Living Justice: Catholic Social Teaching in Action

by Thomas Massaro, SJ

Overview

This new Classroom Edition of the top-selling Living Justice retains the broad coverage of Catholic social teaching in the first edition with an expanded use of tables and figures to enhance the pedagogy in Fr. Massaro's clear, insightful book. New coverage focuses on the issues of the environment and globalization from a Catholic perspective. By drawing on scripture, tradition, world events, and living examples of heroism and holiness, Living Justice develops students' understanding of Catholic social teaching and provides inspiration for a committed life of service.

About the Author:
Thomas Massaro, S.J., is professor of moral theology and director of the S.T.L. Program at the School of Theology and Ministry at Boston College

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781442230934
Publisher:	Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc.
Publication date:	11/05/2015
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	228
File size:	2 MB
Age Range:	18 Years

About the Author

Thomas Massaro, SJ, is professor of moral theology at Fordham University. Previously he was dean of the Jesuit School of Theology of Santa Clara University, where he was also professor of moral theology. He is a regular contributor to America magazine and often leads parish and community workshops on social justice and Catholic social teaching. He is the author of several books, including Mercy in Action: The Social Teachings of Pope Francis (R&L, 2018), U.S. Welfare Policy: A Catholic Response and coeditor of American Catholic Social Teaching.

Table of Contents

Chapter One: Social Justice and the Mission of the Church
The Religious Motivation for Social Justice Efforts
Social Mission and Church Morale
Sharing “Our Best-Kept Secret”
From “Charity Alone” to a Justice Orientation
Looking Ahead
Questions for Reflection
Topics for Further Research

Chapter Two: Going Public with Your Faith
Bridging Two Distinct Worlds
Tertullian’s Question
The Perils of the Crusading Spirit
Religious Idealism: Its Contribution to Politics
Maintaining a Delicate Balance
Together on Pilgrimage
Questions for Reflection
Topics for Further Research

Chapter Three: Inheriting the Tradition of Catholic Social Teaching
The Documentary Heritage
A Look Back to the Nineteenth Century
Pioneers of Social Catholicism
The Writing of the Social Encyclicals
Questions for Reflection
Topics for Further Research

Chapter Four: The Sources and Methods of Catholic Social Teaching
The Four Sources of Christian Ethics
Universal Principles and Local Applications
Questions for Reflection
Topics for Further Research

Chapter Five: Nine Key Themes of Catholic Social Teaching

1. The Dignity of Every Person and Human Rights
2. Solidarity, Common Good, and Participation
3. Family Life
4. Subsidiarity and the Proper Role of Government
5. Property Ownership in Modern Society: Rights and Responsibilities
6. The Dignity of Work, Rights of Workers, and Support for Labor Unions
7. Colonialism and Economic Development
8. Peace and Disarmament
9. Option for the Poor and Vulnerable

Questions for Reflection
Topics for Further Research

Chapter Six: The Role of Catholic Social Teaching Today
A Blueprint? An Ideology? A “Third Way”?
The Catholic Critique of Communism
The Ongoing Catholic Critique of Capitalism
Benedict’s Encyclical Treating Global Markets and Business Ethics
Pope Francis and the Renewal of the Social Message of the Church
Applying Catholic Social Teaching in the Real World
Commitments to Social Justice: Heroic and Ordinary
Questions for Reflection
Topics for Further Research

Chapter Seven: Future Directions for Catholic Social Teaching
Four Continuities: Further Shifts in Emphasis
Two New Challenges: The Environment and Globalization
Spreading the Word about Catholic Social Teaching
The Surprising Future
Questions for Reflection
Topics for Further Research

Annotated List of Resources for Further Study
Index

Editorial Reviews

Accessible and comprehensive, Living Justice is a go-to textbook for my introductory courses on Catholic Social Teaching. Massaro brings the book up to date with the social teaching of Pope Francis and illustrates the significance of his contribution to the Catholic social tradition.

Erin Brigham

Fr. Massaro’s Living Justice is the go-to book for teaching about social justice in a Catholic context. An accessible text that’s found favor with professors, high school teachers, and adult education facilitators, this fourth edition adds new attention to environmental justice and the teaching of Pope Francis. Having taught the book since its first edition, I appreciate Massaro’s down-to-earth language, his thoughtful guidance on how to reason ethically, and his attention to concerns about the credibility of the Catholic Church’s engagement with political and economic debates. I can’t wait to teach this new edition!

Brian Stiltner

I know of no better single volume on the history and principles of Catholic Social Teaching that also brings readers up-to-date on that tradition's most recent developments and contemporary, global relevance. With an extensive new chapter on the contributions of Pope Francis to CST, neophytes and seasoned theologians alike will find something to appreciate in this eminently readable 4th edition. As a secondary and postsecondary classroom text, Living Justice will prove indispensable in introducing a new generation to the Church's ongoing concerns with social justice.

AJ DeBonis

Thomas Massaro provides a path to the lifelong quest of how faith calls us to justice. He not only introduces the reader to the narrative of Catholic Social Teaching but also links its importance to the life of the Church today. This text invites the reader to dialogue with the best forces of secular society to create a better world. It offers a vision, methods of analysis, tools of discernment and principles of proceeding, a toolbox of supports and clarifications, which make the whys and ways of the Social Tradition, available to the reader. An excellent resource for the classroom and a tool for those who want to introduce or support those seeking to make a difference.

Judith A. Merkle

This new, updated edition of Living Justice will be enthusiastically welcomed by all who want to give their students an accurate, comprehensive, and reader-friendly introduction to Catholic social teaching.

Jon Nilson

I am grateful for this updated edition of Massaro's Living Justice. I have used the earlier edition for several years now, and my students have found it a clear and accessible presentation. However, as Fr. Massaro notes, Pope Francis has changed Catholic social teaching forever, not only with his writing but especially in his action. This new edition nicely integrates reflections on the Pope’s personal way of ‘living justice,’ as well as exploring his written contributions in Evangelii Gaudium and Laudato Si’. I continue to find particularly helpful the questions for reflection provided at the end of each chapter, as well as the quite useful section on ‘Applying Catholic Social Teaching in the Real World,’ always the challenge for my students and for all of us in the Church.

James R. Stormes

I enthusiastically endorse the text for the following reasons: 1. The text balances and integrates very well the historical development of Catholic Social Teaching, the core values of CST, and its application to present day and future societal issues. 2. The “Questions for Reflection” at the end of chapters is an excellent pedagogical feature. I will recommend to my students that they read the questions first in order to provide them a context in which to read the specific chapter. 3. For courses and programs that require a strong writing component, Massaro’s suggestions contained in the 'Topics for Further Research' provide a valuable assistance for both students and instructor. 4. The interdisciplinary nature of the text would be an excellent requirement for a 'Learning-Community”'project which links a Catholic Social Teaching course with an appropriate course in Political Science, Sociology or History or as a supplemental text in any course exploring Social Justice regardless of the discipline. 5. The text is extremely accessible to undergraduates, parish adult education programs and at the same time quite appropriate for the graduate level course.

Peter H. Beisheim

[A] splendid little book. Massaro achieves his aims well in this very readable resource, useful not only for the general Catholic population, but also for Church leaders, educators, and activists.

New Theology Review

I like the updated sections that serve to make the text more relevant and current and real!

Mary Ann Baran

Massaro provides a necessary companion text to any course that deals with issues of social justice, the role of the Church in the modern world, or the relationship between religion and public policy. It is simultaneously academically rigorous and easily accessible to students. Broad, honest, and practical, it serves a variety of courses and invites much needed dialogue between religion that has become increasingly privatized in the public square.

Brian Scott