Exploring Catholic Social Teaching

190 Exploring Catholic Social Teaching
The Truth Is…
The topic of social justice has come to be widely misunderstood in our society.
The modern world thinks if we only right every wrong, real or imagined, then we
can achieve a perfect society. At face value, this does not seem so bad. After
all, is justice not giving people their due? If someone is wrong, then correcting
them is an act of justice! The problem is that our society has come to defi ne
what is wrong and what is right without any reference to God’s law. In fact,
God’s law and the natural law have been discarded for the whims of human
fancy — or worse, the schemes of those who have been corrupted by wealth
and power. The modern idea of social justice tends to align itself more with
socialism than with justice, and this is precisely why we as Catholics have a
responsibility to discuss and practice what the Church teaches about authentic
social justice.
The Church has always taught that the social order requires both authentic
justice and charity. Someone who does in fact co-opt the term social justice
as a cover for socialist and communist policies undermines human dignity by
inverting the relationship between the government and the individual and dismissing
the human right to property and autonomy. Handing over the responsibility
of caring for others to the government is not only a dodge, but it leads to
worse treatment of the poor and, ironically, creates more poor people. On the
other hand, someone who totally dismisses social justice as a cover for socialism
ignores the fact that we have a solemn duty as Christians and as human
beings to care for the true dignity of others. We must practice true, Christian
social justice in order to combat both these fl awed points of view, and — as
always — that process begins with conversion to Christ at the individual and
family level. You are at an age now where you can truly begin to exercise justice
in a social context, and you can start by giving a witness of respect and
love to your family, friends, and community.
© Sophia Institute for Teachers
160 Exploring Catholic Social Teaching
© Sophia Institute for Teachers