Politics Serve Human Flourishing | Dr. Christopher Ragusa | October 16, 2024

2nd Lecture in a 3-part series entitled "The Gospel, Politics, and the Election." This talk is followed by a roundtable Q&A with Dr. Ragusa, Dr. Brian Pedraza, and Fr. Andrew Merrick. Drs. Ragusa and Pedraza are theology faculty at Franciscan Missionaries of Our Lady University (FranU) in Baton Rouge, and Fr. Andrew is pastor of St. John the Evangelist Church in Prairieville, LA.

0:15 Prayer
1:57 Intro
4:03 Natural Law in Scripture
8:00 Genesis on the Human Person
10:30 Internal Reality of Morality Parallels External Reality of Creation
14:25 Human Person is Social and Political
15:06 Human Person Governs the World
17:02 The Natural Law and Catholic Social Teaching
18:50 Human Nature is Real
20:30 Aquinas and the Catechism on the Natural Law
23:00 Fundamental Goods are "Useless" (Ends in Themselves)
25:49 Virtue and the Natural Law
26:36 Human Laws and the Natural Law
28:45 Catholic Social Teaching Based on Natural Law
29:53 The Common Good
38:30 Legitimate Authority
40:00 8 Principles of Catholic Social Teaching
41:10 Participative Community & Economics vs. Rugged Individualism
46:54 Subsidiarity and Solidarity
49:40 Politics in Light of Creation
49:57 Universal Destination of Goods
51:12 Private Property as Social Mortgage
55:25 Preferential Option for the Poor
57:04 Closing: What is at Stake?
58:45 Q&A Start
59:56 Response to Dr. Ragusa
1:05:30 Are there any examples of governments or parties that meet the demands of CST?
1:13:38 Option for Poor: main Parties seem to favor different groups of the poor?.
1:25:50 History of CST and Resources
1:28:50 Blessing

Dr. Ragusa's recommendations for further reading in the Church's social doctrine:

[michaelblissenbach]

Outstanding presentation and discussion! 🙂