Subsidiarity : " (in the Roman Catholic Church) a principle of social doctrine that all social bodies exist for the sake of the individual so that what individuals are able to do, society should not take over, and what small societies can do, larger societies should not take over ." (Dictionary.com) A concept that seems to be getting lost as big government intrudes more and more into personal rights and freedoms. It reminds me of the lessons of the book ' Small is Beautiful ' ( E. F. Schumacher) in which he argues that true freedom and development must respect the initiatives and efforts of the smallest units in society. He uses a wonderful analogy to make his argument. He tells the story of three tailors who were all located on the same block. The first one put a sign on his business that read " Best Tailor in the State ". The second then put one up that read " Best Tailor in the Country ". The thi...
Reflections from the pastoral ministry of an Evangelical Catholic Priest.