Catholic Social Teaching is a collection of teachings that are designed to reflect the Church’s social mission in response to the challenges of the day. The teachings are rooted in biblical values and reflections on Christian tradition. The Church’s social teaching is a rich treasure of wisdom about building a just society and living lives of holiness amidst the challenges of modern society. In this essay, five sources of Catholic Social Teaching will be highlighted.
The first source of Catholic Social Teaching is the bible. The bible is a collection of inspired books which explains God’s wonders and what God has done throughout history. The bible is divided into parts which are the Old Testament and the New Testament. The Old Testament is a collection of selected writings composed and edited by members of the Hebrew-Jewish community in the beginning of the Christian era. The Old Testament includes materials such as prophetic oracles, teachings of wise men, and instructions of priests and ancient records of the royal courts. The New Testament recounts the life of Jesus and is central to Christian faith. The New Testament is composed of good news and Acts of the Apostles.
The second source of Catholic Social Teaching is the magisterium. The magisterium is the official teaching of the church and authoritative voice of tradition. This official teaching of the church is exercised by the catholic bishops as well as groups appointed by the Pope. This teaching is expressed in the form of Papal encyclicals, encyclicals of the church councils and statement by Vatican offices. The magisterium highly recommends solidarity because it is capable of guaranteeing the common good and fostering integral human development.
The third source of Catholic Social Teaching is tradition. Tradition is referred to as the doctrine or custom which is passed on from generation to another generation. Tradition is the very life of the church itself as it