“The human person is the foundation and purpose of political life.” People are the centre of politics. Today’s excerpts from the Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church put politics in its correct perspective.

While we as individuals have responsibility for our lives and for pursuing our happiness at an individual level and at the level of the community, this is not sufficient. We are aware that there is more beyond the physical or material universe.

There is some higher order that guides and directs us – God; and we are obligated to fulfill his purpose for our lives. We will not be satisfied unless this is accomplished.

The Compendium tells us: “Endowed with a rational nature, the human person is responsible for his own choices and able to pursue projects that give meaning to life at the individual and social level. Being open both to the Transcendent and to others is his characteristic and distinguishing trait. Only in relation to the Transcendent and to others does the human person reach the total and complete fulfilment of himself. This means that for the human person, a naturally social and political being, ‘social life is not something added on’ but is part of an essential and indelible dimension.”

This has implications for politics in the world. Since people’s fulfillment of God’s purpose for them is necessary for the true satisfaction of the human being, the way a community is organised and directed needs to not only be mindful of the higher order, but must be the foundation on which it is laid.

Persons look to God for answers, direction, help, and to solve many of the issues that arise in their day-to-day lives. The politics therefore must reflect the nature of human beings.

 “The political community originates in the nature of persons, whose conscience ‘reveals to them and enjoins them to obey’ the order which God has imprinted in all his creatures: a moral and religious order; and it is this order — and not considerations of a purely extraneous, material order — which has the greatest validity in the solution of problems relating to their lives as individuals and as members of society, and problems concerning individual States and their interrelations”.

“This order must be gradually discovered and developed by humanity. The political community, a reality inherent in mankind, exists to achieve an end otherwise unobtainable: the full growth of each of its members, called to cooperate steadfastly for the attainment of the common good, under the impulse of their natural inclinations towards what is true and good.”

What this tells us in short is that the Political Community is charged with the responsibility of ensuring the development of all persons, allowing them to reach their full potential by allowing them to fulfill their true purpose while achieving what is best for the society.  So, while each person has responsibility for his/her own happiness, there is a “coordinating function” necessary to ensure that the whole society moves forward together. 

“The political community finds its authentic dimension in its reference to people: it is and should in practice be the organic and organising unity of a real people”. The term “a people” does not mean a shapeless multitude, an inert mass to be manipulated and exploited, but a group of persons, each of whom — “at his proper place and in his own way” — is able to form its own opinion on public matters and has the freedom to express its own political sentiments and to bring them to bear positively on the common good.

A people “exists in the fullness of the lives of the men and women by whom it is made up, each of whom ... is a person aware of his own responsibilities and convictions”. Those who belong to a political community, although organically united among themselves as a people, maintain an irrepressible autonomy at the level of personal existence and of the goals to be pursued.”

The explanation of the interaction between the political community, the human person and a people is very important. It reminds us of our individual responsibility to ourselves – the human person, the role of the political community in ensuring the common good of society by being of service to the people.

Similarly to put it in practical terms of our politics of today – Each of us are responsible for ourselves and our happiness and doing those things that will help us achieve that goal – our foundation is however, that we must fulfill God’s purpose for us.

Further we must organise ourselves in a way that allows everyone in the society an equal opportunity to fulfil their individual goals, while ensuring that our society moves forward. We are all individuals, we however interact with others and a higher being; the political community is the key mechanism for the interaction.

This is an interesting perspectives that must be thought of deeply, as some of us aspire to be part of this organising mechanism, and others seek to evaluate and make choices as to which is the best alternative to serve as the organising mechanism.

Next week we continue this discussion on Political community, the human person and a people 

Persons interested in purchasing the Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church may contact the Justice Desk, Archbishop’s House at 622-6680