Introduction

"How, then, shall we live?"

The Church's social doctrine offers us a way to live our life. "Its aim is simply to help purify reason and to contribute, here and now, to the acknowledgment and attainment of what is just." (DCE, 28)

Catholic Social Teaching (CST) contains a set of

• 'Principles for reflection' to form our conscience,
• 'Criteria for judgment' to evaluate the framework of society,
• 'Directives for action'

"On the one hand it is constant, for it remains identical in its fundamental inspiration, in its "principles of reflection," in its "criteria of judgment," in its basic "directives for action," and above all in its vital link with the Gospel of the Lord" (SRS, 3). Pope Saint John Paul II emphasized placing the insight brought upon by Catholic Social Teaching into the course and setting of our daily lives.

In the encyclical, Centesimus Annus, he wrote that Catholic Social Thought "must not be considered a theory, but above all else a basis and a motivation for action" (CA, 57). 120 years of thought and reflection of applying the word of God to people's lives and the life of society,

Teachings addresses such questions as:

• What form of government and economic system is best for promoting human freedom
• Why must faith be part of the public square
• What are the pathologies destroying our culture and how do we fix them
• How should we address the issues of developing countries
• What are the dangers of a “welfare state”... among many other vexing issues facing us.

Catholic Social Teaching proposes a three-part proposition of free culture, free markets, and free politics that create a free society

Catholic Social Teaching and You

Whatever your career is being it Business, the Professions, or Academia; the principles of Catholic Social Teaching are to be applied to form your conscience for acting in the public square, to bring about a more just society. To do this is to engage, interact and affect those institutions in a positive way, is to act in charity. There are structures that need to be built, and there are structures of society that need to be destroyed. As Pope Saint John Paul II said, "To destroy such structures and replace them with more authentic forms of living in community is a task which demands courage and patience." (CA, 38)

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