From the bulletin of December 6, 2020
Last week, we saw that it was wrong to assume that different “classes” of society are naturally hostile to each other. Pope Leo XIII instead suggested that each member of society learnt o recognize their shared interest in the common good of society and that each remember the duties they owe to the rest. In this regard, the Church can serve as an intermediary by reminding each of their role in contributing to the good of all.
Taking up the typical distinction of worker and owner, the pope explains that workers have the following responsibilities: to do well the work that is agreed upon, to avoid damaging the property or insulting their employer, to avoid violence and riots, and to avoid being taken in by false and utopian promises from ideologues. For the employer and property-owner, the document lists these responsibilities: to respect the dignity of their workers and not treat them as slaves or servants, to acknowledge that being a laborer is respectable, to ensure adequate time is given for the worship of God and for rest, to avoid exposing employees to perverse or inappropriate situations, to avoid pushing employees beyond healthy limits, and to pay them a just wage. Here, Pope Leo is careful to explain that using desperation to force employees into agreeing to insufficient wages is a great evil. He clearly condemns those who use their power and influence to force unfair contracts on the people they employ.
After laying out these basic principles, the pope then spends some time reflecting on the meaning and value of money. Once again, he brings up the principle of the Universal Destination of Goods, which you may remember is the Church’s teaching that God intends all material things to benefit all people. In practice, this means that the wealthy should see their wealth not just as their own private stash, but as God-given resources entrusted to them for the betterment of themselves, their family, and their community. On top of that, as Christians, we must not forget that this life is temporary and that our eternal life is what truly matters. This means that wealth is, in the end, not all that important. This reflection includes an exhortation to avoid greed and to remember the commands of Christ to give alms and to be generous. He also includes the very practical reminder that money does not buy happiness, nor can it buy eternal life. Only virtue – good habits and acts of love – has any eternal reward. To those who have little to no material wealth, he points out that God himself chose to be poor and work with his hands to make a living for most of his time on earth.
Pope Leo spends the next several paragraphs laying out the ways in which Christian belief has improved society and ought to continue to improve it. He exhorts Christians to bear witness to the particular form of detachment and generosity which is spiritually beneficial to both employer and employee. He takes note of the changes in society and the ever-present threat of greed and urges Christians to once again imbue business and society with Christian principles because they are the best hope going forward. In saying this, he rejects the false claim that “the solicitude of the Church is so preoccupied with the spiritual concerns of her children as to neglect their temporal and earthly interests.” The Church’s “desire is that the poor, for example, should rise above poverty and wretchedness, and better their condition in life.” As evidence of the this, the pope points to bible where the Apostles created deacons specifically to serve the poor. Following that, the Church’s history is full of efforts to serve the poor, feed the hungry, and advocate for justice. Nonetheless, the Church is not the only one involved in these endeavors. The government too has a role to play and next week we’ll take a look at what Pope Leo XIII has to say about that.
– In Christ,
Fr. Albert