Lk 11, 33-36 + CSDC and CV

Luke 11, 33-36 + CSDC and CV 

CV 40c.  Paul VI invited people to give serious attention to the damage that can be caused to one's home country by the transfer abroad of capital purely for personal advantage [95]. John Paul II taught that investment always has moral, as well as economic significance [96]. All this — it should be stressed — is still valid today, despite the fact that the capital market has been significantly liberalized, and modern technological thinking can suggest that investment is merely a technical act, not a human and ethical one. There is no reason to deny that a certain amount of capital can do good, if invested abroad rather than at home. Yet the requirements of justice must be safeguarded, with due consideration for the way in which the capital was generated and the harm to individuals that will result if it is not used where it was produced [97].

Notes: [95] Cf. ibid., 24: loc. cit., 269. [96] Cf. Encyclical Letter Centesimus Annus, 36: loc. cit., 838-840. [97] Cf. Paul VI, Encyclical Letter Populorum Progressio, 24: loc. cit., 269.

Solidarity highlights in a particular way the intrinsic social nature of the human person 

CSDC 192a. Solidarity highlights in a particular way the intrinsic social nature of the human person, the equality of all in dignity and rights and the common path of individuals and peoples towards an ever more committed unity. Never before has there been such a widespread awareness of the bond of interdependence between individuals and peoples, which is found at every level[413]. The very rapid expansion in ways and means of communication “in real time”, such as those offered by information technology, the extraordinary advances in computer technology, the increased volume of commerce and information exchange all bear witness to the fact that, for the first time since the beginning of human history, it is now possible — at least technically — to establish relationships between people who are separated by great distances and are unknown to each other.

Notes:  [413] There can be associated to the concept of interdependence the classical theme of socialization, repeatedly examined by the Church's social doctrine; cf. John XXIII, Encyclical Letter Mater et Magistra: AAS 53 (1961), 415-417; Second Vatican Ecumenical Council, Pastoral Constitution Gaudium et Spes, 42: AAS 58 (1966), 1060-1061; John Paul II, Encyclical Letter Laborem Exercens, 14-15: AAS 73 (1981), 612-618.

(Lk 11, 33-36) Take care that the light in you not become darkness

33 "No one who lights a lamp hides it away or places it (under a bushel basket), but on a lampstand so that those who enter might see the light. 34 The lamp of the body is your eye. When your eye is sound, then your whole body is filled with light, but when it is bad, then your body is in darkness. 35 Take care, then, that the light in you not become darkness. 36 If your whole body is full of light, and no part of it is in darkness, then it will be as full of light as a lamp illuminating you with its brightness."

CSDC 551. The presence of the laity in social life is characterized by service, the sign and expression of love, which is seen in the areas of the family, culture, work, economics and politics according to specific aspects. Complying with the different demands of their particular area of work, lay men and women express the truth of their faith and, at the same time, the truth of the Church's social doctrine, which fully becomes a reality when it is lived concretely in order to resolve social problems. In fact, the credibility of this social doctrine comes more immediately from the witness of action than from its internal consistency or logic[1153]. Having entered into The Third Millennium of the Christian era, the lay faithful will open themselves, through their witness, to all people with whom they will take on the burden of the most pressing calls of our time. “Drawn from the treasures of the teaching of the Church, the proposals of this Council are intended for all men, whether they believe in God or whether they do not explicitly acknowledge him; they are intended to help them to a keener awareness of their own destiny, to make the work conform better to the surpassing dignity of man, to strive for a more deeply rooted sense of universal brotherhood and to meet the pressing appeals of our times with a generous and common effort of love”[1154].

Notes: [1153] Cf. John XXIII, Encyclical Letter Mater et Magistra: AAS 53 (1961), 454; John Paul II, Encyclical Letter Centesimus Annus, 57: AAS 83 (1991), 862-863. [1154] Second Vatican Ecumenical Council, Pastoral Constitution Gaudium et Spes, 91: AAS 58 (1966), 1113. 

[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)]