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| Larry Boudreau is director of the Maryknoll Mission Education Center in San Antonio.
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By Larry Boudreau
For Today’s Catholic
The words of “Economic Justice for All,” a document written by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops in 1986, have profound meaning for us today as we suffer one of the worst economic debacles in our nation’s and the world’s history.
Today’s economic crisis not only negatively impacts the great majority of people in these United States, especially among the poorest of our sisters and brothers, but is even more devastating to the poorer nations of the world whose limited resources are minimal in the best of times. This economic disaster is not simply an issue for remote economists, financiers and elected representatives, it is an issue for each and every one of us who claim to be members of the mystical Body of Jesus Christ. It is our issue, whether we were directly affected or not, because unchecked avarice and greed have harmed in one way or another, not only each of us, but also the little ones of whom Jesus spoke, especially little ones in nations like our neighbor, Mexico.
Our nation is a democracy which means that we are all responsible for our fellow citizens and their well being.
The advice of our bishops in this document addresses today’s economic crisis directly.
“Followers of Christ must avoid a tragic separation between faith and everyday life. They can neither shirk their earthly duties (Vatican Council II) nor immerse themselves in earthly activities as if these latter were utterly foreign to religion, and religion were nothing more than the fulfillment of acts of worship and the observance of a few moral obligations.” (#5)
The current economic crisis of 2009 is the time for us to remember the obligations in our daily life in relation to economic priorities. This is the time for us to accept at least a part of the blame for the suffering that the entire world is now enduring and commit ourselves to insist that our leaders promote greater integrity in our economic affairs.
“As Catholics, we are heirs of a long tradition of thought and action on the moral dimensions of economic activity.” (#8)
The bishops offer six principles to guide us in our daily life:
1. Every economic decision and institution must be judged in light of whether it protects or undermines the dignity of human persons. (#13)
2. Human dignity can be realized and protected only in community. (#14)
3. All people have the right to participate in the economic life of society. (#15)
4. All members of society have a special obligation to the poor and the vulnerable. (#16)
5. Human rights are the minimum conditions for life in community. (17)
6. Society as a whole, acting through public and private institutions, has the moral responsibility to enhance human dignity and protect human rights. (#18)
Our bishops have left us food for thought on economics that we should look at carefully in this time of troubled economic priorities.
Larry Boudreau is director of the Maryknoll Mission Education Center in San Antonio.