In the Light of Justice Catholic Social Teaching for a New Era Season One
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NIHIL OBSTAT
Monsignor C. Anthony Ziccardi, S.T.D., S.S.l.
IMPRIMATUR
Cardinal Joseph W. Tobin, C.Ss.R. Archbishop of Newark
Cover design by Kathrine Kuo Interior design by Linda L. Eberly
ISBN: 978-1-62063-225-3
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Printed and bound in 2025 in the United States of America
Foreword
Week 1
The Common Good: A Gospel Vision for Society
Opening Prayer
Leader: God of justice and peace, you created us not for isolation but for community. You call us to build a world where all may flourish— a world where each life is honored and no one is forgotten. Open our hearts to your Spirit that we might see beyond ourselves and be moved to act with compassion and courage.
All: Amen.
Scripture
Micah 6:8
He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.
Reflection: The Common Good in a Fractured World
The phrase “common good” can feel abstract, but at its heart it means this: We belong to one another. Catholic Social Teaching tells us that human dignity is not a private possession. It is a shared promise. In an era of polarization, inequality, and digital noise, the idea that we are called to seek the good of all, not just some, feels both radical and essential.
Pope Leo XIII, writing in 1891, named the exploitation of workers and the rise of greed as signs that society had lost its moral anchor. Over a century later, Pope Leo XIV echoes his namesake, speaking to a new social question: How do we uphold justice and dignity amid artificial intelligence, climate crisis, and shifting labor landscapes?
The common good asks us to think big and act locally. It’s about making decisions, policies, and communities that put people first. That care for the earth. That center the poor. That measure success not in wealth, but in well-being. The Gospel calls us to this wide, wild kind of love and calls us to become builders of a better world.
In the Light of Justice Social Teaching for a New Era
Quotes for Reflection
Second Vatican Council, Gaudium et Spes, §1: “The joys and the hopes, the griefs and the anxieties of the people of this age… are the joys and hopes, the griefs and anxieties of the followers of Christ.”
Bishop Robert Prevost, Vatican Media Interview, May 2023: “We are often worried about teaching doctrine, but we risk forgetting that our first duty is to communicate the beauty and joy of knowing Jesus.”
Faith-Sharing Questions
1. What does “the common good” mean to you personally?
2. Where in your life—your workplace, neighborhood, or parish—have you seen the common good upheld? Where has it been neglected?
3. What would it look like for you to “do justice, love mercy, and walk humbly” this week?
Invitation
to Action
• Personal: Write down one choice you can make this week that prioritizes the good of others—whether it’s how you spend money, speak to someone, or use your time.
• Communal: Learn one fact about a local justice issue such as housing, wages, or tech equity, and share it with someone.
Closing Prayer
All: God of all people, you created us for communion— not competition, not control. Teach us to desire not only what is good for ourselves but what is good for our neighbors, our world, our future. Let us be builders of justice, seekers of mercy, and companions in hope. Amen.
If you have witnessed the Gospel come alive in word or in deed in your RENEW small Christian community, please share the good news with us at RENEW, goodnews@renewintl.org.
