“Then the assembly rose as a body and brought Jesus before Pilate. They began to accuse him, saying, ‘We found this man perverting our nation, forbidding us to pay taxes to the emperor, and saying that he himself is the Messiah, a king.’ Then Pilate asked him, ‘Are you the king of the Jews?’ He answered, ‘You say so.’ Then Pilate said to the chief priests and the crowds, ‘I find no basis for an accusation against this man.’ But they were insistent and said, ‘He stirs up the people by teaching throughout all Judea, from Galilee where he began even to this place.’”

“And all who believed were together and had all things in common; and they sold their possessions and goods and distributed them to all, as any had need…. There was not a needy person among them, for as many as were possessors of lands or houses sold them, and brought the proceeds of what was sold and laid it at the apostles’ feet; and distribution was made to each as any had need.”

“Charity in truth places before man the astonishing experience of gift…. The human being is made for gift, which expresses and makes present his transcendent dimension. Sometimes modern man is wrongly convinced that he is the sole author of himself, his life and society. This is a presumption that follows from being selfishly closed in upon himself, and it is a consequence—to express it in faith terms—of original sin.”

“Then, the conviction that the economy must be autonomous, that it must be shielded from ‘influences’ of a moral character, has led man to abuse the economic process in a thoroughly destructive way. In the long term, these convictions have led to economic, social and political systems that trample upon personal and social freedom, and are therefore unable to deliver the justice that they promise.”

vtvt

If you look at the material on the market in light of Romero, what insights emerge for you? Namely, there’s a sense in which the market is neutral about what’s distributed and to whom it’s distributed (e.g., the LAW of supply and demand). What does Romero show us about ‘neutrality,’ and what do you think that means for the market and economic justice?

discuss your reactions to Romero, and generate insights from those reactions, and

use those to consider certain elements of the U.S. economy.

We will especially concentrate on the notion of neutrality, which is an important idea running through Romero, as well as some of the other readings for today.

I. Lessons from RomeroA. How Romero changes

B. From ‘neutrality’ pref. optionII. Moral considerations of a free-market

A. Tensions between market & CST

B. ‘Autonomy’ and ‘neutrality’ in the market

1. Is the market MORALLY neutral?

Market values Catholic Social Thought values

Material Happiness

Self-Interest

Freedom from Government Intervention

Neutrality

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