VINCENTIAN SPIRTUALITY • Marriage
foundations for social life, should be
Principle 1: Life and Dignity of the Human
Person
• At the heart of the Church is the
human person. This is what the
Compendium of the Social
Doctrine of the Church proclaims.
• The human person is created in the
Principle 3: Rights and Responsibility
“image and likeness of God” and
he or she needs to be respected
regardless of class, gender, race,
color, ethnicity, economic status,
age, religion or education.
• Human dignity is not only founded
on creation, but also on
redemption.
• The human person is so important to
God that God became human in
Jesus and was present through the
Holy Spirit.
• A just society thus can only become
a reality “ when it is based on the
respect of the transcendent dignity
Principle 4: Option for the Poor and
of the human person” (CSDC, 132).
Vulnerable
• After experiencing tremendous
violence during the Second World
War, all the member countries of
the United Nations promulgated
the Universal Declaration of Human
Rights in 1948 (CSDC, 152).
• The world realized that economic
development has no meaning
when the rights of human beings
are trampled upon and neglected.
Principle 2: Call to Family, Community, and
Participation
• The human person is not only
sacred, but social.
• How we organize our society
socially, economically, legally and
politically directly affects human
dignity and the ability of every of
every person to grow in community.
and family, the
strengthened and supported.
• Every person has a right to
participate in society and a
corresponding duty to work for
advancement of the common
good and the well-being for all.
• The Catholic tradition teaches that
human dignity can be protected
and a healthy community can be
achieved only if human rights are
protected and responsibilities are
met. Therefore, every person has a
fundamental right to life and a right
to those things required for human
decency.
• Corresponding to these rights are
duties and responsibilities--to one
another, to our families, and to the
larger society.
• Preferential option for the poor and
vulnerable includes all who are
marginalized in society, including
unborn children, persons with
disabilities, the elderly and
terminally ill, and victims of injustice
and oppression.
• The "preferential option for the
poor" refers to a trend throughout
the Bible, of preference being given
to the well-being of the poor and
powerless of society in the
teachings and commands of God
as well as the prophets and other
righteous people.
• A basic moral test is how our most
vulnerable members are faring. In a
society marred by deepening
divisions between rich and poor,
our tradition recalls the story of the
 Last Judgment (Mt 25:31-46) and Principle 7: Care for our common home
instructs us to put the needs of the
• Respect for human life means
poor and vulnerable first.
respecting all of God’s creation. We
Principle 5: Dignity of Work and Rights of must re-engage with our
Workers environment and take responsibility
for it; live sustainably, live so that
• The economy must serve people,
there are enough resources for
not the other way around.
everyone.
• Work is more than a way to make a
• The relationship between human
living; it is a form of continuing
activity and global warming must
participation in God’s creations.
be constantly monitored for “the
• To uphold the dignity of work, the
climate is a good that must be
basic rights of workers must be
protected”. - Vatican’s
respected - the right to productive
Compendium of the Social
work, to fair and livable wages, and
Doctrine of the Church, para 470
to organize and join a union, to
• “Creation is not a property, which
private property, and to economic
we can rule over at will; or, even less,
initiative.
is the property of only a few:
Principle 6: Solidarity Creation is a gift, it is a wonderful
gift that God has given us, so that
• The Catholic social teaching we care for it and we use it for the
principle of solidarity is about benefit of all, always with great
recognizing others as our brothers respect and gratitude.” - Pope
and sisters and actively working for Francis
their good. • We show our respect for the Creator
• In our connected humanity, we are by our stewardship of creation.
invited to build relationships - to • Care for the earth is not just an Earth
understand what life is like for others Day slogan, it is a requirement of
who are different from us. our faith. We are called to protect
• We are one human family whatever people and the planet, living our
our national, racial, ethnic, faith in relationship with all of Gods
economic, and ideological creation.
differences. • This environmental challenge has
• We are our brothers and sisters fundamental moral and ethical
keepers, wherever they may be. dimensions that cannot be ignored.
Loving our neighbor has global
dimensions in a shrinking world.
• At the core of the virtue of solidarity
is the pursuit of justice and peace.
• Pope Paul VI taught that if you want
peace, work for justice. The Gospel
calls us to be peacemakers.
• Our love for all our sisters and
brothers demands that we promote
peace in a world surrounded by
violence and conflict.