The political common good is of interest to the church because it is an incomplete but real fulfillment of the eschatological unity to which we are all called. The comparison with the unity of Jesus and the Father calls attention not simply to outcomes but also to the character of relationships. \u201cGaudium et Spes\u201d states that humans \u201ccannot fully find themselves except through the sincere gift of themselves\u201d (24). Finally, \u201cGaudium et Spes\u201d challenges limited notions of the common good, expanding it beyond the local community or nation, making clear that we have rights and duties regarding the \u201cwhole human race.\u201d<\/p>\n
In its treatment of the role of the church in the contemporary world, \u201cGaudium et Spes\u201d considers and distinguishes economic and political aspects of society, which it discusses in separate chapters. As the theologian David Cloutier notes, each has its own associated good. The treatment of economics focuses on the universal destination of goods, and the discussion of the political order centers on the common good. Here we find the oft-excerpted definition: \u201cThe common good embraces the sum of those conditions of social life whereby men and women, families and associations may more adequately and readily attain their own perfection\u201d (74).<\/p>\n
Lifted from its context, there is always the danger of reading \u201cconditions\u201d here as if they are purely external situations in which we pursue individual flourishing. But the context in the document makes clear that the common good is the collective work of the community. Individuals, families and groups \u201care aware that they cannot achieve a truly human life by their own unaided efforts. They see the need for a wider community, within which each one makes his or her specific contribution every day toward an ever-broader realization of the common good\u201d (74). Awareness of this need drives the establishment of various forms of government or \u201cpolitical community\u201d that exist \u201cfor the sake of the common good.\u201d This expresses the ancient Catholic judgement that government is not a response to human sinfulness but an essential consequence of our social nature created by God.<\/p>\n
Thus, Catholicism views the common good as a particular kind of good that concerns the whole of society. It corresponds with a particular form of agency: collective and political action. The common good is distinct from the economy but related to it as both address different aspects of social life.<\/p>\n
Read it all<\/a>.<\/p>\n What does Catholic Social Teaching say about #economics<\/a> ? Check out this excellent primer via @americamag<\/a> .https:\/\/t.co\/S0ejvY6MUq<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 James Millikan, SJ (@MillikanJames) March 25, 2019<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n