In the document we have been studying: Caritas in Veritate the Pope maintains a positive view of humankind based on its origin, continued existence, and ultimate destiny. "God is the guarantor of man's true development inasmuch as, having created him in His image; He also establishes the transcendent dignity of...
In the document we have been studying: Caritas in Veritate the Pope maintains a positive view of humankind based on its origin, continued existence, and ultimate destiny. "God is the guarantor of man's true development inasmuch as, having created him in His image; He also establishes the transcendent dignity of men and women and feeds the innate yearning to
'be more.' Man is not a lost atom in a random universe. He is God's creature, whom God chose to endow with an immortal soul and whom He has always loved. If man were merely the fruit of either chance or necessity, or if he had to lower his aspirations to the limited horizon of the world in which he lives, if all reality was merely history and culture, and man did not possess a nature destined to transcend itself in a supernatural life, then one could speak of growth or evolution but not development." (29) If one is a believer, especially a Christian but not exclusively, these words cannot be interpreted from a distance. There must be a personal acknowledgement of their truth. And if that task is successful one will bask in the Divine Love they reveal. Never again would one be able to say in the face of tragedy:" God does not care." Never again in the face of an economic setback would one be able to say: "I must do everything myself." Never again in the face of separation from family, divorce from spouse, break up from any deep relationship would one be able to say: "I am alone."
Man becomes dysfunctional as to his nature and character when either freely or at the behest of a state he adopts a practical atheism. The Pope states unequivocally: "it deprives its citizens of the moral and spiritual strength that is indispensable for attaining integral human development and it impedes them from moving forward with renewed dynamism as they strive to offer a more generous human response to divine love." (Ibid.) When he calls for "integral human development" Benedict acknowledges that "all social action involves a doctrine." The center for such in his teaching is charity. He says its presence "does not exclude knowledge, but rather requires, promotes, and animates it from within. Knowledge is never purely the work of the intellect. It can certainly be reduced to calculation and experiment, but if it aspires to be wisdom capable of directing man in the light of his first beginnings and his final ends, it must be 'seasoned' with the 'salt' of charity. Deeds without knowledge are blind, and knowledge without love is sterile. Indeed, ' the individual who is animated by true charity labors skillfully to discover the causes of misery, to find the means to combat it, to overcome it resolutely,'…Charity is not an added extra, like an appendix to work already concluded in each of the various disciplines: it engages them in dialogue from the very beginning. The demands of love do not contradict those of reason. Human knowledge is insufficient and the conclusions of science cannot indicate by themselves the path towards integral human development. There is always a need to push further ahead: this is what is required by charity in truth. Going beyond, however, never means prescinding from the conclusions of reason, nor contradicting its results. Intelligence and love are not in separate compartments: love is rich in intelligence and intelligence is full of love. This means that moral evolution and scientific research must go hand in hand, and that charity must animate them in a harmonious interdisciplinary whole, marked by unity and distinction." (30-1) Too often today the credo of some in the scientific community is "if one can do it, then do it." There is in them no doubt as to their unlimited right to manipulate nature and its environs. The Church, for her part, wants all to reflect on the question "if one can do it, should it be done." The concept of cloning holds great promise for burn victims and those whose organs might require replacements but there are other purposes not as laudable that some wish to pursue such as the creations of beings whose nature is uncertain. Positive developments can often be hijacked by those whose moral stances are questionable. The Pontiff, however, does not seek to negate progress entirely but desires that it be within proper parameters.
The Holy Father calls for new solutions in the development of scientific, political and social structures. Reviewing the present panorama of society's ills he calls for all "to prioritize the goal of access to steady employment for all." (32) The inequality of societal opportunity threatens the very foundation of human freedom. Economic and social policy, with charity as its foundation, must be always in pursuit of the common good. "The Church's social doctrine holds that authentically human social relationships of friendship, solidarity and reciprocity can also be conducted within economic activity, and not only outside it or 'after' it. The economic sphere is neither ethically neutral, nor inherently inhuman and opposed to society. It is part and parcel of human activity and precisely because it is human, it must be structured and governed in an ethical manner." (36) We read much today about numbers of people who receive tremendous bonuses even in the midst of financial loss for their companies. We also witness the numbers of people laid off from their jobs only to be hired back with no benefits and little security. Finally, we hear the loud debate over health care. Various proposals promise much while others cost much and still others control much. The Pope's work hopefully will help us understand our place in the world and how we might bring about a just society for all.
This week I will be taking some time to relax (though I have some obligations to fulfill) I hope you too might have the opportunity to re-energize the batteries.
Vivat Jesus
Fr. Brian