October 26, 2025 - Pastor Message
November 3, 2025JUBILEE 2025 GAUDIUM ET SPES (cont.)
JUBILEE 2025
GAUDIUM ET SPES (cont.)
“The fact that human beings are social by nature indicates that the betterment of the person and the improvement of society depend on each other. Insofar as humanity by its very nature stands completely in need of life in society, it is and ought to be the beginning, the subject, and the object of every social organization. Life in society is not something accessory to humanity: through their dealings with others, through mutual service, and through fraternal and sororal dialogue, men and women develop all their talents and become able to rise to their destiny” (GS, 25).
We have reflected at length in our journey through GS on the social nature of human beings, that we are made by God to be together, and only by being together can we achieve our God-given purpose as individuals. But, to be together, we need shared values and shared norms that govern how we relate to one another. The system of shared values and norms that govern our relationships with one another is what we call morality, and the moral system that governs our relationships with others as Christians, particularly among the different groups to which we belong, such as families, communities, states, and countries, is called Catholic social teaching.
There are many moral principles that govern our relationships, but within Catholic social teaching as described by GS, there are four principles that stand out: the fundamental dignity of the human person, the common good, solidarity, and subsidiarity. The core of every social group and every human relationship is the human person, made in the image and likeness of God and thus endowed with an inalienable sacredness and dignity that, no matter what choices a person may make, no matter what condition their life is in, no matter what their age, sex, race, nationality, or any other distinguishing feature, they do not lose and thus merit the same respect and care we would show any other person. This principle is the foundation of the Catholic Church’s consistent ethic of life, respecting all human life from conception to natural death.
The common good does not mean what is best for most people or what most people think is best. It means that, based on the fundamental dignity of every person, every person is ensured the opportunity and given the necessary resources to live a fully human life, materially, intellectually, emotionally, and spiritually. So the common good demands that we as a society make sure everyone has the necessary food, clothing, and shelter. We need to make sure everyone has access to quality education, employment, and healthcare, are safe from danger and abuse, and can come to know and love God freely without persecution.
Solidarity means recognizing that we are all in this together and ensuring the freedom and responsibility of all people, regardless of our differences, to associate and come together to work for the common good, and subsidiarity means recognizing and promoting that this is best accomplished by dealing with social issues at the level at which they occur. So, for example, family issues are best resolved by working with and within families rather than by government intervention. Taken together, all of these Catholic social principles guide us in our relationships with one another and enable us to realize our individual destinies as sons and daughters of God and brothers and sisters in Christ.
Fr. Marc Stockton
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