Human Dignity

Human Dignity In discussion on social justice in the Catechism of the Catholic Church, the emphasis is on human dignity. Pope John Paul II is quoted in the Catechism as saying: What is at stake is the dignity of the human person, whose defense and promotion have been entrusted to us by the Creator, and to whom the men and women at every moment of history are strictly and responsibly in debt.

What does this mean? It means that while seeking Social Justice, we aim for justice throughout all of society, but we reach this goal by focusing on each person at a time and upholding their dignity. This is an easy goal for us to aspire to, but as we encounter different people in our lives, it can become hard to remember, especially when we meet others who have lives very different from our own.

As we prepare to leave SMU for whatever our summer destinations may be, it’s a good thing to keep in mind. When we escape the SMU bubble, spending our summers in different places in the country and even around the world, we are bound to encounter different types of people—different cultures, different religions, or even just different points of view. It’s important to remember that the core of Catholic Social Justice teaching is that there is dignity to every human person.