Life and dignity of the human person is one of the seven themes of social justice.

Many people ask why God doesn’t show Himself to us. Our faith would be so much stronger if only we could catch a single glimpse of the face of Jesus Christ. After all, Moses saw the face of God on Mount Sinai, where he received the Ten Commandments. 

Many Christians have seen visions of the Lord. But the rest of us must rely on Matthew’s words on how we must serve Christ by seeing Him in others, and in serving them as if they were Him.

“Whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for Me,” the Lord said in His parable of the last judgment. He was speaking to every generation of believers, right down to each one of us today. This means that we are responsible for doing more than just keeping the Ten Commandments.

The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops has identified these seven themes of social justice. The Church’s social teaching is a rich treasury of wisdom for building a just society and living lives of holiness in the midst of modern secular society. The bishops have outlined the seven themes as follows:

Life and dignity of the human person. Human life is under direct attack from abortion and euthanasia. The value of human life is also being threatened by cloning, embryonic stem cell research, and by use of the death penalty. The intentional targeting of civilians in war or terrorist attacks can never be justified. Nations must also protect everyone’s right to life by finding better ways of preventing conflicts and of resolving them peacefully. People are more important than things, for every person is precious in the eyes of God.

Call to family, community, and participation. Each person is not only precious but social. How we organize society – in economics and politics, in law and policy – directly affects human dignity and each person’s ability to grow in community. Marriage of one man and one woman, and the family, have always been the central social institutions of humanity and must be strengthened, not undermined. All people, including the poor and vulnerable, have a right (and a duty) to participate in society, working together for the common good.
Rights and Responsibilities. Catholic tradition teaches that human dignity can be protected, and a healthy community achieved, only if human rights are protected and each person fulfills his or her responsibilities. On the one hand, we have a duty to see that others have the same rights as we do, such as voting. On the other hand, we must vote and exercise our other rights actively for the common good.

Needs of the Poor and Vulnerable. In these times of deepening divisions between rich and poor, the basic moral test of how a society is behaving is how its most vulnerable members are faring. Jesus said in His story of the last judgment that we are to put the needs of the poor and vulnerable first. This is serious business – not a suggestion but a command. 

The Dignity of Work and the Rights of Workers. Work is more than a way to make a living – it actually is a form of our continuing participation in God’s creation. The economy, then, must serve people, not the other way around. The basic rights of workers must be respected – the right to productive work, to decent and fair wages, and to organize and join unions.

Care for God’s Creation. Care for the earth is not just an Earth Day slogan, but a requirement of our faith. We show our respect for the Creator by our stewardship of creation. We are called to protect people and the planet, living our faith in relationship with all of God’s creation. There are fundamental moral and ethical dimensions that cannot be ignored.

Solidarity. Racism and ethnic bigotry have no place in the Church. Such behavior can be a mortal sin for Christians. Whatever our racial, ethnic, economic or ideological differences, we are one human family. We are our brothers’ and sisters’ keepers wherever they may be. Loving our neighbor – a direct command from Christ – has global dimensions today in a shrinking world. Solidarity is produced by seeking justice and peace. Pope Paul VI taught that if you want peace, work for justice. The rising tide of dispossessed people will not forgive us for having kept them down by our daily omissions. Remember the Good Samaritan, who crossed ethnic boundaries to do his good deed for the Jew who had been beaten and robbed.

Anthony Cardinale is a member of the diocesan Justice and Peace Commission.

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