Justice For the Common Good – Br Edward Egan cfc, Liverpool.

I am indebted to an article by Joseph Kelly in the October issue of the National Justice and Peace Network e-bulletin for the following précis:

There are three main ways of addressing social injustice:

Maximising human welfare (economic utility)
Maximising human freedom (liberty and rights)
Maximising human virtue (human flourishing and the common good)

The first owes much to Marxist and social ideologies and systems. The second emphasises free enterprise and a free-market economy. The third is rooted in the Prophets and the Gospel – promoting growth in virtue, based on a flourishing of family, community and real encounter with people and place. The first two ways are ‘false idols’ which have failed in practice. Dialectical materialism has led to totalitarian government and oppression. ‘Laissez-faire’ ideology has led to unbridled capitalism favouring a rich minority. Only the third way favours an incarnational theology of right relationships, encourages unions for just conditions, and promotes justice and peace at local, national, and international levels. How can we promote social justice, which includes care for the Earth in our school curricula, parishes, and the Edmund Rice Network?

https://togetherforthecommongood.co.uk

The following extract from ‘Gaudium et Spes – one of the documents from Vatican II is about economics and Christ’s Kingdom:

No.72 Christians who take an active part on modern socio-economic development and defend justice and charity should be convinced that they can make a great contribution to the prosperity of mankind and the peace of the world. Whether they do so as individuals or as an association, let their example be a shing one. After acquiring whatever skills and experience are absolutely necessary, they should, in faithfulness to Christ and his Gospel, observe the right order of values in their earthly activities. Thus, their whole lives, both individual and social, will be permeated with the spirt of the beatitudes, notably with the spirit of poverty.

Whoever in obedience to Christ sees first the kingdom of God will, as a consequence, receive a stronger and purer love for helping all his brothers and for perfecting the work of justice under the inspiration of charity.