Common Good Archives - Albert the Ordinary

Pastor Column: Pacem in Terris III

Posted on February 27, 2023February 27, 2023 by Father Albert

[N.B. This is not the Sunday Homily. It is an article for the bulletin of Feb 26, 2023] After a long hiatus, we return to our journey through the document Pacem in Terris by Pope St. John XXIII, written in 1963. Last we left off, we were looking at broad changes in society around the world and breaking open the Church’s teaching about government power and human rights. While the Church does not dictate any single governmental system to be the best, Pope John XIII does highlight the value of dividing powers within the government as well as the...Read More

Pastor Column: Mater et Magistra III

Posted on November 29, 2022November 28, 2022 by Father Albert

[N.B. This is not the Sunday Homily. It is an article from the bulletin of Nov 27, 2022] We left off last week with the Papal teaching on a Just Wage. This week, we follow that train of thought into the teaching on the relationship between wages and profits. We’ve already seen that laborers ought to share in the profits in some way since it is their labor that produces them. Pope St. John XXIII goes on to say that “any adjustment between wages and profits must take into account the demands of the common good of the particular...Read More

Pastor Column: The Social Question III

Posted on November 22, 2021November 21, 2021 by Father Albert

[Note: This is not the weekly homily.] This is an article from the bulletin of November 21, 2021 Having discussed just wages, we turn now to Pope Pius XI’s focus on two things that he considers “especially necessary” if the good work started by Rerum Novarum is to continue. Those two are the “reform of institutions” and the “correction of morals.” As far as institutions, the pope notes that “the State comes chiefly to mind.” The reason for this, he explains, is that “individualism” has disintegrated the rich social life that used to exist so that we are...Read More

Father Alexander Albert

Tag: Common Good