Page 36 - HQ May June July 2020

u the cultural inheritance. It is the sum of what has ject poverty, one’s soul can be saved. The good Lord
been made and passed on to us through past gener- gives His graces in challenging circumstances but it
ations and until our present day. Our generation did is more difficult to achieve salvation under these con-
not invent all the things upon which we rely as we ditions. The Pope has spoken well.
too continue to innovate. These have all come down We do not have the right to create difficult con-
to us from past generations; these are also part of ditions for people! We do not have the right to put
our inheritance, a gift to us from past generations! them in these conditions and then say: “Be heroic!
How can groups of men on this earth claim control Save yourself all the same! Pull yourself up!” We do
over these benefits from the past? What right have not have the right to do that! If such conditions hap-
they to stingily and contingently distribute them pen then we are forced to suffer them, but we do not
back to the people? have the right to accept difficult conditions without
Pope Pius XII cited “the principles of justice and an effort to change them! A Christian has no right to
charity”. It is an injustice to steal the goods of the be resigned to disorder, even when he suffers it!
earth that belongs to others! Charity must only come “This individual right of each person [for materi-
after justice; to fill in the small holes, so to speak, that al goods] cannot be suppressed, not by the exercise
justice could not fill. If everyone had most of their of other definite and recognized rights”, according
income supplied by a National Dividend, as Social to the Pope. For example, a person has a clear claim
Credit proposes, and thereby received his share of
earthly goods, there would still be cases where ex-
tra help would be necessary. This could be because
of illness, bad luck, such as having a house fire, or Free access to books and
because of an accident. At this point, charity must brochures on Economic Democracy
complete the provision of justice.
But what about those who preach charity but sup-
port injustice? How can this be explained? We are
told that charity is a theological virtue and therefore
is more elevated than justice. This is true, but when
it comes to the distribution of the goods of the earth,
justice must always come first!
The Pope tells us that this right to the goods of the
earth by everyone is an imprescriptible right. What
does imprescriptible mean? Ask any lawyer and he
will tell you an imprescriptible right is inalienable and
not subject to prescription. After a certain period of
time: five years in some cases, one year, in the case
of an automobile accident, thirty years for a property,
etc.; the right becomes inalienable. In other words, it
cannot be taken away.
A Right that Cannot be Erased
Pope Pius XII tells us that the right of everyone
to the goods of the earth is inalienable and cannot be
taken away. It can neither be abrogated by time nor
by legislation! Though there may be laws that deny
these rights, or limit their exercise, they do not cancel
that right; this right always exists!
We seek that each person enjoys the right to fulfill
his destiny with dignity as a child of God under Social
Credit. We recognize that one cannot do so when the
“heart to live” is compromised. St. Vincent de Paul We strongly encourage you to go on our
said it well: “Before we can tell someone to save their website (www.michaeljournal.org) and read for
soul, to work for their salvation, we must first ensure free the full text of these books and brochures, to
that their material conditions are such that they are study and understand more the principles of Eco-
able to discover that they even have one”. nomic Democracy. For those who prefer a printed
How can we expect people to be concerned about version of these books and brochures. you can or-
der them from our office in Rougemont, Canada,
their souls when their physical conditions are poor? I by visiting this link: https://www.michaeljournal.
know that in prison and in cases of poverty, even ab-

36 MICHAEL May/June/July 2020 www.michaeljournal.org