67: Justice and Rights
Chapter 67 defines justice as the virtue of rendering to each person their due, specifically focusing on commutative justice between equals, which protects individual rights while imposing the obligation to respect others' rights. A right is described as a moral faculty or inviolable power to possess or do something, stemming from natural possession or lawful acquisition, and its validity fundamentally depends on the idea of God and conformity to His will. Critically, human rights are subservient to God's superior rights, meaning no one has a right to do evil, even to preserve life. Injustice, a sin against man and a crime against God, attacks liberty, social order, and divine mandate, demanding full reparation that God will ensure, either through willing amends in this life or purgation in the next.
For the full audiobook can be obtained here. The contents of this volume appeared originally in The Catholic Transcript, of Hartford, Connecticut, in weekly installments, from February, 1901, to February, 1903.
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