Gaudium et Spes

Many people (I hear it most from conservative talk show hosts) seem to criticize and even to fear the modern trend toward a global community. As the trend toward “globalism” grows, so too does the trend toward “nationalism,” especially among social and political conservatives. On the liberal end of the spectrum there seems to be a deconstruction of nationalism and a rejection of what they consider exclusionary emotionalism born of social and political conditioning. Gaudium et Spes points the way to a more rational middle way.

It's In Our Nature

The movement toward a worldwide community is a natural flow from the social nature of man and the advances in technology that make worldwide communication and commerce possible.  However, the global community can also be a stage for human sin, as can any sphere of human life.  In any social and cultural endeavor, humanity must be aware of the potential for human goodness and human evil.  We must strive for authentic human development that nurtures humanity’s spiritual and physical natures together.  We must be vigilant for encroaching evil and make sure that conversion to the Good, the True, and the Beautiful is an integral part of our societal growth.  These are the major themes of this chapter of Gaudium et Spes on the community of mankind.

Human beings are social by their very nature.  Not only do we rely on each other in pragmatic ways, we are created to live in brotherhood with one another.  The American ideal seems to be independence.  We want to cut the apron strings from authority, to stand on our own two feet, to find success and dominance.  Independence is a good thing.  Human fulfillment means to discover and develop our God-given gifts.  Dependence can make us lazy and can stultify our development as persons.  However, independence is not enough.  We human beings are meant to use our gifts and talents to serve each other.  As Gaudium et Spes puts it, made in the image of the Triune God that is an intimate, loving union of the three Divine Persons, man “cannot fully find himself except through a sincere gift of himself” (GS 24).  Success brings increased self esteem, excitement and challenge, and often material rewards.  Nonetheless, in the end success does not keep us happy.  Human beings continually look for the next level, and when they reach the top they get bored or they get paranoid about losing their position.  However, when our success is put at the service of others, the relationships that we build bolster our happiness and ultimately become greater sources of happiness than the initial success.  This natural tendency to reach out to others is made perfect through grace.  Our ultimate destiny is to be united with all humanity in a bond of love and to be together united to God.  Therefore, “everyone must consider his every neighbor without exception as another self, taking into account first of all his life and the means necessary to living it with dignity” (GS 27).  Christ calls us and empowers us to love one another with complete sacrificial love.  Grace has the power to overcome the human sinfulness and limitations that keep our relationships from being perfect and from bringing us perfect happiness. 

Solidarity But Not Globalism

Put this in the context of a worldwide community. There is no person on earth that is not already my brother. The Church’s word for this truth is “solidarity.” By our nature and by our ultimate destiny we are already united. This unity is not fully realized in part because of the barriers of space, language, and competing interests. Our alienation from each other is exacerbated by human greed, distrust, and other sinfulness. However, it is in our nature and it is our calling to overcome the barriers between us and to embrace each other in love. Globalism has the potential to advance this vocation. Yes, there is also great potential for evil. Many conservative commentators especially express concern about the attempt to create a worldwide government system. They fear the loss of autonomy that could very well force conditions on individual communities that are burdensome and perhaps even evil (think of the UN’s support of abortion and contraception as a solution to poverty – does compassion for the poor mean prohibiting them from creating new life?). These fears are legitimate, but they need not preclude an increased human community. They need only caution us about how to bring such a community about. The Second Vatican Council stresses that unity does not negate individuality. On one hand human beings are all one, but on the other hand we are created to be unique individuals and proper diversity of culture results from the unique needs of each community and the unique expressions of human life that emanate from the individuals of which communities are comprised. Unity in diversity is possible, and is one example of the balanced approach to global unity that the Church offers us.

Authentic Human Development

As we move forward in the development of any community – be it the global community or our local neighborhood – we need to be sure that we are promoting authentic human development. The secular materialism of our day often endorse a limited vision of development that embraces only economic and material prosperity and neglects human relationships and spiritual needs. When this emaciated understanding of societal development occurs, people are treated as machines to be used, as a means of production, rather than as people to be loved. In fact, we all too easily come to view ourselves as machines, and our only goal becomes selfish gain. Even children become commodities to be produced that we expect to bring us happiness without being too much of a burden. Sexuality becomes a commodity of pleasure, to be bought and sold or traded – people begin to think it’s OK to use each other for pleasure as long as it’s mutual. We lose track of our purpose and destiny – to love and be loved. All of this leads to a dead-end for culture and discontent for individuals. Authentic social development must be at the service of the perfection of the whole human person.

The Common Good

The first responsibility of a society seeking authentic human development is the protection of the common good.  The common good are those goods that are shared by the entire community that facilitate human growth.  Gaudium et Spes lists “food, clothing, shelter, the right to choose a state of life freely and to found a family, the right to education, to employment, to a good reputation, to respect, to appropriate information, to activity in accord with the upright norm of one’s own conscience, to protection of privacy and rightful freedom, even in matters religious” (GS 26).  Secular materialist cultures rightly defend some of these goods, but neglect the rest.  Sin and selfishness can also keep a society from defending the common good.

The Second Vatican Council calls modern societies to be true to their purpose, the perfection of the entire human person. It calls us to be true to our created nature as human beings, and it sheds the light of the Gospel on this nature to show us our ultimate purpose and destiny, to love. In our fallen world, we must undergo constant vigilance and conversion in order to stay true to that ideal. Putting our faith in science and technology, in material prosperity, and in innate human goodness – believing that these things could somehow eliminate human suffering and injustice – is delusional. While these things are good in and of themselves, they do not have the power to undo the effects of Original Sin. Human progress depends on grace and our willingness to seek the Good, the True and the Beautiful.

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