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528 • Conclusion and Appendices
spiritual meaning points to realities
beyond the words themselves and
is subdivided into three categories.
These categories are:
•
Allegorical
—This recog-
nizes the significance of the
Scriptures in Christ, that is,
the way in which images in
Scripture serve as a type or
foreshadowing of Christ and
his actions.
•
Anagogical
—This views
realities and events in
Scripture in terms of their
eternal significance.
•
Moral
—What is read in
Scripture inspires or motivates
one to live justly (cf. CCC,
nos. 115-117).
SIN:
Sin is an offense against God
as well as against reason, truth, and
right conscience; it is a failure in
genuine love for God and neighbor
caused by a perverse attachment to
certain goods. It wounds the nature
of man and injures human solidar-
ity. It has been defined as “an utter-
ance, a deed, or a desire contrary to
the eternal law” (CCC, no. 1849).
SLOTH:
One of the Capital Sins; it
involves a lack of effort in meeting
duties and responsibilities to God,
to others, and to oneself.
SOCIAL JUSTICE:
Society ensures
social justice by providing the
conditions that allow associations
and individuals to obtain their due
(CCC, no. 1943). Social justice
deals with the essential needs of
people if they are to live together
in community with respect for each
other’s dignity. These needs include
food, clothing, and shelter and an
income that supports the family.
SOCIAL SIN:
Sins that produce
unjust social laws and oppressive
institutions. They are social situa-
tions and institutions contrary to
divine goodness. Sometimes called
“structures of sin” they are the
expression and effect of personal
sins. They lead the victims to do
evil. In a certain sense, they consti-
tute a social sin (CCC, no. 1869).
SOCIAL TEACHINGS OF THE
CHURCH:
While the Church from
New Testament times has always
been concerned about the social
needs of the orphan, widow, alien,
and other helpless people, she
began to develop an explicit social
doctrine to respond to the social
problems that have arisen because
of the industrial and technological
revolutions. These teachings are
found in papal encyclicals begin-
ning with Pope Leo XIII’s 1891
encyclical
On Capital and Labor
(
Rerum Novarum
) to those of the