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January 2023--Theme #4: Option for the Poor & Vulnerable
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Themes of Catholic Social Teaching
- Life and Dignity of the Human Person
- Call to Family, Community, and Participation
- Rights and Responsibilities
- Option for the Poor and Vulnerable
- The Dignity of Work and the Rights of Workers
- Solidarity
- Care for God’s Creation
This fourth Catholic Social Teaching is a call to put the needs of the poor and vulnerable first, before the desires of the rich. Our incarnational instruction from Jesus himself says "what you did for the least of these, you did it for me. (Matt. 25:46)
As Pope Francis tells us in Fratelli Tutti, "not to share our surplus money with
the poor is to rob them and take away their livelihood. The 'riches' we possess are not our own, but theirs as well."
Practically speaking, the needs of the poor include the rights of workers over
maximizing profits, the preservation of the environment over uncontrolled industrial expansion, and production for social needs over production for military purposes. By ensuring the rights of the working poor, we enable them to become active members of society and contribute for the good of us all. It is not hard to see that the poor are suffering disproportionately from climate change and global warming. And rather than seeing social programs as a handout, the Church reminds us that we all have a right to the earth's goods.
As the first letter of John states, "How does God's love abide in anyone who
has the world's good and sees one in need and refuses to help." 1Jn 3:17-18
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