Economic Life & Social Justice (part 3)

The second and third principles of A Catholic Framework for Economic Life (www.usccb.org/jphd/economiclife) lay a key piece of foundation for looking at our spending as individuals and as a nation:

•  Principle 2. All economic life should be shaped by moral principles. Economic choices and institutions must be judged by how they protect or undermine the life and dignity of the human person, support the family and serve the common good.

• Principle 3. A fundamental moral measure of any economy is how the poor and vulnerable are faring.

Principle 2 calls us, in our personal lives, to make economic decisions in ways that go beyond our style preferences our notions of what constitutes a "good deal," and calls us to ask the question, "A good deal for whom?" Were the goods made with sweatshop labor? Was the food produced in a way that respected God's creation and the environment? Does the merchant pay fair wages and support the common good?

       Principle 3 applies that same decision-making on a national level and gives the concrete measure of the perspective of the poor and vulnerable. Isaiah, Jeremiah, and other prophets of the Old Testament were constantly calling on the ancient Israelites to care for the poor and vulnerable, and we are part of that same spiritual tradition.

       An exercise for this week: Look at what you are buying and throwing out this week. Ask yourself whether those decisions are consistent with these principles.
Copyright © 2010, Deacon Carl D. Smith. All rights reserved. Reprint permission granted to parishes for use in Sunday bulletins. (http://bit.ly/16p8ws)
   

Economic Life & Social Justice (part 2)

In the US bishops' 1996 document, A Catholic Framework for Economic Life, they identified ten important principles to help Catholics reflect on the values that should shape our participation in economic life. The first and the fourth principles are related:

• Principle 1. The economy exists for the person, not the person for the economy. 
• Principle 4. All people have a right to life and to secure the basic necessities of life (e.g., food, clothing, shelter, education, health care, safe environment, economic security.)

The first principle is rooted in our teaching that human life is of paramount importance; we should not subordinate persons to government, corporations, or some "invisible hand." People are not mere resources for production of goods and services; rather, the production of goods and services exist in order to (1) help human beings develop and meet basic necessities, and (2) provide an opportunity for dignified work.
       The fourth principle is related, in that it defines the rights to which all human beings are entitled, regardless of their economic status or their means. The list of basic goes beyond the bare minimum of food, clothing, and shelter and includes the items that point at what the bishops mean by human dignity: education, health care, safe environment, and economic security. So, while a lot of politicians debate issues of food, clothing, and shelter, our bishops teach us that we have to go way beyond that. 
       An exercise for this week: as you hear about budgets, financial market reforms, spending allocations, and similar stories coming out of the state capitol and Washington, DC this week, review them carefully in light of these two points. Then, consider calling your representatives and tell them how feel about one of these issues.
Copyright © 2010, Deacon Carl D. Smith. All rights reserved. Reprint permission granted to parishes for use in Sunday bulletins. (http://bit.ly/16p8ws)
   

Nuclear Disarmament & Social Justice

The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) has welcomed the signing of the new Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START) between the United States and the Russian Federation, according to an April 8 letter from the president of the USCCB to President Barack Obama. The letter states, “The horribly destructive capacity of nuclear arms makes them disproportionate and indiscriminate weapons that endanger human life and dignity like no other armaments. Their use as a weapon of war is rejected in Church teaching based on just war norms."

       The treaty now goes to the US Senate for ratification, and the USCCB is asking that Catholics urge their senators and urge them to give bipartisan support to the New START Treaty. For information on contacting your senators, visit www.senate.gov. You can also call the Capitol switchboard at 202-224-3121.

       For more information on the USCCB letter to President Obama and other resources related to nuclear weapons, go to www.usccb.org/sdwp/international/nuclear.shtml.
Copyright © 2010, Deacon Carl D. Smith. All rights reserved. Reprint permission granted to parishes for use in Sunday bulletins. (http://bit.ly/16p8ws)
   

Economic Life & Social Justice (part 1)

One very important part of Catholic social teaching is the Church's teaching on economic life (i.e., how a society organizes its financial resources). The Church teaches that all economic life should be shaped by moral principles. The social justice principals of life and dignity of the human person, concern for the common good, and support for the family are key to evaluating economic choices and institutions. 
       In November 1996, the US bishops produced a document called A Catholic Framework for Economic Life. In it, they outline ten important principals to help Catholics reflect on the values that should inform our consciences as we participate in economic life. Even though that document is over thirteen years old, the principals are timeless and can offer great guidance in our current economic situation in the US.
       For more information, including Catholic Framework document, some reflection questions, links to downloadable documents, and podcasts), check out the USCCB web page at www.usccb.org/jphd/economiclife/.
Copyright © 2010, Deacon Carl D. Smith. All rights reserved. Reprint permission granted to parishes for use in Sunday bulletins. (http://bit.ly/16p8ws)