Exploring Catholic Social Teaching

176 Exploring Catholic Social Teaching
Vocabulary
Right (n.): That to which
someone has a just
claim. Some rights, called
natural rights, are Godgiven,
fundamental to
the human person, and
common to all people. It
is the duty of government
to protect our natural
rights. Other rights, called
political rights or civil
rights, can be given and/
or taken away by civil
authority, such as the
right to vote, serve on
juries, or receive a public
education.
From the time we are children, we have an innate sense of justice or fairness.
We do not always grasp what “fair” means, but we do know that we
think life should be fair. Some of a child’s very first protests, usually toward
a sibling or playmate, are against some perceived injustice. The root of
this sense of justice is the innate grasp humans have of the difference
between what one can say is “mine” and what is “yours.” Usually, it begins
with things over which we feel we have some ownership — a toy or an occupied
space, for example — but as we grow, it extends to the boundaries
of our body, mind, and spirit. In these last three, we acknowledge the ownership
we have over bodily integrity, our emotional well-being, conscience,
legitimate freedom, and our relationship to God. The foundation of justice
is the nature and dignity of the human person and the profound need we
have for others to respect what rightfully belongs to us. This need leads to
a corresponding sense of respect we must have for what belongs to others.
In this chapter, we will explore the nature and kinds of justice upon which
any peaceful society depends.
The Moral Virtue of Justice
In order to have
a just society,
we first need
just people.
The simple definition of justice is the “moral virtue that consists in
the constant and firm will to give their due to God and neighbor. …
[Justice] disposes one to respect the rights of each and to establish
in human relationships the harmony that promotes equity with regard
to persons and to the common good. The just man… is distinguished
by habitual right thinking and the uprightness of his conduct toward
his neighbor” (CCC 1807). Notice that justice is a virtue that resides within
us by means of the firm will to give others their due. The word justice
itself is rooted in a person’s intention to give what is owed or what belongs
to others by right, or ius in Latin. In order to have a just society, we first
need just people. The virtue of justice is primarily about the intention to be
in a right relationship with others by giving them what they are due: love.
Think of justice like the floor of a house; it is the ground of any social
order. Without it, people cannot acquire the most elementary goods necessary
to human life. Justice does not require everyone to be friends or even
to like each other. Justice does, however, require love for God and respect
for the dignity of every human person. In other words, justice demands
that we refrain from ever using other people for our own selfish gain and
that we honor all people as images of the living God. Justice demands we
ensure that society uphold the legitimate rights of every person. Implicitly,
justice acknowledges that each person we encounter, and every society
in which we participate, belongs ultimately to God, who is the sole owner
of everything and so establishes the standard by which we are to treat all
people. That standard is His love. Because God loves us, we are minimally
© Sophia Institute for Teachers