The Catholic Times the Light of the World column gives us the difference between the Catholic Teaching on the universal ethic to help a neighbor in need as seen by the Atheist and Catholic.
We all need to help someone in need. Are we not all familiar with the Good Samaritan? Priests and Levites of that time simply pass by ignoring the man on the side of the road. But then a Samaritan comes by and helps him return to health. What's the point of this story? If you have a neighbor in need, don't argue, try to save face, but help the person in need.
However, there is a hidden secondary theme that comes from the social teaching and it is to prevent the recurrence. Catch the robber, hold him accountable, and work so that it will not happens again. So the social doctrine mentions the need for a corrective process. The purpose is not only to punish and discipline but to help the one convicted to return to the community and bring about reconciliation in social relations that have been disrupted by crime.
But there is also a final third theme. What is it? It is the proclamation of the gospel. It is to preach the word of God to those who have suffered injustice or to those who have done wrong. This does not appear explicitly in the Good Samaritan passage, but is emphasized throughout the Bible.
Why is it important to preach the gospel? Is it because being merciful to your neighbor isn't enough? The answer is this. Because the gospel is the way to heal society and the world and solve our problems. Conflicts in the world and society, human existence, evil and suffering — the answers to these questions are found in the Gospels, they are given through Christ, the Son of God. This is the difference from atheism.
There are many solutions to social problems. But like the Cold War lessons between capitalism and communism, all social institutions have limits. However, it is the gospel of Christ that ultimately solves the problems of mankind and society. This is because it fundamentally heals, transforms, and gives life to humans. Social doctrine is like the gospel. Catholic social doctrine is not an ideological or practical system for solving problems. Social doctrine without the Gospel is nothing more than an ideology. As history has proven, human and social problems cannot be solved with abstract ideologies.
Therefore, the church seeks to help people on the path to salvation through social teaching but at the same time, it must teach the truth of the gospel and faith. And the fundamental foundation of the church's social doctrine is the revelation of the Bible and the church Tradition. Here is the need for an accurate knowledge of God's revelation and teaching.
"By means of her social doctrine, the Church takes on
the task of proclaiming what the Lord has entrusted to her. She makes
the message of the freedom and redemption wrought by Christ, the Gospel
of the Kingdom, present in human history. In proclaiming the Gospel,
the Church bears witness to man, in the name of Christ, to his dignity
and his vocation to the communion of persons. She teaches the
demands of justice and peace in conformity with divine wisdom" (#63 Social Doctrine in Brief).
