Mater et Magistra Archives - Albert the Ordinary

Mater et Magistra IV

Posted on December 5, 2022December 5, 2022 by Father Albert

[N.B. This is not the Sunday Homily. It is an article for the bulletin of December 4, 2022] Continuing Pope St. John XXIII’s reflection on farming, we pick up with the subject of taxation. Yes, the Church teaches that governments do have the right to impose taxes in order to pay for services to the common good. She also teaches that taxation systems should be “based on justice and equity,” meaning that tax raters are “proportioned to the capacity of the people contributing.” The pope point out that this means the system should note the particular challenges facing farmers...Read More

Pastor Column: Mater et Magistra III

Posted on November 29, 2022November 28, 2022 by Father Albert

[N.B. This is not the Sunday Homily. It is an article from the bulletin of Nov 27, 2022] We left off last week with the Papal teaching on a Just Wage. This week, we follow that train of thought into the teaching on the relationship between wages and profits. We’ve already seen that laborers ought to share in the profits in some way since it is their labor that produces them. Pope St. John XXIII goes on to say that “any adjustment between wages and profits must take into account the demands of the common good of the particular...Read More

Pastor Column: Mater et Magistra II

Posted on November 28, 2022November 28, 2022 by Father Albert

[N.B. This is not the Sunday Homily. It is an article from the bulletin of Nov 20, 2022] We left off our journey through Pope John XXIII’s letter with an emphasis on balance between individuals and communities, between the principles of Subsidiarity and Solidarity. We pick up this week with the pope noting that science and technology have made is possible for the “public authority” to more directly react to imbalances between branched of the economy or between different regions. Since they have more ability, governments ought to be all the more responsible. Once again, the pope then immediately...Read More

Pastor Column: Mater et Magistra I

Posted on November 7, 2022November 7, 2022 by Father Albert

[N.B. This is not the Sunday homily. It is an article for the bulletin of November 6, 2022] Since his pontificate was short and much of his effort went toward beginning the Second Vatican Council, Pope St. John XXIII did not write very many encyclicals. We’ll begin with one of the more important ones, titled Mater et Magistra and written in 1961. It is Latin for “Mother and Teacher,” and it focuses on the role of the Church as mother and teacher of all nations. Like other popes, John XXIII released this document on the anniversary of a very...Read More

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Tag: Mater et Magistra