Catholic Social Teaching Part Three

In 1961, thirty years after Pope Pius XI’s encyclical The Reconstruction of the Social Order, Pope John the XXIII wrote Mater et Magistra or Christianity and Social Progress. He reviews Pope Pius XI’s and Pope Leo XIII’s encyclicals and then goes on to tell us that new political, social and economic advancements caused him to write this new encyclical on social justice. Pope John XXIII felt the need to write this to address the drastic imbalances between the rich and poor throughout the world and the importance of the laity in working to bring the Church’s social teaching to those in the world around us.

Pope John XXIII addressed several key areas that he felt needed attention. One in particular was that families need to have a just wage so they can live with dignity. He felt that there was too much imbalance between what was spent on arms and “national prestige,” and what wages were given to the everyday workers. Does this sound familiar? His thoughts could very well have been written yesterday. We are still struggling over the just distribution of goods and services.

John XXIII also felt that the more imbalance that exists between countries the more difficult it becomes to have peace. He believed to help with this it was the duty of all countries to take care of the poor and to “establish effective programs of emergency assistance” as a way of carrying that out. Another way he offered to aid the poor was for “industrial countries to respect the culture of developing countries,” and to offer aid when needed without putting restrictions on that aid. That imbalance is still in existence today, right? We wouldn’t be seeing the news of war breaking out in the Middle East and the upheaval in Iran today if everyone felt equal to one another. At least in my humble opinion that would go a long way in helping.

Pope John XXIII also wanted the Church and individual Christians to “foster a unity between peoples and advance human dignity.” This is so hard for all of us to take on when we look at the worldwide picture but if we look closer to home and do what we can in our own families, neighborhoods and communities it becomes more doable. Instead of berating a spouse or child for something they did wrong, help them to see what is they did in a loving way and how they can grow from it. As I have said before a smile can work wonders for someone who is feeling down whether from joblessness, depression, etc., so rather than ignore those around you, smile and say hello. It is the seeds we plant that will grow into the “flowers and vegetables” of tomorrow’s world.

(Catholic Social Teaching, Out Best Kept Secret, 1995)