Social Teaching

The Kingdom of God becomes present above all in the celebration of the Sacrament of the Eucharist, which is the Lord's Sacrifice…All of us who take part in the Eucharist are called to discover, through this Sacrament, the profound meaning of our actions in the world in favour of development and peace; and to receive from it the strength to commit ourselves ever more generously, following the example of Christ, who in this Sacrament lays down his life for his friends (cf. Jn 15:13). Our personal commitment, like Christ's and in union with his, will not be in vain but certainly fruitful.

The Catholic social mission is also carried forward by believers who join unions, neighbourhood organisations, business groups, civic associations, the pro-life movement, groups working for justice, or environmental, civil rights or peace groups. It is advanced by Christians who stand up for the values of the Gospel. This mission is the task of countless Christians living their faith without much fanfare or recognition, who are quietly building a better society by their choices and actions day by day. They protect human life, defend those who are poor, seek the common good, work for peace, and promote human dignity.

“…it is only after the coming of the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost that the apostles depart to all the ends of the earth in order to begin the great work of the Church’s evangelisation. … The Spirit who causes Peter, Paul and the twelve to speak, and who inspires the words that they are to utter, also comes down ‘on those who heard the word’.”

‘When we attend to the needs of those in want, we give them what is theirs, not ours. More than performing works of mercy, we are paying a debt of justice’. The Council Fathers strongly recommended that this duty be fulfilled correctly, remembering that ‘what is already due in justice is not to be offered as a gift of charity’

“…The Holy Spirit is the soul of the Church. It is he who explains to the faithful the deep meaning of the teaching of Jesus and of his mystery. It is the Holy Spirit who, today just as at the beginning of the Church, acts in every evangeliser who allows himself to be possessed and led by him. The Holy Spirit places on his lips the words which he could not find by himself, and at the same time the Holy Spirit predisposes the soul of the hearer to be open and receptive to the good news and to the kingdom being proclaimed.”

“…nation must meet nation, as brothers and sisters, as children of God. In this mutual understanding and friendship, in this sacred communion, we must also begin to work together to build the common future of the human race. We also urge men [and women] to explore concrete and practicable ways of organising and co-ordinating their efforts, so that available resources might be shared with others in this way genuine bonds between nations might be forged.”

“Yet another sign of love will be the effort to transmit to Christians,…certainties that are solid because they are anchored in the word of God. The faithful need these certainties for their Christian life; they have a right to them, as children of God who abandon themselves entirely into his arms and to the exigencies of love.”