Matthew 19, 20-26 + CSDC and CV

(CV 29c) God is the guarantor of man's true development, inasmuch as, having created him in his image, he also establishes the transcendent dignity of men and women and feeds their innate yearning to “be more”. Man is not a lost atom in a random universe [70]: he is God's creature, whom God chose to endow with an immortal soul and whom he has always loved. If man were merely the fruit of either chance or necessity, or if he had to lower his aspirations to the limited horizon of the world in which he lives, if all reality were merely history and culture, and man did not possess a nature destined to transcend itself in a supernatural life, then one could speak of growth, or evolution, but not development.

Notes: [70] Cf. Benedict XVI, Homily at Mass, Islinger Feld, Regensburg, 12 September 2006. 

The importance to give to the relationship between morality and law

 CSDC 93c. One of the characteristics of Pope Pius XII's interventions is the importance he gave to the relationship between morality and law. He insisted on the notion of natural law as the soul of the system to be established on both the national and the international levels. Another important aspect of Pope Pius XII's teaching was his attention to the professional and business classes, called to work together in a special way for the attainment of the common good. “Due to his sensitivity and intelligence in grasping the ‘signs of the times', Pope Pius XII can be considered the immediate precursor of Vatican Council II and of the social teaching of the Popes who followed him”[162].

Notes [162] Congregation for Catholic Education, Guidelines for the Study and Teaching of the Church's Social Doctrine in the Formation of Priests, 22, Vatican Polyglot Press, Rome 1988, p. 25.

(Mt 19, 20-26) Wealth exists to be shared  

[20] The young man said to him, "All of these I have observed. What do I still lack?" [21] Jesus said to him, "If you wish to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to (the) poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me." [22] When the young man heard this statement, he went away sad, for he had many possessions. [23] Then Jesus said to his disciples, "Amen, I say to you, it will be hard for one who is rich to enter the kingdom of heaven. [24] Again I say to you, it is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for one who is rich to enter the kingdom of God." [25] When the disciples heard this, they were greatly astonished and said, "Who then can be saved?" [26] Jesus looked at them and said, "For human beings this is impossible, but for God all things are possible."

CSDC 329. Riches fulfil their function of service to man when they are destined to produce benefits for others and for society.[685] “How could we ever do good to our neighbour,” asks St. Clement of Alexandria, “if none of us possessed anything?”.[686] In the perspective of St. John Chrysostom, riches belong to some people so that they can gain merit by sharing them with others.[687] Wealth is a good that comes from God and is to be used by its owner and made to circulate so that even the needy may enjoy it. Evil is seen in the immoderate attachment to riches and the desire to hoard. St. Basil the Great invites the wealthy to open the doors of their storehouses and he exhorts them: “A great torrent rushes, in thousands of channels, through the fertile land: thus, by a thousand different paths, make your riches reach the homes of the poor”.[688] Wealth, explains Saint Basil, is like water that issues forth from the fountain: the greater the frequency with which it is drawn, the purer it is, while it becomes foul if the fountain remains unused.[689] The rich man — Saint Gregory the Great will later say — is only an administrator of what he possesses; giving what is required to the needy is a task that is to be performed with humility because the goods do not belong to the one who distributes them. He who retains riches only for himself is not innocent; giving to those in need means paying a debt.[690] 

 Notes: [685] Cf. The Shepherd of Hermas, Liber Tertium, Allegory I: PG 2, 954. [686] Clement of Alexandria, Homily What Rich Man Will Be Saved?, 13: PG 9, 618. [687] Cf. Saint John Chrysostom, Homiliae XXI de Statuis ad Populum Antiochenum Habitae, 2, 6-8: PG 49, 41-46. [688] Saint Basil the Great, Homilia in Illud Lucae, Destruam Horrea Mea, 5: PG 31, 271. [689] Cf. Saint Basil the Great, Homilia in Illud Lucae, Destruam Horrea Mea, 5: PG 31, 271. [690] Cf. Saint Gregory the Great, Regula Pastoralis, 3, 21: PL 77, 87. Title of § 21: “Quomodo admonendi qui aliena non appetunt, sed sua retinent; et qui sua tribuentes, aliena tamen rapiunt”.

 

[Initials and Abbreviations.- CSDC: Pontifical Council for Justice And Peace, Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church; -  SDC: Social Doctrine of the Church; - CV: Benedict XVI, Caritas in Veritate (Charity in truth)]