Following on previous reflections, the reader might wonder why we consider the human Common Good a political matter and not one that should be left solely to the smaller societies to which each person belongs, like their family or their guild. If we have already concluded that man needs to live in society to attain various human goods, wouldn’t it suffice to focus solely on these smaller societies, such as the family or the local community? Are these societies not enough to obtain the complete Common Good of man? For many, it might be tempting to answer with a resounding yes. Today, some speak of the family as a walled fortress where one can be self-sufficient, both physically and spiritually, without needing other higher societies, much less the entire political community, which in the best case is reduced to a superfluous and unnecessary entity, and in the worst, becomes an obstacle or hindrance to the family’s well-being. However, reality is quite different. Although the family should indeed serve as fertile ground for cultivating numerous human goods, both material and immaterial, the family alone cannot achieve the complete Common Good of man.
As we have already mentioned, man’s social life is organized around the different societies to which he belongs: the family, the neighborhood, the guild, the municipality, the region… These are the so-called intermediate or smaller societies, arranged in concentric circles until reaching the largest circle, which encompasses all the others: the political community. Widow explains this in the same work we have been discussing:
«The society that brings together not individual people directly, but all those societies in which the person participates to access the goods proper to their life, is called the political community. […] Politics, therefore, is that society of societies in which man will find the possibility of fully spreading the Common Good in which he participates. Thus, the political society is the one that gathers all human goods and orders them so that they effectively perfect each individual and smaller society».
The Common Good is a political good because «the existing social relationships aimed at achieving various particular goods are harmoniously integrated into a higher society». This architectonic structure allows the various goods pursued by man in each of the smaller societies to be, in some way, ordered toward the ultimate goal, the highest Common Good. Man’s life, therefore, does not consist of attaining an infinite series of unrelated, independent goods, but rather, through these goods, progressively approaching the complete Common Good.
Widow concludes the second chapter of his work by alluding to that political attitude marked by an endless pursuit of particular goods in various domains (health, education, transportation, international relations…). All in search of a supposed progress that ultimately brings nothing but permanent dissatisfaction, never guiding the political community toward its true end: for the men within it to achieve a virtuous life and, with it, happiness. Like the athlete who runs swiftly without knowing his destination, there is, deep within each man, a persistent question: for what purpose or to what end? This question reminds us that all these goods are truly human goods only when they are integrated with other spiritual goods and form a unity with them. Here lies the fundamental role of the political community, which St. Thomas calls the perfect community: harmonizing the various intermediate societies so that each, according to its particular vocation and specific goods, is directed toward the complete Common Good of man.
Recalling the true end of the political community, Jean Ousset warned of «the error of making us see only the individual who is lost and making us forget the society that dies, or rather, presenting the illusion that society will be rebuilt by individuals without the restoration of institutions». Against those who claim that the social order will be Christian when men have converted, Ousset reminds us that «society is the great means, the great condition for individual and general human perfection in light of divine union». The natural and Christian political order, with its restored institutions and intermediate societies, is the most favorable context for mankind as a whole to steer its life toward virtue. Pieper writes that «virtue is, as St. Thomas says, ultimum potentiae, the highest aspiration of man, that is, the realization of human potential in both natural and supernatural aspects».
In conclusion, no Catholic should justify their lack of political interest by claiming that the important thing is to care for concrete individuals rather than the whole of society or the restoration of institutions. Not only are these concerns inseparable, but the restoration of the social order is precisely the means by which men can achieve the natural and supernatural goods that enable them to fulfill the purpose for which they were created.
Unfortunately, many Catholics live trying to strip the Catholic faith of its inseparable political dimension, evading its practical consequences without hesitation. They believe that living a pious life and attending daily Mass—actions that are undoubtedly meritorious—eliminate the political responsibility that weighs on the shoulders of every Catholic. Thus, they concern themselves with intricate liturgical issues or memorize the saints’ feast days while completely disengaging from the political reality in which their life is embedded. Perhaps they think that, not living in the bloody Spain of 1936, Catholics today have no role to play in public life. Many young people will think that politics was something for their grandparents, who had to endure plundering and threats firsthand, but not for the new generations, who are more engaged in cultural battles than political ones. Some may believe that the political vocation calls a few enlightened individuals, but that it is by no means everyone’s duty to take an interest in the state of their broader society. Lastly, there are those who believe that Spain will be saved solely through prayers—indispensable, of course—forgetting the necessary actions in the natural realm. This realm, unfortunately, is neglected by many Catholics, who strive to live a life so spiritual—spiritualist, really—that one might think they are ready to fly away at any moment just to avoid setting foot on the harsh field of combat.
Nieves Sánchez, Círculo Cultural Alberto Ruiz de Galarreta
Translated by the Gremio San Jerónimo
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