Themes of Catholic
Social Teaching

The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) has named Seven Themes of Catholic Social Teaching. They are: Life and Dignity of the Human Person, Call to family, Community, and Participation, Rights and Responsibilities, Option for the Poor and Vulnerable, The Dignity of Work and the Rights of Workers, Solidarity, Care for God's Creation

Healing of the Paralytic Man

“Knowing their thoughts, Jesus said, “Why do you entertain evil thoughts in your hearts? Which is easier: to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up and walk’? But I want you to know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins.” So he said to the paralyzed man, “Get up, take your mat and go home.”  Then the man got up and went home. When the crowd saw this, they were filled with awe; and they praised God, who had given such authority to man”(Matthew 9:1-7).

God always treats everyone with equality even if they’ve been looked down upon. Just like the lepers, people with mental health problems are neglected because they are thought of as a weak-link and unworthy of help and support. If we learn to care for others the way God cared for the leper whom everyone avoided, and cleaned him of his or her sins, then the people suffering from these hardships might be more willing to open up about mental illness. 

This scripture story illustrates the theme of Life and Dignity of the Human Person.



Healing of the Leper

“When Jesus had come down from the mountain, great crowds followed him; and there was a leper who came to him and knelt before him, saying, "Lord, if you choose, you can make me clean." He stretched out his hand and touched him, saying, "I do choose. Be made clean!" Immediately his leprosy was cleansed”(Matthew 8: 1-14).

The way God healed the paralyzed man emotionally was by saying he is forgiven of all his sins, and if we showed the people struggling some of the sympathy God showed the man, teens might be more prone to think of their disorders as a chance to be vulnerable rather than it being a burden. The way God healed the leper spiritually was by seeing the pain, faith, and desire the man has carried with him for years. When seeing the faith the man had, God healed him, which only made the man's faith in God grow stronger. So if we as a community, as a nation, as a country put effort in showing teens they are not alone, they should not be afraid, but rather embrace that they feel and experience things differently, we'd be able to better support and understand. 

This connects to the theme of Call to Family, Community, and Participation.