Catholic Social Teaching: Origin Story
The Church’s body of doctrine on social justice issues didn’t develop overnight in the 1800’s with Pope Leo XIII’s encyclical letter Rerum Novarum (On the New Things). The roots lay in Sacred Scripture, the soul of all theology. In the Old Testament, God continually commanded his people to care for the poor and needy. He did not do so in generic, mealy-mouthed statements, but through concrete policies that were meant to ensure everyone got their due (justice). Farmers were commanded not to reap to the very edges of their fields or glean their vineyards so the poor and foreigners could gather their sustenance (Lev. 19:9-10). All were to contribute a tenth of their property every three years to a fund that helped Levites, foreigners, orphans, and widows (Deut. 14:28-29). Israelites could not exact interest from their countrymen (Lev. 25:35-37) and were not to take advantage of marginalized groups or refuse to pay someone their daily wages (Ex. 22:22-24) or else God will avenge this injustice himself. “If ever you wrong them and they cry out to me, I will surely listen to their cry.”
The Lord Jesus furthered and deepened these teachings on justice for the poor by encouraging all to embrace selfless giving as the standard for Christian holiness. “Blessed are the poor, for theirs is the Kingdom of God” (Lk. 6:20). He announced that he came specifically to bring good news to the poor and freedom for those in prison, and commanded his disciples not to treat people differently because of their material circumstances. In his ministry as an itinerant preacher, he relied on the hospitality of others, and in his Passion and Death he embraced injustice completely by being stripped of his clothing, mistreated, and killed without a just cause. The community he founded in the Acts of the Apostles continued this legacy by sharing their possessions and distributing to anyone who was in need (Acts 2:44-45) and extolling the virtue of generosity and justice toward the downtrodden. More than words, deeds were required: “If someone who has worldly means sees a brother in need and refuses him compassion, how can the love of God remain in him? Children, let us love not in word or speech but in deed and truth” (1 Jn. 3:17-18).
What we can see in this biblical walkthrough is that God is consistently on the side of the marginalized and downtrodden. He defies the powerful and mighty by humbling them, and exalts the humbled instead (Mary’s song of praise, Lk. 1:46-55). In a chilling parable about the End Times, King Jesus says to the goats on his left: “Depart from me, you accursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink, a stranger and you gave me no welcome, naked and you gave me no clothing, ill and in prison, and you did not care for me” (Mt. 25:41-43). We’ll learn more about how these strong teachings apply to complex modern problems in upcoming bulletin columns!