Deus Caritas Est Part II

The complete focus of the church should be one of love. The church should seek the integral good of man. "Love thus needs to be organized if it is to be an ordered service to the community. Unfortunately, society has become swarmed with concerns of material things. However, in response to this the church must retain its sole responsibility in love. "The social service which they were meant to provide was absolutely concrete, yet at the same time it was also a spiritual service; theirs was a truly spiritual office which carried out an essential responsibility of the church, namely a well-ordered love of neighbor.

"The church can never be exempted from practicing charity as an organized activity of believers, and on the other hand, there will never be a situation where the charity of each individual Christian is unnecessary, because in addition to justice man needs, and will always need, love."

Society cannot live without love. Love plays a vital role in all humane and just societies. Without love, man would not exist, and the state would have to provide everything for humans. "The state would have to provide everything, absorbing everything into itself, would ultimately become a mere bureaucracy incapable of guaranteeing the very thing which the suffering person--every person--needs: namely, loving personal concern.

Along with the focus of love, the other mission of the church is charity. "The church cannot neglect the service of charity any more than she can neglect the sacraments and the word. The church is built on charitable acts. Charitable acts are part of any Christian tradition. "The church's deepest nature is expressed in her three-fold responsibility: of proclaiming the word of God, celebrating the sacraments, and exercising the ministry of charity. These duties presuppose each other and are inseparable."

"The church is God's family in the world. In this family no one ought to go without the necessities of life. Without in any way detracting from this commandment of universal love, the church also has a specific responsibility: within the ecclesial family no member should suffer through being in need." This validates a good point. It is our mission as Christians to provide a healthy and happy life for all people. These works and concerns for others aren't because Christians are forcing their beliefs on others--these works show our faith themselves. These acts demonstrate the love we have as Christians. "It is the responsibility of the church's charitable organizations to reinforce this awareness in their members, so that by their activity--as well as their words, their silence, their example--they may be credible witnesses to Christ."

The church doesn't want to take over the state, the church's position in this matter is to provide a conscience and a sense for good living for people in politics. "The church wishes to help form consciences in political life and to stimulate greater insight into the authentic requirements of justice as well as greater readiness to act accordingly, even when this might involve conflict with situations of personal interest.