With a view to the coming election, we have, for the last two weeks, been reflecting on our Catholic formation as voters and as participants in the formation of social policies. In forming our consciences rightly, we need to be very aware of intrinsic moral evils, that we can never support, as well as the principles of the natural law.

This moral framework comes together in our Catholic Social Teaching that reminds us to keep in mind three foundational principles: social justice, solidarity, and subsidiarity. These constitute a framework for achieving the common good of society. They must be kept in balance according to the circumstances where they are applied. Let’s look more at these three principles.

The Catechism of the Catholic Church tells us, “Social justice can be obtained only in respecting the transcendent dignity of man.” Bringing about true social justice depends on a number of factors including charity, mediating institutions — those societal institutions, such as the church, that generate, promote and inculcate values to society — and government action.

The catechism dispels the myth that government itself is sufficient: “No legislation could by itself do away with the fears, prejudices, and attitudes which obstruct the establishment of truly fraternal societies. Such behavior will cease only through the charity that finds in every man a ‘neighbor,’ a ‘brother’ ” (1931).

In fact it is both dangerous and unrealistic to think that we can achieve social justice from government without first fostering the true conversion of the members of a society. The most common recent form of that error is socialism, which the Church has opposed just as it has rejected unbridled, man-against-man capitalism. Both of these “systems” would replace God’s law, and the freedom He intends for us, with an ideology that becomes an idol.

The catechism continues this balance of principles with regard to solidarity.

“Socio-economic problems can be resolved only with the help of all forms of solidarity: solidarity of the poor among themselves, between rich and poor, of workers among themselves, between employers and employees in a business, solidarity among nations and peoples” (1941).

Catholic teaching does not offer a prescription to implement solidarity. Rather, we are given this principle to guide our thoughtful actions, and to serve as a brake on rampant individualism.

We should remember, too, that solidarity extends not just horizontally across the space of our society and our planet, but through time as well. We have to balance our solidarity with those alive today and their needs, and the needs of future generations not yet alive to raise their voices.

While it is obvious that we must have a legitimate concern for the poor, another concern is the extent to which what we spend today and the social debt we accrue will affect the ability of many persons in the future to live their lives in dignity.

The catechism also cites the letter of Pope John Paul II, Centesimus Annus, to describe the principle of subsidiarity: “a community of a higher order should not interfere in the internal life of a community of a lower order, depriving the latter of its functions, but rather should support it in case of need and help to co-ordinate its activity with the activities of the rest of society, always with a view to the common good” (1883).

This reminds us that as individuals, families and neighbors we have a first obligation and a prior right to address needs and problems and to suggest solutions for the common good.

Rather than serving as a mandate for greater or lesser government intervention, the principle of subsidiarity “sets limits for state intervention” (1885), just as solidarity limits our American overemphasis on individualism.

These principles provide, in a sense, a fence within which political leaders must remain if they are to remain faithful to truth, to natural law. There is plenty of room within the fence to argue about programs and means, about how best to achieve the common good in the circumstances we now face and can reasonably foresee. But once again, through these principles, the Church gives us prudent guidance as we form our consciences and prepare to vote in November.