Tuesday, September 2
Liturgical Color: Green
September is the month of Our Lady of
Sorrows. She is depicted in art dressed
in black, and her heart pierced by seven
swords, representing the seven great
sorrows of her life.
Day 264 - How should we treat animals? // Why does the Catholic Church have her own social teaching?
How should we treat animals?
Animals are our fellow creatures, which we should care for and in which we should delight, just as God delights in their existence. Animals, too, are sentient creatures of God. It is a sin to torture them, to allow them to suffer, or to kill them uselessly. Nevertheless, man may not place love of animals above love of man.
Why does the Catholic Church have her own social teaching?
Because all men, as children of God, possess a unique dignity, the Church with her social teaching is committed to defending and promoting this human dignity for all men in the social sphere. She is not trying to preempt the legitimate freedom of politics or of the economy. When human dignity is violated in politics or economic practices, however, the Church must intervene. "The joy and hope, the grief and anguish of the men of our time, especially of those who are poor or afflicted in any way, are the joy and hope, the grief and anguish of the followers of Christ as well" (Second Vatican Council, GS). In her social teaching, the Church makes this statement specific. And she asks: How can we take responsibility for the well-being and the just treatment of all, even of non-Christians? What is a just organization of human society, of political, economic, and social institutions supposed to look like? In her commitment to justice, the Church is guided by a love that emulates Christ's love for mankind. (YOUCAT questions 437-438)
Dig Deeper: CCC section (2416-2420) and other references here.