329 SOCIAL JUSTICE IN A SOCIETY

YOUCAT Lesson 329, March 31, 2015

YOUCAT the catechism for Catholic youth

329  How does social justice come about in a society?

Social justice comes about where the inalienable dignity of every person is respected and the resulting rights are safeguarded and championed without reservation.  Among these is also the right to active participation in the political, economic, and cultural life of the society.  [1928-1933, 1943-1944]

…329

 

 

The basis of all justice is respect for the inalienable dignity of the human person, “whose defense and promotion have been entrusted to us by the Creator, and to whom the men and women at every moment of history are strictly and responsibility in debt” (Pope St. John Paul II, Encyclical Sollicitudo rei socialis, published 1987).  Human rights are an immediate consequence of human dignity, and no State can abolish or change them.  States and authorities that trample these rights underfoot are unjust regimes and lose their authority.  A society is not perfected by laws, however, but rather by love of neighbor, which makes it possible for everyone to “look upon his neighbor (without any exception) as ‘another self’” (Gaudium et Spes 27, 1).

“As you did it to one of the least of these my brethren, you did it to me.”  Matthew 25:40

“There is not, never has been, and never will be a single person for whom Christ did not suffer.”  Council of Quiercy.  A.D. 853

“(All) men are to deal with their fellows in justice and civility.”  Second Vatican Council, Dignitatis humane

1928-1933, 1943-1944

 

CHAPTER TWO
THE HUMAN COMMUNITY

ARTICLE 3
SOCIAL JUSTICE

1928 Society ensures social justice when it provides the conditions that allow associations or individuals to obtain what is their due, according to their nature and their vocation. Social justice is linked to the common good and the exercise of authority. –Catechism of the Catholic Church, Second Edition

I. RESPECT FOR THE HUMAN PERSON

1929 Social justice can be obtained only in respecting the transcendent dignity of man. The person represents the ultimate end of society, which is ordered to him: 

What is at stake is the dignity of the human person, whose defense and promotion have been entrusted to us by the Creator, and to whom the men and women at every moment of history are strictly and responsibly in debt.( Pope St. John Paul II, Sollicitudo Rei Socialis 47.)³⁵ –CCC

1930 Respect for the human person entails respect for the rights that flow from his dignity as a creature. These rights are prior to society and must be recognized by it. They are the basis of the moral legitimacy of every authority: by flouting them, or refusing to recognize them in its positive legislation, a society undermines its own moral legitimacy.( Compare Pope St. John XXIII, Pacem in Terris 65)³⁶ If it does not respect them, authority can rely only on force or violence to obtain obedience from its subjects. It is the Church's role to remind men of good will of these rights and to distinguish them from unwarranted or false claims. –CCC

1931 Respect for the human person proceeds by way of respect for the principle that "everyone should look upon his neighbor (without any exception) as 'another self,' above all bearing in mind his life and the means necessary for living it with dignity."( Gaudium et Spes 27 § 1.)³⁷ No legislation could by itself do away with the fears, prejudices, and attitudes of pride and selfishness which obstruct the establishment of truly fraternal societies. Such behavior will cease only through the charity that finds in every man a "neighbor," a brother. 

1932 The duty of making oneself a neighbor to others and actively serving them becomes even more urgent when it involves the disadvantaged, in whatever area this may be. "As you did it to one of the least of these my brethren, you did it to me."( Matthew 25:40.)³⁸ –CCC

1933 This same duty extends to those who think or act differently from us. The teaching of Christ goes so far as to require the forgiveness of offenses. He extends the commandment of love, which is that of the New Law, to all enemies.( Compare Matthew 5:43-44.) ³⁹ Liberation in the spirit of the Gospel is incompatible with hatred of one's enemy as a person, but not with hatred of the evil that he does as an enemy. --CCC

 

IN BRIEF

1943 Society ensures social justice by providing the conditions that allow associations and individuals to obtain their due. –CCC

1944 Respect for the human person considers the other "another self." It presupposes respect for the fundamental rights that flow from the dignity intrinsic of the person. --CCC