What's the Mission of the Church: Individual Salvation, Social Justice, or Both?

[Bartolome_Casas]

I.e., is the Mission of the Catholic Church to:

(a) offer a way for individual souls to get to eternal life in Heaven.
(b) create more and more Social Justice in the economy, especially for those constantly struggling for mere survival.
(c) both of the above.

 

[po18guy]

Without (a), (b) only temporarily comforts those on the road to hell.

The answer is both a and b, but I believe that a is primary while b is secondary. b is inseparable from a, but has taken precedence and become the goal for those who do not necessarily believe in a.

 

[charliedrake]

Goal number one is eternal life, as far as social justice that is the job of Obama. Why else was expansion of abortions was his first law passed. Go figure.

 

[DCNBILL]

To bring the world back to God.

 

[Ubenedictus]

I think the mission of the church is found in the last chapter of mattew and it goes like this ‘go into the world…’ it’s not just salvation proclaim to some but salvation proclaim to all this involve showing all the right path, that path involves love for the other (social justice).
Benedicimus

 

[manualman]

Option B is a side effect of achieving option A.

Making Option B the primary goal is a form of idolatry that will hinder the accomplishment of A (or, more likely, suggest to people that Option A is just bigotry or superstition).

 

[quiet52]

I.e., is the Mission of the Catholic Church to:

(a) offer a way for individual souls to get to eternal life in Heaven.
(b) create more and more Social Justice in the economy, especially for those constantly struggling for mere survival.
(c) both of the above.

This is from the Catechism of the Catholic Church

Mission - a requirement of the Church’s catholicity

849 The missionary mandate. “Having been divinely sent to the nations that she might be ‘the universal sacrament of salvation,’ the Church, in obedience to the command of her founder and because it is demanded by her own essential universality, strives to preach the Gospel to all men”:339 "Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you; and Lo, I am with you always, until the close of the age."340

850 The origin and purpose of mission. The Lord’s missionary mandate is ultimately grounded in the eternal love of the Most Holy Trinity: "The Church on earth is by her nature missionary since, according to the plan of the Father, she has as her origin the mission of the Son and the Holy Spirit."341 The ultimate purpose of mission is none other than to make men share in the communion between the Father and the Son in their Spirit of love.342

851 Missionary motivation. It is from God’s love for all men that the Church in every age receives both the obligation and the vigor of her missionary dynamism, "for the love of Christ urges us on."343 Indeed, God “desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth”;344 that is, God wills the salvation of everyone through the knowledge of the truth. Salvation is found in the truth. Those who obey the prompting of the Spirit of truth are already on the way of salvation. But the Church, to whom this truth has been entrusted, must go out to meet their desire, so as to bring them the truth. Because she believes in God’s universal plan of salvation, the Church must be missionary.

339 AG 1; cf. Mt 16:15.
340 Mt 28:19-20.
341 AG 2.
342 Cf. John Paul II, RMiss 23.
343 2 Cor 5:14; cf. AA 6; RMiss 11.
344 1 Tim 2:4.

The purpose of our existence is to know, love and serve God, and to want to enjoy everlasting union with God in Heaven. It looks as if (a) is the answer. However, Scripture tells us that we don’t truly love God if we don’t love one another.

So Heaven is the objective – Loving one another, which includes helping the needy, is part of the journey. Answer (b) is part of (a).

 

[terrig]

This is from the Catechism of the Catholic Church

The purpose of our existence is to know, love and serve God, and to want to enjoy everlasting union with God in Heaven. It looks as if (a) is the answer. However, Scripture tells us that we don’t truly love God if we don’t love one another.

So Heaven is the objective – Loving one another, which includes helping the needy, is part of the journey. Answer (b) is part of (a).

So true. I was taught it the mission of the Church is the salvation of souls. If you obey the commandments and strive to do God’s will in all things, giving to the needy will be a consequence. I get so tired of church leaders talking about social justice all the time (which really means entitlement programs). I have no problem when truly needy people - the elderly and the handicap - get government help and my tax dollars but I do have a problem with people that take advantage of the system. The church needs to get back to the business of saving souls.