A Reflection on Five Quotes: Putting Caritas in Veritate in Action Benedict XVI leaves us with a legacy of doctrinal, moral, and social concerns for our future. In in his social teachings, we see awareness of an urgent need to respond to the troubling social, economic, religious, and political affairs of today.

1. A Reflection on Five Quotes:
Putting Caritas in Veritate in Action
The Missionaries of the Sacred Heart  USA Province
305 S. Lake Street, PO Box 270  Aurora, IL 60507 (630) 892-2371  info@misacor-usa.org

2. Benedict XVI leaves us with a legacy of doctrinal, moral, and social
concerns for our future. In his social teachings we see awareness of an
urgent need to respond to the troubling social, economic, religious, and
political affairs of today.

3. Good Stewardship - Quote #1:

4. “Human beings
legitimately exercise a
responsible stewardship
over nature, in order to
protect it, to enjoy its
fruits and to cultivate in
new ways, with the
assistance of advanced
technologies, so that it
can worthily
accommodate and feed
the world’s population.

5. …In this earth there is
room for everyone: here
the entire family must
find the resources to live
with dignity, through
the help of nature
itself—God’s gift to his
children—and through
hard work and
creativity.”
(Caritas in Veritate, 5)

6. Take Action
• Become a Better Steward
• Take the St. Francis Pledge
• Learn about how natural resource use impacts poverty

7. Universal Rights to Food and Water - Quote #2

8. “...The right to food, like
the right to water, has
an important place
within the pursuit of
other rights, beginning
with the fundamental
right to life…

9. …It is therefore
necessary to
cultivate a public
conscience that
considers food and
access to water as
universal rights of all
Above: Construction of a water well in
human beings, Cameroon made possible through
without distinction generous donations and the MSC
Mission Office in Australia.
or discrimination.”
www.australia.mscmission.org/waterdevelopment
(Caritas in Veritate, 27)

10. How can we help
cultivate this public
conscience?

11. One way is to start
in our own lives, i.e.
by using water more
wisely and making
our lifestyle a
reflection of the fact
that water is a
resource to be
shared with
everyone.
3 Ways to Use Water More Wisely

12. We can join Operation Rice Bowl, eating more
simply and donating the savings to those in
need.

13. We can even use our recreation to help donate
rice through the World Food Programme
(Freerice.com)

14. Poverty and Unemployment – Quote #3

15. “In many cases, poverty
results from a violation of
the dignity of human
work, either because
work opportunities are
limited (through
unemployment or
underemployment)…

16. … or because a low value is put on work and the rights
that flow from it, especially the right to a just wage
and to the personal security of the worker and his or
her family. (Caritas in Veritate, 63)

17. How can we help respect
the dignity of human
work?

18. We can make a
micro loan online
(such as at kiva.org)
and help a person in
another part of the
world start or grow
their own business.

19. We can stand up against discrimination in the workplace.
(See Prohibited Practices; Pregnancy Discrimination; Age
Discrimination; Disability Discrimination)

20. We can support job-
retraining programs so that
workers whose jobs are
now less in demand due to
changes in the market or
technology can learn skills
that will help them find
another job.

21. We can find out
whether the rights of
workers that produce
the products we buy
are respected, and
avoid purchasing
products that are
made in sweatshops or
using child labor.

22. Dignity of the Poor – Quote #4

23. The poor are
not to be
considered a
“burden,” but
a resource,
even from the
purely
economic
point of view.
(Caritas in Veritate, 35)

24. How do we think of
the poor?

25. Do we think to ourselves that we “have to”
donate a portion of our income to help those
less fortunate? Or that programs to benefit
the poor are “a drain” on our economy?

26. Pope Benedict XVI challenges us to change our
thinking. Imagine what our society would look like if
we truly respected the dignity and met the needs of
our most vulnerable brothers and sisters!

27. How much less
sickness and disease
would there be if
every family had
access to adequate
nutrition and safe
drinking water?

28. What would our
economy be like if
every person had
access to an
education and could
participate in
meaningful work?

29. While we may
disagree with
others as to the
best way to
overcome poverty,
we will likely make
better decisions if
we start viewing
the poor as a
resource, not a
burden.

30. Purchasing Decisions/Lifestyle – Quote #5:

31. It is good for people
to realize that
purchasing is always
a moral—and not
simply economic—
act. Hence the
consumer has a
specific social
responsibility.
(Caritas in Veritate, 66)

32. Every purchase that we make supports a particular
company (or series of companies). Do these companies
respect the rights and dignity of their workers? Does the
use of the product or its production process harm the
environment?

33. We can encourage more companies
to adopt better practices by
rewarding the companies that
respect their workers and the
environment with our business.

34. How can we start
purchasing more
ecologically friendly
and fairly traded
items?

35. Start Small.
Changing our spending habits takes time. Start by
replacing just one or two items on your list. For
instance, switch to fairly traded coffee.

36. A Couple Resources:
• www.crsfairtrade.org/ricebowl/
• Ideas for Creating A More Human Food System
• FishWatch.gov
• FairTradeUSA

37. We hope you enjoyed this reflection on
Caritas in Veritate.
If you would like to learn more about Catholic
Social Teaching, please sign up for our
monthly e-newsletter, JPIC Corner.
www.misacor-usa.org/index.php/jpic-e-newsletter
The Missionaries of the Sacred Heart  USA Province
305 S. Lake Street, PO Box 270  Aurora, IL 60507 (630) 892-2371  info@misacor-usa.org

38. Photo Credits
• Slide 1: Photo by Teodoro S Gruhl via PublicDomainPictures.net
• Slide 2: Photo by Massimo Macconi via Wikimedia Commons
• Slide 3: Photo by George Hodan via PublicDomainPictures.net
• Slide 4: Photo by Petr Kratochvil via PublicDomainPictures.net
• Slide 5: Photo by Виталий Смолыгин via PublicDomainPictures.net
• Slide 6: Photo by Junior Libby via PublicDomainPictures.net
• Slide 7: Photo by Maliz Ong via PublicDomainPictures.net
• Slide 8: Photo by Vera Kratochvil via PublicDomainPictures.net
• Slide 9: Photo from MSC Mission Office Australia website
• Slide 10: Photo © mipan – Fotalia.com
• Slide 11: Photo © brainmaster, via www.istockphoto.com
• Slide 12: Photo by Petr Kratochvil via www.PublicDomainPictures.net
All photos are for illustration only.

39. Photo Credits
• Slide 13: Photo by Petr Kratochvil via www.PublicDomainPictures.net
• Slide 14: Photo taken in Colombia, Missionaries of the Sacred Heart, All
Rights Reserved
• Slide 15: Photo taken in Colombia, Missionaries of the Sacred Heart, All
Rights Reserved
• Slide 16: Photo by George Hodan via PublicDomainPictures.net
• Slide 17: Photo by Anna Langova via PublicDomainPictures.net
• Slide 18: Photo by George GrimmHowell via PublicDomainPictures.net
• Slide 19: Photo © KHL49 via www.istockphoto.com
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All photos are for illustration only.

40. Photo Credits
• Slide 22: Photo © HelpingHandsPhotos via www.istockphoto.com
• Slide 23: Photo © samxmeg via www.istockphoto.com
• Slide 24: Photo by Lucidish via Wikimedia Commons
• Slide 25: Photo © pavlen via www.istockphoto.com
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• Slide 27: Photo by Maliz Ong via PublicDomainPictures.net
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• Slide 30: Photo © ThomasVogel via www.istockphoto.com
• Slide 31: Photo © crossbrain66 via www.istockphoto.com
All photos are for illustration only.

41. Photo Credits
• Slide 32: Photo by Petr Kratochvil via PublicDomainPictures.net
• Slide 33: Photo by Junior Libby via PublicDomainPictures.net
• Slide 34: Photo © dem10 via www.istockphoto.com
• Slide 35: Photo by Petr Kratochvil via PublicDomainPictures.net
• Slide 36: Photo by Peter Griffin via PublicDomainPictures.net
• Slides 38-40: Background by Primose Cigler via
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