Dear St. Rita Parishioners,
The various principles of Catholic Social Teaching are meant to help us think about how to prioritize the many competing voices and interests in the life of society. They often do not give us black and white answers for a given situation, but they do point us in the right direction. They attempt to describe how charity functions in a complex world, and they are analogously relevant to every level of society, including to the structure of society itself. These principles are necessary to explicate in a world that has become in the last 200 years in particular, increasingly “top-heavy” – meaning controlled by large bureaucratic entities, whether they be governmental, corporate, or ecclesiastical. The temptations to power, money, and control can infiltrate every part of society, even when it shouldn’t. In addition, jealousy can lead to misunderstandings and accusations of favoritism or selfishness, etc. Thus, it is important that we take some time to ponder these principles, and we will begin by looking at society through the lens of the Principle of the Common Good.
A common, but false definition of the common good is something along the lines of “the maximum amount of good for the most number of people.” This definition reduces “the good” to material or at least tangible goods, which are usually on some level quantifiable. The definition also assumes that some people will necessarily be excluded from the goods of the common good. “Most” is not “all”. How do we choose who gets the goods? Do we draw straws and just lament the sad situation of the guy who picked the short one? Of course, we all want as many people as possible to be as happy as possible, but that cannot reduce government, corporations, or the Church to arbitrary distributors of happiness or goodness. You are not beggars or slaves, and you should not think of the large bureaucracies of the world as overlords. They (We!) are your servants, not your masters![i]
At the same time, such personages have the responsibility, given or at least permitted by God, to organize and structure that which is under their purview for the sake of the good of the people. Your good and mine does not consist totally in “goods”, but rather in God Himself. The rest of it is subordinated to that last End, and is for the sake of seeking, finding, and attaining Him, even if it may not happen in particular instances. Thus, the Second Vatican Council defines the common good as “the sum total of social conditions which allow people, either as groups or individuals, to reach their fulfillment more fully and more easily” (Gaudium et Spes 26).
Pope Leo likewise affirms that the common good is “a greater good that belongs to everyone” (MH 60). The responsibility of leadership, then, is to create the environment where reaching that fulfillment is the most possible, recognizing that actually taking those steps belongs to the individuals themselves. As the saying goes, you can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make him drink. Of course, this does not mean that leaders in society do not have any goads at their disposal for the sake of the good of the people. Laws and policies, rewards and punishments, etc. all are meant to encourage people towards the good, knowing that obstacles to me achieving the good do not only come from without; they also come from within.
Pope Leo’s concern in explicating the common good in Magnifica Humanitas is a particular temptation, which is the “illusion…that simply pursuing one’s own progress without caring for others is sufficient for contributing to the good of all” (MH 61). We are not islands. We are not fundamentally competitors with each other, although in an ideologically polarized world, it can certainly feel like we are. And this is a particular challenge of modern society which the Pope rightly sees as fundamental. He says that “Working together for the common good means having a shared vision” (MH 62), meaning that engaging with those around me who disagree is a necessary antidote to the ideological polarization that plagues us. This polarization, then, is an obstacle to the common good!
And its antidote is quite challenging. People do not change quickly. Finding common ground is not always easy. Friendship takes time. Misunderstandings can be hard to overcome. Further, what if the other side doesn’t want to dialogue? The recent prevalence of political violence in our own country has unnerved many, and has highlighted the fact that, as much as we Catholics promote charity, understanding, and compassion – even for our enemies – they will not always do the same for us. This fact makes society that much more complex, since we have a responsibility to protect our families and to strive to build a society where we and they can remain faithful to Christ and His Church…and attain to our Last End and Highest Good, God!
While there may not be easy answers to these questions, one thing remains clear: It is never justified to do evil, even for the sake of good. The ends never justify the means. We readily believe this in the case of abortion, and we should readily apply it to other aspects of social, political, and international life as well. Therefore, while it is legitimate and important to take appropriate steps to safeguard against evil and to defend ourselves against enemies, I must not allow the greatest enemy, sin, to infiltrate society like a Trojan horse by an open door in my heart; if evil is to be committed, so be it, but let it not be committed by me.
In Christ,
Fr. Christensen
[i] Note the term “public servant” for government officials, for example, or more powerfully, the Pope’s title as Servus Servorum Dei – “Servant of the Servants of God”.