This present life then, is not a vacation or free time. It is a time for purposeful planning and action on behalf of the good, the true, the honorable, the dignified, whatever fulfills us as human persons. Catholic social teaching deals with morality, but in a way not often thought about by many people. Most think about morality in terms of a personal, or private, morality, for example, the ten commandments and how they pertain to my personal life. And this is extremely important.
Nothing can substitute for personal morality.
But, as persons, we are not only individuals but also social. We are individual persons with a social nature. This calls for, then, a public morality, a social morality, with a corresponding social conscience. This is where CST comes to our help. Jesus calls his followers both to lead a life of personal integrity and to help construct a just social order a just society.