and the spiritual heritage, and cultural legacy are passed down to generations (Minnesota Catholic Conference, para 4). Similarly, everyone has a right to participate in the community with the aim of achieving common good and well-being of every individual, especially the poor and vulnerable. For this reason, the themes of solidarity and life and dignity are linked to this theme since all of them teach the importance of socialization, especially taking care of each other as a community. The concept of dignity of work, as well as the rights of employees, also relates to the theme of life and dignity. This theme emphasizes that work is not simply a means of earning a living but a form of participation in God’s creation. For this reason, workers’ rights should be protected, including their rights to decent and fair wages, to productive work, to the formation and joining of unions, to economic initiatives and to ownership of property (United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, para 6). Both of these themes teach about the importance of observing rights, in the workplace and the society, in general. Finally, the theme of care for God’s creation teaches us to show respect to God by taking care of His creation. We have a responsibility as Christians to take care of the people and the planet, which should be a continuous task. The theme echoes the morals of taking care of others, including observing their rights and fulfilling our responsibilities to them. These morals are also advocated by the theme of solidarity and life and dignity, as well as the other four themes. Conclusion It is unfortunate that most Catholics are not aware of the Catholic social doctrine. These seven teachings form the basis of our beliefs as Catholics and, as a result, it is important for us to be conversant with them. The Catholic social doctrine does not intend to change or organize the society but rather to appeal to, guide and create consciences (Pontifical Council for Justice & Peace 36). In addition, the teachings are not targeted at educating Catholics only but also everyone else regardless of their religious background. When we live by these principles, we will achieve a common good for humanity, respect our Creator and put an end to the anguish in the world today. Works cited Benestad, J. Brian. Church, state, and society: an introduction to Catholic social doctrine. CUA Press, 2011. Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace. Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church. Città del Vaticano: Libreria Editrice Vaticana, 2004. Minnesota Catholic Conference. "Seven Themes of Catholic Social Teaching." Minnesota Catholic Conference. 2011. Web. 6 Feb. 2015. . Paul VI. “For the Celebration of the Day of Peace.” Rome, 1972. The Catholic Spirit. "7 Themes of Catholic Social Teaching." The Catholic Spirit. 12 Feb. 2014. Web. 6 Feb. 2015. . United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. "Seven Themes of Catholic Social Teaching." United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. 2005. Web. 6 Feb. 2015. . Read More