My Common Good 

OK, so now I’m going to go into some dangerous countryside. The common good. Since the 3rd century, the common good has been a guide in Catholic/Christian social teaching. There are many scriptural references to all of this, which I will not dive into for this short reflection. For the most part, it can be tied to the great commandment love God and love one another and your neighbor as yourself. So that desire to be treated equally is a fundamental tenant of the common good. 

However, Christianity does not have a monopoly on the common good by any means. In pre-Christian times Aristotle promoted the common good as something that should be part of the political system and the way that society operated. That everyone should have some goodness in their lives, not just existence. In a society that had masters and slaves, you can see that the common good or any equality associated with the common good would be difficult to implement unless the political system supported it. However, I digress.

When we look at the common good as a general phrase, outside perhaps the definitions given to us by theologians and spiritual leaders, many people make up their definition of being just and fair. If something seems to be to the common good for me then perhaps it’s reasonable to share it with others. However, this often leads us to consider what we think is fair to become the common good for all. 

Now of course many other things associated with the common good are written into law, culture, behavior, and tradition. They’re woven inextricably into that environment regardless of where that is, so one person’s common good or one nation’s common good may be very different from each other.

This can apply to dress codes, cultural behavior, tableside manners and all manner of protocols considered to be acceptable. We bring a lot of things to the table when we think about the common good and can be judgmental if we see someone moving outside the norms of acceptable behavior, acceptable behavior to us that is. We then perhaps place those people outside us, in some way, shape, or form.

Nevertheless, there is some solidarity when it comes to the common good. For examples what are my rights, and if I have those rights, should you not have those rights as well? And whether I use those rights or not, and should they be protected? Perhaps even by me even if I’m not using them? These are big questions.

This goes to the heart of the common good, the maintenance of dignity. My dignity and the dignity of those around us. And that dignity is only retained by our interdependence on each other, we need more than one person to support the common good. The common good of one forced on others is merely an autocracy. Perhaps even a dictatorship.

So shared conditions, such as rules, norms, and morality even, that support this dignity and interdependence are what differentiate us. It allows us to be able to operate in a safer, controlled, and more humane environment. So, our duties and responsibilities to follow these shared conditions, rules, norms, and morality in favor of the common good determine how it’s maintained. 

Certain aspects of the common good are maintained by the legal system or a code of ethics that may be associated with religious belief, such as Catholic social teaching for example. Where the code of conduct respects everyone regardless of their ability to contribute because of age, illness, or some other factor. We are measured by how we treat the poorest and weakest in our society, not how we reward the strongest or the richest.

This meandering discussion into what the common good is presents us with an exploration of what is my common good. And is my common good different than what should be the common good for all? Pope Francis has been one of the hugest advocates of the common good throughout his papacy. Telling us to minister support and care for the weakest and most needy in our society; for it is here we’ll find the reward for the common good. The reward which is God’s grace. God’s love. Expressed by us as the Body of Christ.

If someone asks us in the street, or in our family, what do we mean by the common good? Or what does the common good mean to us? What would we say? How do we contribute to the common good? Do we defend it? Do we practice it? What are the exceptions to the common good? Are there any exceptions to it? 

Exploring these questions may answer the title of this reflection. 

My common good is …. 

And then we can ask the really hard question. Is it good enough?

Reflection Copyright 2024 Michael J. Cunningham OFS