Contrary to what some might think, Catholic social teaching (CST) is not a modern concept. It is rooted in scripture, in the deliberations of the early Church, and in the subsequent writings of numerous theologians and philosophers. The popular understanding is that CST attained its status as a distinct discipline with the issuance of Pop Leo XIII’s encyclical ‘Rerum Novarum’ in 1891 and was further developed in the prolific documents of succeeding popes. But, any serious student of Church history knows that since that first Pentecost the moral responsibility in the ‘Gospel values’ included social responsibility. Christianity was never an ‘all about me’ religion. Think of St. Paul’s example for the Corinthians about all of us being part of one body. Or, consider the reference in the Acts of the Apostles to ‘believers holding all things in common’.
Depending on which list one reads, the CST principles vary in number, but all compilations contain at least these: the dignity of life, the common good, the dignity of labor, solidarity, subsidiarity, custody of the environment, and the preferential option for the poor. Some of these clearly manifest themselves in philanthropy practiced by the donors of the National Catholic Community Foundation.
A worthy exercise would be to explore how the philanthropy of NCCF donors mirrors CST. Inspired by a fundamental respect for human dignity, a respect borne of the awareness of the universally shared imago dei in all men and women – their philanthropy contributes to the formation of a just society by fostering the human dignity of others. It exemplifies solidarity, recognizing as it does that man is a social being and can realize self-expression and find self-fulfillment only in relationship with others whether these ‘others’ be next door or across the glove. (Here, in a mysterious way, their philanthropy resonates with the vibrant relationship within the Trinity). In addition, it is anchored in a fundamental awareness of the responsible custody and deployment of the assets and resources (financial, ecological and otherwise) under our stewardship.
Most, but not all, of our donors are Catholic, and most, but not all, of our recipients are Catholic in the traditional understanding of that designation. However, the motivation prompting their action clearly arises from the social teaching championed by the Church. The philanthropy that unites our grantors and grantees promotes and nourishes the imago dei of all parties, fostering in their lives, individually and communally, an ever more fulfilled existence. For them the CST principles come alive, and in gazing at the promise of their new solidarity, giver and receiver glimpse the transcendental.