At a time when much of the nation is focused on economic prosperity, we continue to feed the hungry, shelter the homeless and empower victims of injustice. In a society frequently overwhelmed by materialism, the Church says material things are not all-important. What is important is how we treat one another, whether we love one another, whether we reach out to the least among us. In this context, let me give special emphasis to Catholic teaching on the notion of the common good. I believe that restoring a healthy commitment to the common good is one of the most significant social tasks of our time.
Contemporary society is characterized by a radical separation of private life and social life.
Far too often our culture promotes an ethic of private interest and private struggle to the near exclusion of social virtues and social commitments. I fear that we are witnessing a loss of commitment to the social order, a declining willingness to sacrifice one's immediate selfish interests for the good of the wider society. The Catholic vision of community and commitment to the common good was a mark of Bishop Francis' life. I believe that we must all work to make this same vision become a mark of our nation's social ethic. In closing, I would like to return to something I said earlier.