This theme continues in the early church. Paul chastises the Corinthians for ignoring the poor in their Eucharistic feasts. James reminds us that "faith by itself, if it has no works, is dead." (James 2:17 ) The text of Acts reports that the first Christians “had all things in common . . . distributing them to all, as any had need.” (Acts 3:44-45) In the following centuries, shepherds and theologians of the Church continued the teachings of Jesus in the tradition of the early church, from Origen, Augustine and Aquinas to Gregory XVI, Pius IX and Benedict XIV.
St. Thomas Aquinas
A second source of inspiration for Catholic Social Teaching comes from the teachings of St. Thomas Aquinas.A prolific writer on the topic of Justice, St. Thomas stressed that justice toward the common good (all people) was required for Christians to live a moral and upright life. He believed that where legal justice exists in harmony with the truth of God as revealed by Jesus Christ, communities and nations are directed to the common good of all.As disciples of Christ all Christians bear a responsibility to bring God’s justice for the common good to society – to transform belief into living actions. In a state of true justice all may move toward their ultimate end of happiness in eternal life with God.
Modern Catholic Social Teaching
In modern Catholic social thought these foundations have developed into a comprehensive body of doctrine about modern social issues. Pope Leo in Rerum Novarum addressed the condition of labor following the Industrial Revolution; Pope Pius XI in The Reconstruction of the Social Order (Quadragesimo Anno) spoke of the effects of the Great Depression and condemned Communism; Pope John XXIII in Peace on Earth (Pacem in Terris) took up the issues of human rights and the cold war; in The Church in the Modern World (Gaudium et Spes), Vatican II spoke about the institution of marriage and the role of the Christian in secular society; the World Synod of Bishops in 1971 in Justice in the World decried the concentration of wealth and corporate power; Pope Paul VI in Evangelization in the Modern Worldaddressed third world development and the need for Christian participation in politics as no one had ever done before; and Pope John Paul, perhaps the most prolific pope on issues of social justice, wrote the encyclicals On Human Work (Laborem Exercens), The Social Concerns of the Church (Solicitudo Rei Socialis), One Hundred Years (Centisimus Annus), andThe Gospel of Life (Evangelium Vitae). Pope John Paul was also outspoken in his opposition to the Iraq War.here.
We live in a world where millions of people still do not enjoy their human rights because of poverty, injustice, war and violence. All people are urged to take some time to reflect, to learn something new about human rights, to share with another your thoughts and ideas, and to pray - pray that human dignity and human rights will be enjoyed by all.
