Fr. William O'Neill, SJ, offers readers a refreshing entry into the world of Catholic social teaching (CST) in his latest book. He does this in two ways. First, his stated aim in writing the book is modest, as he seeks to demonstrate that Catholic social teaching must be “embodied in a way of life” (xiv). That is, O'Neill contends that understanding what Catholic social teaching entails is like learning a language. When learning a new language, one must learn the rules. At the end of the day, however, rules of grammar vanish into spoken words. For O'Neill, the same can be said about Catholic social teaching. Looking at the tradition from the outside, one may see nothing more than a list of rules to follow. But O'Neill goes on to demonstrate through examples that Catholic social teaching is a living tradition that is meant to be practiced, lived out, “a grammar we learn in our ‘struggle for justice, love, and peace’” (xiv). Second, O'Neill tends to the expected task of reviewing the history, sources, and key themes of the tradition in a way that promotes further inquiry by the reader. He accomplishes this by widening the scope of the conversation through his engagement with interlocuters outside the Catholic religious tradition in both his commentary and reflection questions. By the end of part 1, the reader is more than ready to take up the challenge of applying Catholic social teaching norms and principles to real-life issues in part 2 because of the foundation built.
In terms of practical usage, O'Neill's guide does not explain in detail the documentary heritage like some CST treatments do or quote extensively from the tradition. Rather, the reader receives a much-needed glimpse into the “inner logic and implications of a living tradition” so that she or he can see how the Catholic social teaching tradition “hangs together” and can be “effectively applied” to important sociocultural, economic, and political issues (10). To accomplish this, O'Neill reviews two foundational principles within the tradition, dignity of the human person and the principle of solidarity, and he assists the reader in seeing how both principles become part of the modern-day concept of the common good. He is quick to alert his reader that more needs to be said if one is to “do” the works of justice (39). Chapter 5, “Practical Implications of Doing Justice,” therefore, serves as a lynchpin between both parts of the book. The reader is invited to think more deeply about additional principles such as subsidiarity and the preferential option for the poor. This prompts O'Neill briefly to address the role of social sin as an urgent challenge to doing justice. Citing Pope Francis, he will remind the reader what criticism of social sin ought to involve—denouncement of social structures that bind and oppress persons followed by the announcement of alternative social structures that redress the prevailing injustice (43).
As the reader moves into part 2, O'Neill explores how to apply CST principles to common issues such as labor and the economy, poverty, and the ethics of war and peace. He does so in a way that expands the discussion as result of his own reading of the “signs of the times.” For example, his discussion of poverty asks the reader to see how racism and gender bias influence understandings of poverty. In a similar manner, O'Neill includes an entire chapter on just peacemaking as a follow-up to his chapter on war and peace. O'Neill keeps pressing forward and turns his attention next to questions related to migrants and refugees. Again he demonstrates through example the CST tradition and asks hard questions when it comes to those who have been forcibly displaced (108) and the hospitality owed to them (120). From here, more questions arise in terms of the ethical demands required of authentic social reconciliation, especially for those persons who have been displaced. O'Neill also takes it one step further and argues the church also must be reconciled. He writes, “Like white privilege, clericalism reflects not only personal but systemic bias—bias so deeply ingrained in institutional culture that we often fail to recognize it…. Redress must be not only personal but general and systemic” (132).
Although O'Neill's overview is concise and not entirely suitable for someone first exploring CST, his questions for reflection are probing and relevant to current issues. Thus, this “user's guide” can serve as a teaching resource for those looking to update pedagogical strategies. It also can serve a variety of audiences, either at the secondary or undergraduate level, in courses dedicated to exploring further the tradition of Catholic social teaching and those interested in placing the tradition in conversation with other intellectual frameworks.
