Economic Life & Social Justice (part 4)

The fifth and sixth principles of A Catholic Framework for Economic Life (www.usccb.org/jphd/economiclife) could easily be named the "individual rights and responsibilities" principles:

• Principle 5. All people have the right to economic initiative, to productive work, to just wages and benefits, to decent working conditions as well as to organize and join unions or other associations.

• Principle 6. All people, to the extent they are able, have a corresponding duty to work, a responsibility to provide for the needs of their families and an obligation to contribute to the broader society. 

Principle 5 is rooted in our belief that, by working, we are participating in God's creation, and therefore it is a noble and worthy endeavor that no one should be deprived of. It goes further to state that work should be justly compensated and dignified, and a worker may associate with others in order to balance the power between employer and employee.
       The sixth principle outlines the why we should work, if we are able: to financially take care of our families and to contribute to the common good.
       An exercise for this week: As we come out of the current recession, many individuals still suffer unemployment or underemployment. Consider them in your prayers this week.
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