In 1973 Karl Menninger, a renowned psychiatrist and founder of the Menninger Clinic, published a book entitled, Whatever Happened to Sin?. He asserted that in our society we had lost a sense of guilt and wrongdoing, in other words, committing acts that brings harm to oneself or others. He cited various causes for this diminishment of moral behavior, which in turn led to the almost disappearance of the word “sin” in public discourse. Apart from a religious or theological context, the word admittedly has all but disappeared. Instead we are more likely to hear words such as mistake, fault, error, or misdeed.
Menninger’s observation could serve to bring us to a related question which also has moral implications: whatever happened to “the common good?” In place of that term we often hear such expressions as my rights, my freedom, my decision which reflects a kind of individualism in our society.
The term “common good” means the sum total of social conditions which allow people to reach their full potential. St. Thomas Acquinas described the common good as “protecting life, preserving the state, and promoting peace.” Rather than striving for personal gain or personal preference, the individual chooses to act for the benefit of others. The common good concept is rooted in Christian morality and is an essential aspect of Catholic social justice teaching.
What inspired St. Vincent de Paul, Blessed Rosalie Rendu, Blessed Frederick Ozanam and others was a deep-seated sense that I am called by Jesus to attend to the needs of others, especially the poor and the vulnerable, and to move beyond what is of benefit to me. It was during a cholera epidemic that Frederick Ozanam began his ministry to those in need. The common good demanded that.
An immediate application of this principle would be the situation we are now facing regarding the Covid vaccine. A given individual might have reservations about getting the vaccine for various reasons, but out of a willingness to promote the common good and protect the well-being and health of others, this person chooses to be vaccinated. Such a decision is consistent with the Christian ethic of sacrificing one’s own needs or desires for the good of others in society – the common good. Jesus is the prime example of such self-sacrifice in achieving salvation, the ultimate good, for all of humanity.
We are currently facing a very serious health crisis with the rapid spread of the highly contagious Delta variant. This may be an occasion when each of us and our fellow Vincentians step forward and set the example of promoting the common good by being vaccinated and encouraging others to do so.
Leaving aside all the media hype, or what we read on the internet, or the political noise from both sides of the aisle, the common good ought to be the focus. It might even lead to a time when we don’t have to raise the question: whatever happened to the common good?
