The Catholic Concept of

Social Justice

J. Brian Benestad '63

d'Alzon Visiting Professor of Theology

I happened to be present for the homecoming of Assumption's Ann McCarron, the director of Recreational Sports. She had just biked across America from San Diego to Worcester in order to focus people's attention on the problem of child sexual abuse and its prevention. Everyone recognized Ann's bike ride as a good thing and even a remarkable feat. I suspect, however, that few would see it and many other similar deeds as acts of social justice.

The term "social justice" is frequently heard in public discourse and in ordinary conversations. As we all have noticed, it can have various meanings or even be ambiguous. Two common meanings of the term are "a more equitable distribution of wealth through government intervention" and "a reconstruction of the social order through the reform of institutions." The second meaning, of course, is not without ambiguity. Still other meanings may include progressive opinions on political and social issues, volunteer work, say, in a soup kitchen, making a donation for the relief of hurricane victims, or recognition of a wide variety of rights, especially for the disadvantaged. While these descriptions of social justice are helpful, they do not reveal the heart of the concept. Without more clarity, some good actions will not be recognized as acts of social justice, and the preconditions for its practice will not be recognized; namely, the laborious effort to acquire knowledge of the common good and the equally laborious effort to prepare one's soul for action through the cultivation of the virtues. Some works of justice require very sophisticated knowledge and very great efforts to control pride, anger, and fear as well as love of pleasure, money, honor, and power.

Otherwise stated, my research has convinced me that the Catholic appeal to social justice in the twentieth century means exactly what Thomas Aquinas meant by legal justice. He said it is the virtue which "directs the acts of all the virtues to the common good." This means social justice is a virtue inclining persons to work for the common good of the single individual and groups of individuals such as the family, the professions, voluntary associations, schools, neighborhoods, the political community on the local, national or international level, etc.

In this understanding of social justice "the duty of making oneself a neighbor to others and actively serving them becomes even more urgent, the more needy people are, in whatever area this may be." (Catechism of the Catholic Church, #1932) This Catholic perspective opens up vistas of service for individuals of widely differing talents, but implicitly suggests that various levels of knowledge and suitable dispositions are required for effective service. Consider all that would be necessary to make sure that more college students graduate with the ability to read well, to write correctly, and to ponder questions pertaining to the best way to live and the meaning of the common good. Or try to imagine the knowledge and good will required of governmental officials in Nicaragua and Honduras to rebuild their countries after Hurricane Mitch.