Question: We are all aware (hopefully) of the suffering and poverty in the world. We also know that there are people, maybe people close to us, who are in need of some kind. We feel for them. The elderly family member residing in a nursing home who seldom has a visitor… the neighbor who has been out of work for more than a year… the victims of the latest earthquake or war-caused famine… the friend who just needs a friend to listen and be present… Each of us encounters these… and people in need due to other circumstances. We hurt for them… we feel sorry for them… we wish there were something we could do. But do we act?
More than a vague feeling, this theme (or principle) of Catholic Social Teaching calls us to do more than simply experience emotion; it calls us to do something to alleviate the suffering, to help see that the need is met.
What is the name of this key theme of Catholic Social Teaching?
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