CCC 270 God is the Father Almighty, whose fatherhood and power shed light on one another: God reveals his fatherly omnipotence by the way he takes care of our needs; by the filial adoption that he gives us (“I will be a father to you, and you shall be my sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty”):1 finally by his infinite mercy, for he displays his power at its height by freely forgiving sins.
CCC 305 Jesus asks for childlike abandonment to the providence of our heavenly Father who takes care of his children’s smallest needs: “Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ”What shall we eat?“ or ”What shall we drink?“... Your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things shall be yours as well.”2
CCC 1753 A good intention (for example, that of helping one’s neighbor) does not make behavior that is intrinsically disordered, such as lying and calumny, good or just. The end does not justify the means. Thus the condemnation of an innocent person cannot be justified as a legitimate means of saving the nation. On the other hand, an added bad intention (such as vainglory) makes an act evil that, in and of itself, can be good (such as almsgiving).3
CCC 1942 The virtue of solidarity goes beyond material goods. In spreading the spiritual goods of the faith, the Church has promoted, and often opened new paths for, the development of temporal goods as well. And so throughout the centuries has the Lord’s saying been verified: “Seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things shall be yours as well”:4
For two thousand years this sentiment has lived and endured in the soul of the Church, impelling souls then and now to the heroic charity of monastic farmers, liberators of slaves, healers of the sick, and messengers of faith, civilization, and science to all generations and all peoples for the sake of creating the social conditions capable of offering to everyone possible a life worthy of man and of a Christian.5
CCC 2113 Idolatry not only refers to false pagan worship. It remains a constant temptation to faith. Idolatry consists in divinizing what is not God. Man commits idolatry whenever he honors and reveres a creature in place of God, whether this be gods or demons (for example, satanism), power, pleasure, race, ancestors, the state, money, etc. Jesus says, “You cannot serve God and mammon.”6 Many martyrs died for not adoring “the Beast”7 refusing even to simulate such worship. Idolatry rejects the unique Lordship of God; it is therefore incompatible with communion with God.8
CCC 2416 Animals are God’s creatures. He surrounds them with his providential care. By their mere existence they bless him and give him glory.9 Thus men owe them kindness. We should recall the gentleness with which saints like St. Francis of Assisi or St. Philip Neri treated animals.
CCC 2424 A theory that makes profit the exclusive norm and ultimate end of economic activity is morally unacceptable. The disordered desire for money cannot but produce perverse effects. It is one of the causes of the many conflicts which disturb the social order.10
A system that “subordinates the basic rights of individuals and of groups to the collective organization of production” is contrary to human dignity.11 Every practice that reduces persons to nothing more than a means of profit enslaves man, leads to idolizing money, and contributes to the spread of atheism. “You cannot serve God and mammon.”12
CCC 2547 The Lord grieves over the rich, because they find their consolation in the abundance of goods.13 “Let the proud seek and love earthly kingdoms, but blessed are the poor in spirit for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven.”14 Abandonment to the providence of the Father in heaven frees us from anxiety about tomorrow.15 Trust in God is a preparation for the blessedness of the poor. They shall see God.
CCC 2608 From the Sermon on the Mount onwards, Jesus insists on conversion of heart: reconciliation with one’s brother before presenting an offering on the altar, love of enemies, and prayer for persecutors, prayer to the Father in secret, not heaping up empty phrases, prayerful forgiveness from the depths of the heart, purity of heart, and seeking the Kingdom before all else.16 This filial conversion is entirely directed to the Father.
CCC 2821 This petition is taken up and granted in the prayer of Jesus which is present and effective in the Eucharist; it bears its fruit in new life in keeping with the Beatitudes.17
CCC 2830 “Our bread”: The Father who gives us life cannot not but give us the nourishment life requires – all appropriate goods and blessings, both material and spiritual. In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus insists on the filial trust that cooperates with our Father’s providence.18 He is not inviting us to idleness,19 but wants to relieve us from nagging worry and preoccupation. Such is the filial surrender of the children of God:
To those who seek the kingdom of God and his righteousness, he has promised to give all else besides. Since everything indeed belongs to God, he who possesses God wants for nothing, if he himself is not found wanting before God.20
CCC 2836 “This day” is also an expression of trust taught us by the Lord,21 which we would never have presumed to invent. Since it refers above all to his Word and to the Body of his Son, this “today” is not only that of our mortal time, but also the “today” of God.
If you receive the bread each day, each day is today for you. If Christ is yours today, he rises for you every day. How can this be? “You are my Son, today I have begotten you.” Therefore, “today” is when Christ rises.22
1 2 Cor 6:18; cf. Mt 6:32.
2 Mt 6:31-33; cf. 10:29-31.
3 Cf. Mt 6:24.
4 Mt 6:33.
5 Pius XII, Discourse, June 1, 1941.
6 Mt 6:24.
7 Cf. Rev 13-14.
8 Cf. Gal 5:20; Eph 5:5.
9 Cf. Mt 6:26; Dan 3:79-81.
10 Cf. GS 63 # 3; LE 7; 20; CA 35.
11 GS 65 # 2.
12 Mt 6:24; Lk 16:13.
13 Lk 6:24.
14 St. Augustine, De serm. Dom. in monte 1, 1, 3: PL 34, 1232.
15 Cf. Mt 6:25-34.
16 Cf. Mt 5:23-24, 44-45; 6:7,14-15, 21, 25, 33.
17 Cf. Jn 17:17-20; Mt 5:13-16; 6:24; 7:12-13.
18 Cf. Mt 6:25-34.
19 Cf. 2 Thess 3:6-13.
20 St. Cyprian, De Dom. orat. 21 PL 4, 534A.
21 Cf. Mt 6:34; Ex 16:19.
22 St. Ambrose, De Sacr. 5, 4, 26: PL 16, 453A; cf. Ps 2:7.