“… this is the age in which each one of us is required to make his own contribution to the universal common good. Daily is borne in on us the need to make the reality of social life conform better to the requirements of justice” (Pope John XIII, 1963, p. 155).
A very important and prominent social teaching in Catholicism is the call to serve the poor and vulnerable. This can mean many different things to many different Catholics, from helping the poor to fighting for fair immigration reforms. No matter what it means individually, the call to serve is an important virtue, and can be demonstrated on many different platforms – from a personal sermon to a worldwide call on television.
The call to serve those in need is emphasized quite often throughout the history of the religion, but it begs the question: what is “Catholic” about serving others, and why is it so important in the faith? Degeneffe (2003) identified links between the servants of Catholicism, disadvantaged peoples, and demonstrating faith: “in helping poor people and other disadvantaged people, Catholics follow the example of Jesus Christ, ‘the model social worker of all time’” (p 376). One can see throughout the Bible examples of Jesus performing miracles, teaching others, and removing disabilities. The Catholic faith takes this example, providing help to those in need, and following in the example of Jesus Christ. Says Degeneffe, “This motivation to help others was a central force for performing initial works of social welfare in the Catholic Church” (p 376). Today, the Catholic Church is the largest private provider of social welfare services, and touches on almost all aspects of social welfare service: “including social support, counseling/mental health, education, family support, health-related programs, socialization, neighborhood support, refugee resettlement, immigration programs, pregnancy programs, residential care, permanent housing, and adoption” (p 375).
While the Catholic faith is very proactive when it comes to social work in society, the media following of said social work is equally important. This can be seen both in mass media (the Pope’s call to service in a widely disseminated encyclical, as can be seen above), and foundations that circulate other types of media about Catholic charity work: “Cipta Loka Caraka is a non-profit foundation, which, headed by Jesuit priest Adolf Heuken, writes, translates, publishes and distributes brochures and books, which contain information for the Catholic community about the Church and her doctrine, materials for faith education and for the lay apostolate” (Aritonang & Steenbrink, 2008, p 967). In other words, the call to serve those in need can be circulated in mass media, as seen in speeches by the Pope found on the Internet or the television; however, the call to serve can also utilize media to populate nonprofits and circulate information about them, as well.
The social teaching of service to those in need is an important teaching in the Catholic church, and much influence is placed on the assistance to others. Through examples in the Bible, the Catholic church is able to demonstrate this teaching, and spread the message of service through media outlets, as well.
Aritonang, J. S., & Steenbrink, K. (2008). Christian Media. In A History of Christianity in Indonesia (pp. 951-974). Leiden: Brill.
Degeneffe, C. E. (2003). What Is Catholic about Catholic Charities? Social Work, 48(3), 374- 383. doi:10.1093/sw/48.3.374
Pope John XIII. (1963, April 11). Pacem in Terris [Encyclical Letter]. St. Peter's, Rome.
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