Though some people are born on an island, no person is an island. Every human being on earth contributes in some way or another to the shape of their surroundings and at the same time finds them self shaped by those same surroundings. In Fr. Michael Ryan’s book The Social Attitudes of a Catholic, he addresses in chapter 10 an issue of great social consequence, namely, ‘the making and spending of money’. This issue will be the focus of this paper, and Pope Leo XIII’s encyclical Rerum Novarum will be the weight room in which I will work out a social analysis based on the principles outlined by Fr. Michael on the topic of making and spending money.
Some people claim that money is the root of all kinds of evil, while others claim that money can buy you happiness and still for others money may not buy you happiness but it will certainly help. In chapter ten of The Social Attitudes of a Catholic, Fr. Ryan points out four very important principles to be kept in mind when considering the whole issue of making and spending money from a Christian perspective. He also points out a few examples in which there are injustices in this area of society. These four principles as are laid out in the chapter are the following: “Involvement, Stewards, Detachment and Witnesses.” (Ryan, p.36) The first principle maintains that the portion of the pie that any person needs is in proportion to their vocation in life. The second principle upholds the call of the Christian to cultivate and develop the goods entrusted to them with the ever-present consciousness of their indebtedness to God for being entrusted with such goods. It also reminds Christians that what is theirs is to be returned with interest to God in an analogous way to the parable of the talents in the Gospel. The third principle entails detachment. Fr. Ryan states that this is very important because of “the seductive nature of money.” (Ryan, p.36) So as not to be seduced by money, Fr. Ryan argues, “If we are to remain free in the handling of our goods, we must practice generosity.” (Ryan, p.36) The final principle involves being a ‘witness’. Fr. Ryan sees the making and spending of money to be an issue having social and moral consequences. As a result of these consequences, Christians are reminded that choices of theirs that bear upon this topic must be “imbued by Gospel values.” (Ryan, p.36)
Having now stated and briefly described these four principles put forth by Fr. Ryan, let us see how the “spending of money in the purchase of a product is a human action which has moral consequences.” (Ryan, p. 36) To aid us in this we shall now turn to the applicable texts of Rerum Novarum. In Pope Leo’s encyclical, there are numerous texts that address the issue of money, the economy and the moral consequences of actions relating to this topic.
In Rerum Novarum, Pope Leo states that there are “some who must dedicate themselves to the work of the commonwealth, who make the laws, who administer justice, whose advice and authority govern the nation in times of peace, and defend it in war. Such men clearly occupy the foremost place in the State, and should be held in the foremost estimation, for their work touches most nearly and effectively the general interests of the community.” (RN. #27.p.27) Any society that seeks to succeed must have proper leadership and its leaders must be imbued with values that recognize the nature of humanity, its strengths and weaknesses; especially in the area of the economy, where the making and spending of money can have either dire consequences or life-enhancing consequences for the economy of the state and the human person on an individual basis. In this article of his encyclical, Pope Leo is highlighting the importance of those vocations, which seek to achieve the common good on the level of making and administering the law.
I maintain that Christians must fill these vocations if in fact the Christian attitude toward money is to become enshrined in law and practice in such a way as to help alleviate many of the struggles present in society regarding money. “Since it is the end of society to make men better, the chief good that society can be possessed of is virtue. In all well-constituted States it is by no means an unimportant matter to provide those bodily and external commodities, ‘the use of which is necessary to virtuous action.” (RN. #27.p.27) For the Christian, the attainment of this virtuous action depends greatly upon what Leo refers to as “those bodily and external commodities, the use of which is ‘necessary’ to virtuous action.” (RN. #27.p27) For the human person these ‘bodily and external commodities’ do not come free of charge or without some form of hard work. This is why there is a Christian attitude toward money so that since the human person must draw upon his or her surroundings to assist in virtuous living then there must be some principles to safe guard these surroundings for all people.
In addressing the historical situation of his own time especially pertaining to the condition of labor among the working class, Pope Leo addresses the various errors of this condition with those same four principles outlined by Fr. Ryan, even though he would not have used such explicit terms. There are ample articles in his encyclical where the reader will recognize Fr. Ryan’s principles at work.
Let us first take a look how Leo uses the principle of ‘involvement’ in addressing the ‘condition of labor.’ This principle is most clearly seen in his treatment on the just wage. For Leo: “To labor is to exert one’s self for the sake of procuring what is necessary for the purposes of life, and most of all for self-preservation.” (RN. #34.p.31) These purposes of life lead toward the call to live the virtuous life, which is the aim of society. Leo targets those injustices within society that were robbing man of the fruit of his labor and as a consequence holding him back from the virtuous life. Leo put forth the teaching that: “Man’s labor has two notes or characters. First of all, it is personal; for the exertion of individual power belongs to the individual who puts it forth, employing this power for that personal profit for which is was given. Secondly, a man’s labor is necessary; for without the results of labor a man cannot live; and self-conservation is a law of nature, which it is wrong to disobey.” (RN. #34.p.31) Where the injustice comes about in this situation is seen in the denial by some of the ‘necessity’ of man’s labor. Some employers in Leo’s time began to treat their employees unreasonable by offering them a wage that was not just. Without this just wage, Leo held that man’s labor was robbed of its fundamental end, which was to assist him on the path to the righteous life. “Now, if we were to consider labor merely so far as it is personal, doubtless it would be within the workman’s right to accept any rate of wages whatever; for in the same way as he is free to work or not, so he is free to accept a small remuneration or even none at all. But this is a mere abstract supposition; the labor of the workingman is not only his personal attribute, but it is necessary; and this makes the difference. The preservation of life is the bounden duty of each and all, and to fail therein is a crime. It follows that each one has a right to procure what is required in order to live; and the poor can procure it in no other way than by work and wages.” (RN. #34.p.31) The injustice of not receiving a just wage as can be seen in this statement by Leo is that it robs man of that which is necessary for his proper end. If man is to utilize his surroundings in such a way that they contribute to his necessary end then by necessity he must receive a wage that will enable him to do so. The Christian principle of ‘involvement’ necessitates a just wage if society is truly going to reach its goal, which is the betterment of man.
This principle does not, however, stop with the employer and the just wage. It also extends to those people who have already achieved an income that far surpasses their particular needs. They are called upon by the Christian principle of Stewardship to recognize the blessings that they have received from God and their incumbent responsibility to share what is above and beyond their need so that others may have that necessary help that leads to virtue. Pope Leo reminds the people of his day that “A most strict account must be given to the Supreme Judge for all that we possess and that an abundance of earthly riches are no guarantee of that beatitude that shall never end.” (RN. #18.p.22) As in Leo’s day, so also in our own day there are many who would claim that they have a right to possess their own money. To this Leo would agree but he is judicious in reminding them, “there exists a principle that it is one thing to have a right to the possession of money, and another to have a right to use money as one pleases.” (RN. #19.p.22) Leo also makes reference to St. Thomas Aquinas on this issue who says: “Man should not consider his outward possessions as his own, but as common to all, so as to share them without difficulty when others are in need.” (RN. #19.p.22)
Since money is a necessary component of man’s labor it must be safeguarded from all manner of evil. The Christian approaches the world from the mindset that every man has been wounded by original sin and one of the consequences of this wound is the inclination to give in to greed. This greed recognizes money as being essential to man’s labor to the point that it begins to horde it to one’s self. The principle of ‘detachment’ listed by Fr. Ryan acknowledges the “seductive nature of money,” and encourages that “we must practice generosity if we are to remain free in the handling of our goods.” (Ryan, p.36) In the condition of his time Pope Leo also calls for this spirit of detachment. In article 19 of Rerum Novarum Leo states “that when necessity has been supplied, and one’s position fairly considered, it is a duty to give to the indigent out of that which is left over. ‘That which remaineth give alms.’ It is a duty, not of justice (except in extreme cases), but of Christian charity-a duty, which is not enforced by human law. But the laws and judgment of men must give place to the laws and judgment of Christ, the true God; who in many ways urges on his followers the practice of almsgiving-‘It is more blessed to give than to receive’; and who will count a kindness done or refused to the poor as done or refused to himself-As long as you did it to one of my least brethren, you did it to me.” In addition to this he says that all blessings received from God whether they be money, possessions or even human talents are to be acknowledged as such and used for the common good. All blessings are given to man for the perfecting of his life and for the common good. (RN. #19.p.23)
In addressing man’s need to be charitable with what he has that is above and beyond his need, Leo is encouraging man to recognize the way in which God has called him to cooperate in assisting his fellow man in pursuing the righteous life. It is through his charity that man will quell the temptation to horde to himself the blessings that God has given him and thereby become a faithful steward of the good things of creation. This spirit of detachment was spoken to the people of Pope Leo’s day and it is still necessary today because of man’s wounded nature.
The final Christian principle mentioned by Fr. Ryan is that of ‘witness’. The way a Christian approaches money and the whole of the economic sphere is a witness to his or her belief. If a person observes a Christian being stingy with their money, or investing it in unjust regimes, which tend toward less than the common good, they may rightly find themselves confused by the Gospel message that they preach. Such people may find such a dichotomy a repellent to accepting the Gospel because of the poor moral witness of such a Christian. In one of the Vatican II documents there is a treatment of those causes that have given rise to the problem of atheism. Among these causes is mentioned the poor moral witness of believers. As a result of this there arises a greater tone of urgency in the call of the Gospel to live this present life with the next in constant focus. As disciples therefore, Christians are called to be and act in such a way that the whole batch of dough is leavened. The leaven of course has always been and always will be the values of the Gospel.
As the condition of the workers at the turn of the 19th century found itself on a slippery slope, Leo found himself calling for a greater witness to the values of the Gospel by the State, the employer and employee. Leo also assured the people of his time of the commitment of the Church in seeking to improve the current situation by sowing the values of the Gospel in the soil of society. He states in article 23 on page 25 that “the Church’s desire is for the poor, that their condition in life would be bettered. It strives for this. On account of this she call men to virtue and forms them to its practice, it promotes this in no slight degree.” For Leo the condition of the workers can only be improved by the values of the Gospel, which is authentically proclaimed by the Church. The Church sees the development of virtue within the human person as essential to a healthy environment and she herself is able to strengthen people in this pursuit.
Leo claims that “Christian morality, when adequately and completely practiced conduces of itself to temporal prosperity, for it merits the blessing of God who is the source of all blessings, it powerfully restrains the lust of possession and the lust of pleasure-twin plagues, which too often make a man without restraint miserable in the midst of abundance; it makes men supply by economy for the want of means, teaching them to be content with frugal living, and keeping them out of the reach of those vices which eat up not merely small incomes, but large fortunes, and dissipate many a goodly inheritance.” (RN. #23.p.25) In this article Leo points out the importance of Christian morality in safeguarding the good of society and the proper use of resources. It also shows the danger in turning away from Christian morality, which tends to give rise to the lust of possession and the lust of pleasure. Christian morality therefore enables men and women in every sector of life to be witnesses of virtuous living, living that society seeks to lead people toward. Without the guidance and witness of the Church and her Gospel values society cannot achieve its purpose.
It is particularly in the sector of the State that there needs to be a strong witness to the Gospel. Pope Leo emphasizes the importance of rulers as having the “foremost place in the state and should be held in foremost estimation for their work touches most nearly and effectively the general interests of the community.” (RN. #26.p.26) They hold the foremost place in the state because it is them who enact laws and principles within society that are able to offer man a better quality of life as individuals and society as a whole. It is also their great responsibility to see to that this is achieved. This is a task that cannot be done or achieved without the assistance of the four Christian principles explicitly outlined by Fr. Ryan and implicitly taught by Pope Leo in his great encyclical on the condition of the workers.
The Christian principles that have been looked at as they are worked out in Rerum Novarum are insightful in showing the deep connection between the economic sphere, the common good, and the call of the Gospel. These principles remind me of why it is so important to resist the temptation to separate faith and life. Our faith must imbue every aspect of human life. There is no area of life where the Gospel is not relevant. Having said this, however, I cannot understand why after one hundred years of social Christian teaching there seems to be so little understanding of it on the part of the laity and even among some priests. These social issues are a necessary component of the Church’s mission because they touch the core of who human beings are and what they are created for. The Church is called to offer man the liberation won for him by Jesus Christ on the cross at Calvary. This liberation has without a doubt a temporal aspect to it. Man’s response to the call of the Gospel is many times affected by his experience of the temporal realm. For example, a man, woman or child who is constantly confronted with the need to attain the basic necessities of life can all to easily become enamored with the hope of possessing the material world and therefore never move on to the higher realm of contemplation when there has been a taste of the comforts of the material world. Man must therefore help his brothers and sisters to attain every thing that is necessary in life to lead a virtuous life. This is what gives rise to the need for Christian principles in regulating how one makes and spend money. When a pebble is dropped in to a puddle it has a ripple effect throughout the whole of the puddle and so all our actions have a social/moral consequence to them. My actions affect those around me. I am not an island. These principles, therefore allow us to approach the issue of making and spending money in a way that respects this ripple effect.
Within the group discussions that occurred in class two of my group members had topics that were connected to mine. Their topics were: ‘third world debt: a moral issue’ and ‘our culture: friend or enemy’. To me these have a direct bearing upon one another. For example, if a particular culture is preoccupied with individualism such as ours tends to be in certain ways then this culture can be considered an enemy. When I say this I mean that if people are concentrated on themselves they will not be moved by the principle of ‘involvement’ to share with others what is necessary for their fellow person and therefore be poor stewards of the blessings entrusted to them. Once again, individualism may not take account of those who are affected by the consequences of their purchasing habits. Some people are inclined to buy products that are cheaper than other products regardless of knowing that the cheaper products are availed at the price of another person’s dignity. Even if there were a sense within some of these people as there definitely is regarding the dignity of those people affected by their purchases these same people on account of their desire to have more will continue to act in such a way that is unfavorable. I firmly believe that our culture has given rise to trends and philosophies within society that has given rise to money making as the goal of life. These same trends make it uneasy for those who would like to be more socially helpful in terms of the world they are giving rise to by virtue of the companies they support through their purchases. This individualism leads to some having everything and some having next to nothing if not debt itself. The third world debt is without a doubt in my mind a moral issue. Based upon the Christian principles of ‘involvement, stewardship, detachment and witness’, the culpability many times rests upon those so called ‘first world’ countries, which hold back the necessary support or continue international relationships that are governed by philosophies that seek to establish themselves even if that means belittling others in the process. An example of this could be seen in the desire of countless souls who sought the G8 nations to cancel world debt. These nations obviously could have done a lot more than what they actually did. The denial to do more on their part, and not just them alone but all those in the position to do something is causing the state of man in those ‘third world’ countries to continue in a perpetual state of debt with the possible danger of never realizing their true calling and higher good. According to Pope Leo’s way of thinking, the G8 nations have been entrusted with the many blessings that they have from God for the good not only of their own particular nations but also of those others who like dogs at the foot of the master’s table are reduced to seeking survival on scraps. Culture, the individual and collective choices behind making and spending money, and third world debt are all connected. If these are to be brought into a peaceful harmony then they must necessarily be imbued with the values of the Gospel as are outlined in the principles of The Social Attitudes of a Catholic.
Bibliography
O’Brien, David J., Thomas A. Shannon, Eds. Catholic Social Thought: The Documentary Heritage. Maryknoll, New York: Orbis Books Publishing, 1992.
Ryan, Michael T. The Social Attitudes of a Catholic. Parkhill, Ontario: Solidarity Books, 2005.
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